The Great Falls leader. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1888-1900, 1889-03-20
THEY HAVE CONE AT LAST.
A Fully Equipped Surveying Party
to Start for Belt Today.

A Fully Equipped Surveying Party
to Start for Belt Today.
THE BELT MOUNTAIN RAILROAD
WILL BE BUILT.
A surveying party fro.n Helena arrived
in the city yesterday afteraoon, In charge
of John Heron, principal assistant en-
gineer of the Montana Csatzal Railway
company. The party accompanying Mr.,
Heron consists Of the following named
assistants:
E. L. McNair, transitman; Harry
Wheeler, levelsr; c. B. Moss, rodmAn; s.
A. Schobert, head chairman; T. H. Mui.
loney, rear chairman; R. johnson, J.
scheid, J. W. Wollschand, axmen; c.
Bennett, cook; besides teamsters and
other help. Two teams and wagons go
with the party laden with supplies and
camp equipage. A third will haul stake
| timber
The position Of topographer Is yet va
cant, but competent gentleman is ex-
pectsd to join the party before they pro-
ceed on their important work.
1t will be remembered that prslimi-
nary survey was made last fall from this
city to Belt creek. This line leaves the
Sand Coulee Branch railway At . point
about ten miles south of Great Falls,
thence continuing on the most feasible
line to Belt, where the survey termi-
mated.
MI. Herron's party will take up the sur
vey where it was dropped last fall, run
ming up Belt creek to Otter and up Otter
to Mann's ranch. Thence onward 70 the
present destination Of the road nothing
definite can be stated.
tits understood that the line surveyed
last fall will be followed In the main
and no further survey viii b made
thereon, except the cross- -ssctioniag and
restoring such stakes a. may have bssn
displaced.
The heaviest grading on the line, %
far as located, Is found at and near the
Box Elder, where some heavy cutting
and filling, as also some considerable
bridge-work will be encountered.
The gentlemen chazged with the exc
cution Of this important work are trusted
and competent aids from the chief en-
gineer's staff at Helena and will do theil
work in a manner thoroughly satisfacto.
ry to the company. Their coming has
been awaited by our citizens with al
anxiety bordering on impatience; for eve
ry resident of Great Falls has felt that
without the railroad, the exhaustlesl
, treasures Of precious ores in the Bel
! Mountain mining districts must remai1
undisturbe d and unknown, except to tn
favored few who have prospected and ex
plored the districts and who one and al
bear the same testimony as to the extra
4 ordinary richness and permanence Of tn
: : veins and ledges Of gold-silver, bearin
! lead and copper abounding there. An
. as to the iron deposits, they are not OK
celled on the continent.
q A cursory glimpse at few OF the out
9 lying prospects Of those vast stores c
= ores led some Of the noviate stOckholdel
~ of the road, last fall, to infer that tn
# mines of the Belt mountains were NJ
i. sufficiently developed to justify the larg
J outlay that would he necessary t
grade, iron and equip railsoa
). to the mines. Subsequent develop
ments have shown that in tn
e Barker and Neihart districts alone thel
! are mines already developed, any two {
v three of which could be almost fmmed
= = ately opened to an output Of from fifty
y one hundred tons per day. The part
expect to leave for Belt this afternoon.
Our citizens hail the advent Of Il
Montana Central surveyors as concl1
IA sive assurance Of the early complete
= - of the Belt Mountain railway--one of Il
~ most important enterprises In the u
In building of Great Falls and the develo
le ment of the untold mining wealth of Il
Fh Belt mountains.
e THE LUMP ON THE RISE.
m The little leaven that was thrown up