The Great Falls leader. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1888-1900, 1889-08-13

I. AUGUST IL, 1889.
A Very Extended Oasis
Col. Merry Of The Journal Winds up
the Little Ball of Yarn
Spun by the Driyeling Non,lescript Of
the New York Times.
An Oasis Of About 10000, 900 Acres
Requiring no Irrigation
| The railway system known as the "N1an
itoba road" was the latest built of all
transcontinental thoroughfares. Coming
into the arena of overland commerce as
as it did, it had to take what other roads
had discarded. And yet such is the luck
in such matters that it has so far acquired
the most cheaply operated route of the
| AtC pA1ullCA 4luCS dlEIUSS lIlC COlllltul.
With beds of average good steam coal dis
tributed along its route at intervals near
ly equal, it avoids the long hauls of fuel
to supply stations; and passing through u
we'll watered country it avoids the haul
ing of water in tanks to desert stations,
which has consumed SO much of the
Southern Pacitics gross earnings. Add
to this fact that the gradients are the eas-
lest of the five trunk lines, and that its
wear and tear, both of rails and rolling
stock, must be less than any competing
line, it can therefore be readily seen
why it should, some day become profit
able investment to ts projectors
i On Wednesday morning at s o'clock,
Col. Broadwater ran out special train, in
which were the Hon. B. +. White, Cover
nor of Montana; the Hon. l.. A. Walker,
Territorial Secretary; Chief Justice II.
J N: Blake, of the supreme court; A. W.
Lyman of the "1ndependent;" Judge
Hedges Of "The Ierald;" and the repre-
sentative Of The Journal. The run from
/ Helena to Great Falls was made in two
hours and forty-fve minutes, the fastest
, time on record. Here the party halted
an hour for luncheon.
OFF FOR MILK RIVER.
At 1920 the train pulled out and was
met at TT. Benton by Mr.. Searlcs of ''l'he
River rress" and. jMr. ID. r. Maginnis
The ride from Great Falls to Benton was
through dry and unintcresting section,
of country, but the cattle We're rolling
fat, and SO "'rhe New York Times'' pa
thetc story Of starving herds and sad
faced men did not find many believers in
:, Col. Broadwater's little party. Arriving
! ut Teton river about $3.50 p. nl., the excur-
y sionists suddenly hegan to realize that
they were entering an oasis. The cattle
alongside the track had eaten their fill
and were lazily lying on the ground in
every direction, which is the surest indi.
cation Of rich 'pasturage. Small fields
). of waving grain and patches Of green po.
: tatoes could be seen about every settlers
, hut, and at 4:10, with everybody in good
!, humor at their long but pleasant ride, the
= train halted at the station called Assinni
;. boinc.
a PERMANENT POST.
h Fort Assinniboinc is tho most substan
J, TALLY erected of all the western garrisons
/, being ten company post, the accommo
l dations for which are far in advance o
d Vancouver or Walla Walla. The build
g ings are all Of brick, with parade grounc
6 of half mile in length before them
d while, in front Of each house is a beauti
full garden. This post was constructed
s by Gen. Rugle, now commanding this dc
Ii partment, in 1878. Leaving the station
Ii which is q half mile from the fort, th'
Y train reversed its eng inc and backed aE
it twenty miles to the ultimate destination
The valley seemed a tritie narrow at frs
) but the stock looked superb, the bullock
ID being as tall as elephants and as fat 81
Of seals The grass was greener than it WA
about Helena, in May; and it was eviden
10 that the rainfall had been far more abun
g dant.
ct ANOTHER INLAND EMPIRE.
e. The train had barely passed Yanti
&C station when everybody except the hos
:" broke out with IN ejaculation Of wonde
III Tho valley suddenly widened out into
prairie as broad as the Sacramento vale,
'e with dark green lines of timber skirtin
= the meanderinys Of the streams.
;" stretched away like vast green carpe
u broad as all ocean and level AS Il billiar
le table. Here was an abiding place ft
millions OF home seekers, a neiyhborhoo
u where 10000 families could fin
" good farms within ten miles, on citht
III side Of the road, while branches woul
ne be hereafter built for thirty miles mort
ne and south of the main railroad line. A
irving ut Chinook station at 4:4O the G.
cursionists had number Of wagons I'LL
teams to carry them around and eXumil
:. ~ the barren lands so fearfully depicted
w the Wilkeson letter. A ten minutes dri,
brought them to Fort Belllnap, whe
~ they saw about five acres of wheat al
-" thirty acres of oats growing on the hig
VS. est land that could be found within tt
~ miles.
rly
to IEHIGATlOS AN lMrossIBIfLTy.