The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1890-11-14
CITY NEWS AND GOSSIP.
Commodore Power Says the Mis-
souri, River Commission is
q Political Machine.
He Does Not think the Missouri,
at This Point, Fit for
Navigation.
How Bozeman Proposes to Work for the
Capital-A Chat With Edi-
tor Yerkes.

mo, sir. do not think it either feasible
or plausible to attempt to render the Mis-
souri, navigable from Helena to Great
Falls" said Commodore I. c. Power, when
asked his opinion on the subject yesterday
by an INDEPENDENT reporter.
I'm the first place the distance is toe
short, and the navigable season would be
too brief to justify the expenditure of such
an amount of money as this undertaking
would involve. The railroad runs along
the bank of the river the entire distance
and can more promptly and nearly as
cheaply handle what business there is to be
done. Then again. navigating in this por.
ton of the Missouri has always been haz-
ardous, and as the season when a steamer
might sail is 80 short, it would be sheer
nonsense to think of it.
"What do You think then. of the work
now being carried on by the Missouri river
commission
"Oh, Ipay no attention to That. They have
sent man out to take the levels and
soundings, etc.. but these reports are gen
orally unreliable. l would never place any
confidence in them. They would have to
be checked up with previous reports. II
this work was being done under the super
vision of the navy department., then it
would+be reliable but this Missouri river
commission is nothing more than politi-
cal machine, composed of republicans as
we'll az democrats. l would never endorse
any measure in the senate for an appropria-
ton that they might recommend for i'm
proving the Missouri river in Montana.
The money could be put to better use
surveying public lands for instance-and
by the way" said the commodore,
with some degree of pride, I'VE got n ap-
preparation aggregating $350,OO for sur
ing lands in Montana
ants for section q, which claim the North
ern Pacific railroad is contesting, are very
sanRuine still. that they will win in the
end. They do not look upon Commissioner
Grof's ruling as final. The case is now
before the United States court, and will
soon come up before Judge Knowles. 1t is
learned that w. +. Sanders and not Wilbur
F., is one of the interested claimants. The
case is one of more than ordinary interest,
as many settlers throughout Montana have
similar cases pending.
With the famous Broadwater natatorium
transformed into an ice skating rink, the
outlook for winter festivity is bright. Hell
ena will then have an ice palace of its own.
All lovers OF skating are looking forward
with pleasure to the announcement of the
opening of the great place. A sheet of
CLASSY ice, 300 feet long and 100 feet wide.
enclosed in such a magnificent structure,
made bright as day with amyriad of Olec-
trio lights, is something that does not fall
to many cities, and during the winter sea-
son this resort should become as popular
with the public rs it was during the sum-
mer for bathing purposes. 1t ia pro
posed to cover the cement bottom with saw
This will be allowed to freeze hard, after
which two or three inches of water will be
spread over this. surface. It will prove
quite a task to make the bottom level. but
it 10 believed this can be done. II ID
not to be supposed, however, that the great
tub will carry the body of water used in
summer.
A. K. Yerkes. the editor and proprietor of
the Bozeman Chronicle, is in the CITY. He
was over to Butte yesterday end does not
think much Of the Silver city as hospita-
BILE place for strangers. Mr.. Yerkes may
the capital question. He proposes to make
through his paper, great struggle
for Bozeman's supremacy in 1892 and he
says the entire town is even now at worl
and in earnest. ''The way lots have been
selling lately. it would seem that We wer,
going to have big vote on the FIRST ballot,
said Mr.. Yerkes last evening, ''and the
buyers are scattered throughout the state
The latest scheme we have" he continued
''is to plat about $50 acres on the edge o
the present city limits, divide this up int
about 5000 lots and give them away, 70
that many votes. We have the site Ahead
for the state capitol-we call it Capito
Hill."
1880 Mr.. Yerkes said they are immense
land you would be surprised to see tn
number of teams coming in daily from tn
ranches with produce, and the wagon train
that are constantly going to Castle will
produce, over the Bozeman-C Castle Wagon
road
He said that Hon. W. D. Flowers AM
twelve New York capitalists recently ar
rived In Bozeman for the purpose of look
ing over the ground of what will be q Rrea
project and of immense benefit to Gallatir
county's agricultural interests. This syn
dicate recently purchased an immens
tract of arid railroad lands at $l.5O pc
acre, and have pre-empted about 1000 acre
of government lands. They propose t,
build high line ditch or canal, thirty
eight miles long, and will reclaim an i'm
mense area of what is now valueless land
but with water can be made fine agricul
tural soil.
Speaking of the Fort Ellis military rese,
walton, Mr.. Yerkes said the only thing ths
will satisfy the people of Bozeman is to c,
the ground up into eighty-acre tracts an
sell these to the highest bidders. In tn,
way the taxable wealth of the county wi
be increased, - it is good farming lam
The people do not want it Get apart for 9
agricultural college Al some of Montana
statesmen are DESTROYS of doing.
The Mcbride Haldorn disbarment case
the supreme court 10 likely to lead to son
interesting financial complications, whic
ever way it il decided. Referee w. T. C,