The Kimball graphic. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1905, 1890-09-12
Pierre's railroad Prospects.

v q ldiilc1u Stullupttit1. les.
Well. what is it? 1t is observed that the
one single track which reaches her now
commences at a point in Hand county
called Slick, and runs without a crook or
curve to a point near Blunt, a distance
of nearly 60 milcs-said to be, with one
exception in South America, the longest
straight piece OF railroad in the world.
But near Blunt an almost right angle is
turned toward the southwest and for a
distance of nearly fifteen miles the line
runs in that direction and then turns al
most due west, finally reaching Pierre,
after a circuitous route, m%eandering
down Medicine creek and up the Missouri
bottom, losing and waiting from a direct
line from Blunt, a distance not less than
fifteen miles. But the same map will
show that Blunt is about ten miles north
of Huron, SO that the actual extra track
age-first north, then south and then
northwest again-to get to Pierre by the
c.. 81 w. line is not less than twenty
five miles, If we take the present line as
the base p%arellel from which to figure.
Now why does the G. & N. w. road find
it necessary to first shoot north from Hur-
on's parallel to reach Blunt-thence
bend so far southwardiy and twist its tor
tuOus way like a cOrkscrew down Medi-
cine valley, only to again turn to the
northwest at R0sseau and 80 on to Pierre?
The city Of Pierre is on an exact parallel
westo Of Huron, and yet instead of an air
line route the Northwestern added one
fourth to that airline distance in nee
essary trackage between the two cities,
other things being equal. 1t is claimed
and generally admitted that the North
western Company has always employed
as able corps Of civil engineers rs have
been procurable, and il so, they must
naturally have selected the most reasible
route into Pierre when the survey was
originally made. and yet we find that be-
tween the two cities they were compelled
to add twenty-five per ccntum to the
original cost of construction and annual
operating expenses ever since and for all
time to come, i'll order To get down to
Pierre level. Why was it? We will tell
You. 1t is the natural Typography of the
country back or east Of Pierre that COM
PEELED it. Nature has in~terposed OBJ
stacles and nature proposes to keep them
there. They were put there to stay. As
long as the everlasting "gumbo knobs"
and the everlasting rock hills" shall
stand, will they frown down upon the
hapless and luckless surveyor who at
tempts to put another line into Pierre.
These concl UsiGns are forcibly thrust
upon all who know the surroundings OF
Pierre. In arriving at these conclusions
some aid may be found when we remem-
Der that ills a full decade since the first
locomotive stood where Pierre now stands.
Ten long years. And yet, during ali that
time no other road has found i; an object
to attempt entrance to these precincts.
Let it be remembered that the c. & y. w.
was the first and is the only line running
into Pierre. When that company laid
out its lsne its surveyors had the choice
OF all the routes down into Pierre from
the high prairie lands at her east. No
other company was there to bother her,
no inJnnctions weEc on hand to drive
them from this route to that route, and
not a solitary white mans form inter
vened to swerve their line to the right or
to the left. She was a free as the eagle
OF the air to choose her pathway down to
where Pierre now stands, and she eXer-
cised that freedom. She choose the only
route that was at all feasible-the only
route that could be considered at all cheap
or safe, and finally succeeded in planting
a locomotive where Pierre now stands
But what did she do by her work? She
demonstrated to herself and to all the
world that no rival line could ever reach
the same point without a vast expendi-
ture of money in tunnels, cuts, fills
bridges and embankments. Nature moi
having changed an atom since, the same
terrible obstacles exist to-day to the en-.
trance Of other roads to Pierre as did ten
years age. And we have seen that the
route used by the C. 81 n. w. is such al
one as bars out all ambition to duplicate
it by other lines, even though a Man
chester or Birmingham stood where
Pierre now stands, and with q yeritahlt
Egypt liz fertility and resources beyont
her to beckon on the capitalist to invest
ment. Ii the G. & n. w. was compelled
to throw away % per cent. Of trackag,
and subsequent earnings to reach hel
site, and when doing so had all Of tn,
world to choose her route from. and will
all these advantages in her favor, coult
only find entrance by using the cork
screw line she now uses, how can it be
expected that she will eyer become Il rail
road center, even with forty capitals il
her possession. Ii to this we add the ut
ter dearth OF inducements beyond hel
save such as can be reached easier. nor,
quickly and cheaper by either of the tw,
routes Ito the Hills country it does no
take much of a railroad analyst to SCI
the complete iiattening out of all pros
pects-bGom she herself as much as sill,
may. Nature and common sense ar
against her. And cold cash is very ap
TO consult common sense before buryine
itself irretrieyab!y in railroads as well a,
in anything else. Keep your eye on til,
Forest City and Chamberlain. They ar.
the two future railway crossings of tn,
Missouri.
Only Fifteen Cents.
Avail yourself of the liberal offer now
being made by the publishers Of tn,