Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1890-04-12
Railroad News.

branch Of the b. & NJ. road, from Dud-
ley to Deadwood. At all of these a cross
section party is located under super
vision of a division engineer.
Cross s~ectioning has been commenced
ut various points along the line of the
Custer and Deadwood branch of the B.
& M. both north and south Of this city,
and the dirt will be flying fast and furi-
ously before our next issue appears to
the soul stirring fact
Custer has now become headquarters
for a number Of railroad men connected
with the q. & NJ. company. II is a very
disagreeable day when one or more rail.
road men do not arrive here. The head
quarters for the surveyors, under resi-
dent Engineer Tucker, has been estab-
lished at this place, and right-of way
man, Drake, has located here for the
summer. 1t is unnecessary to add that,
with both Of her pedal extremeties,
Custer is getting there in satisfactory
shape.
The ground required by The b. & NJ.
Railroad company for depot purposes
extends from the east side of Fourth
street to the east side Of Seventh, a dis
lance Of nearly 1900 feet. 1t may be
readily inferred from this that the com.
pany contemplates doing an extensive
business here, and as we are reasonably
well located for a division terminus,
being $50 miles from Alliance, the epd
Of the last division. 1t would be by no
mea surprising If the company had so
decided. Now that the bottle of bene-
fcient blessings has been opened, it is
difficult to estimate the favors future
fortune may hold in store for us. 1T
never rains but it pours."
The Pioneer told the readers ofits Sum
day paper that the b. & NJ. railroad COM
pany would Monday let contract for
grading the line TO this city. As usual
the pioneer was right. Bids were OPEN
ca yesterday, and contract for grading
from Hill City to Deadwood awarded 10
John Fitzgerald, Of Fitzgerald Bros,
railroad contractors Of Lincoln Neb.
Contract for grade from the Cheyenne
river to Hill City, ii o t~ranspires, had
been previously awarded. To whom is
not definitely ~ascertained, though it Is
assumed, and on reasonable grounds,
that this portion of the work will be
done by Fitzpatrick Bros. & Collins.
The railroad company yesterday filed
plat in the land Office at Rapid Of its
route from the Cheyenne to a point on
Rapid Greek twenty-three miles west of
Rapid City. The fact that two contracts
have been let for grading the Cheyenne
to Deadwood means completion of road
at the earlies possible moment. Fitzger-
aid Bros. who have part Of the contract,
and the Kilpatricks and Collins, who
probably have the other part, are the
largest firms of railroad contractors in the
west. Each can put an immense force
in the field. and each will do so. 1t is
quite possible five thousand men will
be at work within the next ten days. A
small proportion of this number will be
here this week. Teams were Yesterday
sent from Deadwood to Newcastle TO
bring in baggage Of 800 men now there
waiting to start for work at this end.
These will arrive on Thursday or Fri
day. The contract, as previously stated,
calls for completion of the grade by
November lst., and provides a heavy
penalty for each day thereafter.-Dea
wood Pioneer. s.
If we are correctly advised, the
Pioneer must be in error as to the let
ting of two contracts. 1t is fairly GER
tain that the CHRONICLE is correct In
the statement made in this weeks issue,
that John Fitzgerald was awarded the
contract for the grading of the line from
Dudley to Deadwood.
A gentleman who went from Hot
Springs to Newcastle last week, writes
The Herald that a party of graders
landed at Siding z on Monday to be-
gin grading on the proposed line from
Siding 7 to Custer City, and an
nounced that the line was to run from
Sidings 7 to Caster by way of Hot
Springs. Whether there is any truth
in the report or net we are unable to
state, for the 3. & NJ. have surveyed
from Siding z to Custer City by the way
of Bradley's Flat, and whether they in
tend to torsake this line and build by
way Of Hot Springs is not known, still
it is quite probable that the road will
touch this place either by building the
main line to Hot Springs or by ruuing a
spur from Bradley's Flat. A spur
could be built from Bradley's Flat to
Hot Springs by the way of Hot Brook
conyon at little expense, and it would
certainly seem that this is a desirable
place for them to touch. The quiet
in which they have been at
work ay have considerable significance.
1t may he that they desire to keep the
f. +. & NJ. V. in ignorance of their in
tention to touch Hot Springs. 1t will
be but q few short weeks until the b. &
NJ. are within a few miles ofthe Springs,
if they do not build here. and good eff
fects will surely be felt from the fact
that we will have two railroads in easy
distance of this place but it is altogether
probable that the b. & n. win build
into Hot Springs.-Hot Spings Hearld.
CONTRACT LET.
The expected. but nevertheless graft
flying news of the letting Of the con-
tract for the grading of the Black Hills
branch OF the b. & NJ. Railroad, from
Dudley to Deadwood reached this office
on Monday. The contract was awarded
to John Fitzgerald, a prominent railroad
contractor of Lincoln, Neb, whose well
known push and enterprise is sufficient
warrant for its early completion. The
time stipulated for the completion OF
the contract is November LIST of the
present year, and as the contractor will
be subject to heavy damages for eyery
day in excess Of the stipulated time that
the road remains incomplete, it is safe
to presume thai operationa ~ not ~