Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1890-04-05
and copper mines at Hartville. Sun
barca G,zafta

the number OF railroads which are d.
rectly interested in their movements.
The Northwestern is unusually actiye in
running lines west Of Rapid City, and it
Is certain that two or more lines PEN
Grating the center Of the Hills will be
built during the summer and fall. The
tin regions are the goal for the .ncw ex-
tensions. Besides the Northwestern
will undoubtedly extend its line from
the present terminus at Whitewood
around the northern side of the Hills
and thence TO Sundance, where it is
reported extensive coal mines are To-
Gated"
After two weeks Of absolutely no rail
road news Of particular interest Il us,
says the Spearfish Register Of last week.
our citizens were agreeably surprised on
Tuesday TO learn that a corps of F., f. &
NJ. V. surveyors was camped at Garden
City, pushing the survey of IFS Hills
branch down Falsebottom towards
~Spearish as rapidly as the nature of the
ground would permit, their destination
being Sundance, the line passing through
Spear6sh. BY last evening the line had
been located to the edge of the valley,
Thursday a train of six wagons, loaded
with a surveyors camp outfit including
four transits, passed through the city, as
mentioned elsewhere, part of them
stopped on ~Falsebottom, and began a
survey up the creek, starting at Averys
ranch, the balance going on TO Dead
wood. This is particularly significant
to us, and bears out what the Register
has held for the past two y~ears-that
the b. 4 NJ. intended to make Spearfish
a point on its line, and had an eve on
this city. 1t looks very much as if the
that we will "see some fun around here
in three or four days." will be fully
verified. The b & NJ. treated Sun
dance to a surprise Tuesday, when n
force of surveyors camped there, and
began preparations for active work. In.
dications are that the company intends
to build q line this summer from New
castle to Sundance, thence north and
east to the reservation via Spearfish and
Rapid. thus getting IN behind its great
rival, and making it fight for a share Of
the trade which the latter company
seems to have been too sure
of. A very short time now will demon
strate whether these surmises are cor
rect. One thing, however, is past con
lecture, and that is that Spearfish will
have a railroad before another seasons
snow flies.
The Fitzgerald Bros. prominent b. &
NJ. Railroad contractors, who passed
through this place last week en- route to
Deadwood, were interviewed by Times
reporter. the substance of which, a
given in that paper, is herewith append
ed: Messrs. J. and ID. Fitzgerald, rail-
road contractors of Lincoln, Neb., came
in yesterday by private conveyance
from Custer. The gentlemen are here
for the purpose of looking over the line
of the b. & NJ, from the Cheyenne
river TO Deadwood. They have travers-
ed the entire distance, about 100 miles.
and are now ready to put in their bid
for the construction of the road. We
learn from them, that n fair grade has
been scured the entire distance. Some
very heavy work will be encountered
in the process of grading, a large amount
of rock work, deep cuts and large
amount of filling will be necessary, hut
% but that will be easily accomplish
ed. According TO Messrs. Fitzgerald's
idea, it will be very good and rapid work
into Deadwood before Jan. LIST. 1891.
j. p. Horgan, an old time resident of
this section accompanied the contractors
from Custer, where he 10 resides, and
pointed out to them many interesting
points. AT Hill City they visited the
mines Of the Harvey Peak Tin mining
company, in the vicinity OF Rockford
the Montana mill and mines, and on
their arrival in Deadwood, they drove
TO Lead and visited the Homestake
mills and hosting works, with which
they were surprised, not having any
idea previous to their visit, of what
their eyes would behold. They state
that the simple device in use at the
hosting works for running the ore cars
from the shaft to the tracks, is alone
well worth the time expended in the
trip.
To use a Mother Grundy expression
"the cat is at last out of the bag in re-
gard to the railroad situation. The ID.
G. have merely been making a bluff in
putting OH such a force of men, and the
bluff was to hold the Elkhorn people in
check until the b. & M. people could
send or a small army of laborers. The
aforesaid army arrived yesterday and
went into camp near Pennington today.
The ID. q. laid off their entire force this
morning and say they haveturned it over
to contractors, bnt If they take a dutch
man for a geese" they are left. The force
that arrived yesterday consists Of some
thing over 400 men, forty teams, plows,
scrapers, and in fact all the equipments
nessary to begin work Immediately.
There are 160 teams and three or
four hundred men on their way here
from Newcastle to join the large force
that arrived yesterday, aud the dirt
that will fy from this on will be a eau
ton. There no longer any guess work
or conjecturing to be done IN regard
TO the railroad outlook. 1t is a glorious
fact. At last the vast resources Of the
Black Hills win be developed and be ap-
preciated by the outside world. Hur-
rah! The millennium has come, 30 let
Lead City and Deadwood unite in one
great yell.-Lead City Herald, 81.
Mr.. Mack, the contractor on the
CHEYENNE & Northern extension was at