The weekly tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1891-1894, 1891-10-31

toward the setting sun. Inc country
soon becomes broken and when about
fifteen miles from the summit the mount
ain climb begins. As the train proceeds
a passenger can easily detect the increase
in the grade by the furious putting of the
iron horse. About twelve miles from the
summit the road crosses Two Medicine
canyon on what is probably the highest
wooden trestle in this country. 1t is 90
feet in height and about $50 feet
long. Like the Cutbank bridge
it rests on firm foundations
and is constructed as substantially as
possible. Standing o N the front plat
form OF the caboose while the train slow
ly crossed that great pile Of frame work
the newspaper man who had just been
awakened from a nap in order to see the
bridge fairly lost his breath when he
looked down that abyss and thought
what might happen if. But it didn't
been changed into a medium sized obit-
uary. Two Medicine is a fair sized
stream which looks very small from a
height of 212 feet, especially early in the
morning and on an empty stomach. AS
the train was crossing the Two Medicine
| the morning sun gilded the tops Of the
uiotoIie hiouhtuiho, hiuhihS n
spectacle indeed, which was worth losing
a nights sleep to see.
The heaviest grade, or as it is known
in engineering, the maximum grade to
the summit of the main range is 52.8 feet
to the mile on the eastern slope and $3.50
feet on the western side. So far as
known the Great Northern is the only
transcontinental route which climbs the
eastern side of the Rockies on a l per
cent grade. Few il any roads have been
able to decend those mountains on the
western side on a l and $40 per cent
grade. The road will certainly have
q great advantage over it's rivals in the
matter Of making fast time. Strange to
say, the line crosses the summit on a
light fill without the usual tunnel. The
elevation at the summit is 5000 feet
above sea level. 1t is 1862 miles from
Havre and is really the headwaters OF
the Marias river, hence the name Marias
Pass.
The line descends on the west side on
the headwaters Of a tributary OF the
Flathead river, at first called Summit
creek then as it grows larger it takes the
name Of Big river, and finally becomes
J known as the Middle Fork of the Flat
head. The line has more curvature or
the western side, the maximum curve
being 10 degrees, Of which there are sew
eral. The heavy grade from the summit
to Essex, a distrace Of eighteen miles, is
laid with eighty-pound rails, the heavies
that are made. There are some small
tunnels on that side and o n
or two good sized t~restles
There are many attractive scenes on tina
side, the mountains are divided into
higher peaks and nature seems to be il
it's widest state. The trestle across Big
, river is on a reverse curve, is 160 feet
, high and several hundred feet long. Tit
I river as seen from this trestle has al
emerald hue and with its high perpen
! dicular banks makes a pretty picture.
. The track is now laid 22.3 miles west o
the summit, or about fifty-three mile
from Kalispell. There has been more o
less rain in that vicinity of late, which
: has slightly retarded grading, though
l that work is practically finished to kal
: ispell and well under way to Spokane
With good luck the road will be irone'
to the former place by Christmas time
As soon as it is the company will rul
-, passenger trains between Havre and Kal
ispell. When one considers the rapidit
with which this road ha
7 been built it is really astonishing
6 The first grading was done about tn
tenth of August, 1890, and the tracklay
a ing began about October Goth, the sam
year. Now there are about 2l3 miles o
s track laid, including sidings, and tn
line is nearly graded to Spokane. It re
fleets credit upon the contractors, SheT
ard g. Seims, and on the locating eng
y neers, A. F. Whitcomb and f. r. Hamil
!, ton, and others who had charge of tn
d location. There might be a book writ
ten about this line 80 far as it is con
a pleted, therefore it is useless to try to d
the subject justice in al article OF thi
n kind. One should see something OF tn
country and of the picturesque scener
to appreciate it.