The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1891-12-04
The Miles of Railroad Built in
Montana During the Past
Two Years.
Nearly Four Hundred Miles Ad-
ditional Have Been Located
and Now Under Survey.
About a Thousand Miles OF "Proiects OF
Promise" Including the Huntington
eaeza Extension to Helena.

there is a map showing the progress of rail-
way construction in the United States dur
ing this year and the prospects for lS92.
In a table published in connection with the
map, Montana ia credited with 1865 miles
of new road in 1890. 207.1 miles in 1891, 1877
miles in course of construction, 800 miles
located and under survey, and $40 miles Of
''proiacts of some promise" Among the
latter is a limo from Helena to Billings, un-
doubtedly the Burlington extension.
Another project of promise is from Butte
to Virginia City.
An examination of the map and figures in
detail shows that the work of new construc-
ton is confined largely to the states of
Montana. Washington. California and Colo
RADIO, and is being done by a few large oom-
paniss. The csnters of greatest activity
are practically the same as they were
one year ago. The Same may
be- said Of the character of the work;
now, as then, it is in a large
degree competitive. This is especially noti-
cable in the states of Montana, Idaho and
Washington, whore the Northern Pacific
and Great Northern companies are fighting
for the supremacy in the mineral fields of
Montana and Idaho II the rich agrioul-
sural and timber lands tributary to the
Puget sound. OF the total mileage under
construction and completed this year in
these three states, 92.7 per cent. and 94.2
per cent. respectively, is the work OF tho
Northern Pacific, Union Pacific and Great
Northern companies; and of the total mil
age coming under these heads in the eleven
atates and territories included in our map,
63.4 per cent. and 49, per cent. respectively.
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gether with the Southern Pacific and the
Denver q Rio Grande and Rio Grande
Western system.
Another feature of the work which is
prominently brought out by the map is the
character of the lines being built. With
of the Great Northern line across Mon
tana, Idaho and Washington, they are
being built to develop the local traffic or to
effect q saving in distance on the through
routes. The Importance OF THIS Is plainly
seen when one considers the character OF
the traffic and the past history of these
roads. The conditions under which they
were built were peculiar. 10 q creator Oh
less extent they were all recipients of gov
eminent aid, and they were built across q
territory whore for hundreds of miles II
was not supposed any great population
could be supported. How rapid the growth
in resources and population in this section
has been, since the building OF these rail
ways, has been shown The through traffic
was at nrst the only traffic, and, notwith-
standing the great industrial Development
Of the Pacific slope in recent year.
resource. On no other systems liz
the country is the ratio of local traffic to
through traffic so small as on the great
tIanscontinental lines of this region. In fact
it is probably in no small measure due to
this fact that the companies have failed to
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and it is not too much to Say that their
recent increase IN prosperity is due largely
to the Developments the local traffic which
has been possibly only within the last few
years.
As has been said, the greater part of the
work under way in the three northernmost
states of this group ID being done by the
Great Northern and Northern Pacific COM
panies. BY far the most important of these
ia the extension of the former company's
main line to the Pacific coast. The inten-
ton of the Great Northern company is to
carry this line across the mountains,
por cent About $40 miles from
Pacific junction, near Assinaboine, Mont,
west. ars already completed, and the work
of construction is being rapidly pushed on
an additional $50 miles, carrying it to Il
| point near Spokane, Wash. For the re-
mainder of the line across Washington, APP
| proximately 800 miles, several routes have
been more or less completely surveyed, and
surveys are yet IN progress. just what
route will be selected, however, is az yet
unknown to this public. In connection
with this extension the same company has
recently completed a line from Seattle,
Wash., north to New Westminster, B. q.
It's other work consists of short branches to
the mineral fields tributary to its main line.
The work of the Northern Pacific con-
sists mostly Of branches and extensions to
tevelop its local traffic in Montana and
Idaho and the Puget sound district, or OF
SHORT cuts connecting different portions of
it's main line. Among the most important
of these are the Northern Pacific d Mon
tana railroad, from Ds Smst, Mont, to the
Idaho line and & connection with the CBur
d'A!ene railway; the extension Of the Spo-
kane d Palouse railroad, in Idaho, and tho
limos from Tacoma to Gray's Harbor. and
from CsUtralla to South Bend, in Wash
ington.
OF the other enterprises in progress in
Montana and Washington the most i'm
portant are: The Montana. Wyoming d
Eastern, projected from Sheridan, Wyo., to
Helena, 800 miles, rumored to be in the in
terest Of the Burlington 4 Missouri River
abroad; the Montana, Idaho Il Pacific, sur
vsyed from Butte to Boise City, Idaho, 400
miles, aud the PORT Townsend southern, of
which about thirty miles have been COM
been completed.
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