The weekly tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1891-1894, 1891-10-31
The Lightest Grade of any Transcon.
tinental Route. and all a Tri-
umph Of Modern Engi-
neering.
The Cut Bank and Two Medicine
Trestles-The Latter the High
est of its Kind in Amer
lea.

A TRIBUNE representative took a trip
recently over the line Of the Pacific ex-
tension Of the Great Northern railway to
the end OF the track, about twenty miles
west Of the summit Of the Rockies, and
furnishes for our readers this morning
something about the line 30 far as it
completed. There was seen in the way
Of scenery sights which the pen cannot
adequately describe in a brief sketch of
this nature. Mountains partly covered
with snow rearing their majestic heads
above the clouds, deep canyons produced
by the constant erosion Of ages, great
trees of pine, fir and tamarack,
all Of which place this new
line of the Great Northern on
a par with the we'll known picturesque
routes Of America. From the moment
the train leaves the prairie on the east
ern slope Of the mountains climbing high
or and higher as it advances until the
summit of the great divide is reached the
interest of the traveller never flags.
There is a succession Of panoramas that
only the genius of a Bierdstadt, a Brown
or a Bromley can faithfully reproduce.
There are also many evidences of bril-
liant. feats of engineering that go a long
ways towards sustaining the well earned
reputation of Chief Engineer E. II. Beck
Ter and his corps Of capable assistants.
The descent of the mountains on the
western side surpasses the ascent on the
eastern side for scenic effect and is a
far more difficult piece of engineering.
The grade is also a tritie heavier owing
to the different contour Of the country.
The mountains on that side are far more
rugged, and, as a rule, most of the peaks
have a greater declivity. The travelc.
does not seem to be in the mountains
until he has left the summit and is we'll
down the western side. Then he be-
comes impressed with the lofty mount,
ain ranges whose tops are rarely with
out the "eternal snow" and whose sides
bear the scars of more than one snow
slide. There is also a greater growth OF
timber on the west side.
The Pacific coast line Of the Great
Northern leaves what is now called the
main line about seven miles east of AS.
sinniboine at Havre. The latter is a
hourishing town which has great posi-
bilities and from the present indications
it bids fair to become one OF the best
railroad points east of Great Falls
Though only about fifteen months OF
age it has a good sized population already
and quite a number Of substantial build,
ings are being erected. The railroad
, company are erecting a commodious de
not and warehouse and will o build 6
round house. Another track will be put
in from Havre to the Pacific junction
that east-bound trains may run direct
] from the former place. 1t is also under
stood that the company contemplate
! moving the n-dispatcher's office from
=. Glasgow to Havre.
There is one train a day from Havre tt
: Blackfoot, the end of what is now calico
the Marias division, a distance OF abou'
l51 miles. II is an accommodation tran
carrying freight and building materla
!, for the road and more or less passengers
. The run to Blackfoot is made in abou
: nine hours, according to the size or th'
train. There is little Of interest to b.
: seen after leaving..Havre until the train i
1 out about twenty miles, when away U
the northwest the East Butte o
the Sweet Grass hills peep
above the monotonous looking
n prairie. AS the train proceed
the Middle and the West buttes becom
plainly visible. These mountalns,mi
10 named "hills"-p possess considerable al
traction for the traveller who has becom
-, weary of the bleak-looking prairie whicl
y always appears the same on either slut
y Every eight or ten miles neat ioohin
D. and newly built section houses are passed
These with wind mills and the accompt
'e nvinp water-tanks are about the only ev
. dences of life that are to be seen uni
+ Shelby Junction, 100 miles from Havr'
is reached. The line crosses the Gret
Falls g. Canada road at that place, which
when the Great Northern was in course {
u construction, was a pretty lively tow
j. Since the track pushed westward tn
10 place has become deserted and today hi
n only one hotel and a saloon. After lea
ing the once humming town of She'll
X the road passes through trolling countr
n which extends forty or fifty miles to II
id foot hills of the mountains. The To-
n trestle over the Cutbank about III mi!
= from Havre is a model Of bridge worl
III It is in the neighborhood Of loo fe'
We in length and the span over the river
~ about 149 feet above the bottom OF I'll
stream. This trestle was built by Paine
:. e. Lowery, the well known Minneapoi
~ bridge contractors, who put in all u
Is. bridges east of the summit. 1t is mac
ne of the best seasoned timber and will su
ne tain a greater weight than that oil u
IN heaviest known trains. Watchmen
Is troll the bridge night and day to avo
in any possibility of it's catching fire fro
be passing locomotives and to see that eve
be part Of the massive structure remains !
tact. After crossing the Cut bai
CHI trestle the train runs through the PIegi
et. reservation all the way to the summit
ny the mountains. Thirty miles west OF u
he great trestle is Blackfoot station, theei
ais of the division. There w. Ii. Green, u
affable superintendent Of the e~xtenslo
las has his headquarters. The Indian agein
in is about l3 miles northwest Of Blackfo
and several miles from the railroad.
,.. Changing cars at the End OF the div
o. ion the traveller proceeds on his journ