The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1891-09-08
WESTWARD COMES THE 0
Details Of the Plans Of the Burling-
ton for Connecting Helena
With Chicago.
The Management Figures That the
Road viii Pay From the
Very Beginning.
The Most Sensational Move Made in West
crn R~ailroading for "a Long Time
The Money Ia All Right.

~
About a week ago THE INDEPENDENT pull
lished a special dispatch from Chicago
announcing that the Chicago, Burlington
Quincy railroad would within two yeai
have it's line to Helena completed. Tn
Chicago Herald gives the following detail
of the extension:
When the Worlds Columbian Exposition
opens q new and important line will conuec
the political and commercial capitals o
Montana with Chicago. II is the intention
of the Chicago, Burlington Il Quincy man
agsment to push their lines of steel t,
Helena and Butte. At present the Burling
tington's rails end at Merino. in Wyoming
just west of the farther foot hills of tn
Black hills. The matter which has the
most bearing in bringing the Burlington
management to a discrimination to under
take this important extension. is coke
The smslters of Omaha, Denver, Pueblo
Argentine, Leadville and Dsadwood, use
vast quantities of coke. The coke at the
snelters named has come heretofore from
either Connellsville, Pa. or Glsnwood
Springs, Col. There are smelters also at
huIbc Slty III ObASE po1ltS III 0Aoutdllhs
but they labor at a disadvantage in procur.
ing good coke. When the Burlington built
its line into Deadwood a year ago it did SO
with the certain knowledge that it would
open up q coal field Of superior quality,
both as to quantity and grade. A branch
was started from Edgemont, s. D., and
pushed northwestward through Newcastle
to Merino. 12s miles from Edgsmont. Be-
yond twenty miles more are already ironed,
and daily mixed construction trains are
run. On this branch lie the coal fields.
At Cambria. ON this line, a coke industry
has been started. The coal from which
this coke is made is of an extraordinary
quality compared with other coal hereto
fore found west of Pennsylvania, and is by
MANY experts considered to be superior to
the same class of Pennsylvania coal. This
coal is now used ON the Burlington's Wyo-
ming line as far east as Aurora and Lin
coin, Neb. 1t also supplies many of the
Burlington lines in central Nebraska. and
where it is not used it is only because the
cost of transportation is in favor of Iowa or
Colorado mines. Wherever an engineer has
tried the Wyoming coal he has turned in a
report prsferring it to Iowa or Colorado
mitted to the Dsadwood smelter to test
and the managers of that institution have
announced that it works even better than
the Connellsville product. 1t will be
used in Deadwood from now on. If it
can be used so successfully in Deadwood,
why can il not be used in the mammoth
smelters of Montana2 says the Burlington
management. With IN assured monopoly
of the coke trade to Montana the Burling-
ton figures that the new line will pay
from the start. The coke going west would
control the bulk of the ore product coming
east.
In addition to this there is a large and
profitable stock trade to be secured for the
new line which would be wrested from the
Union Pacific, Northern Pacific and Great
Northern. Buffalo, Wyo., through which
the new road will pass, is in the center and
the Headquarters of one Of tbs greatest
stock sections in the west. There is also a
heavy passenger and merchandise trade be-
tween Helena, Butte City and the east.
The new line will be about 200 miles shorter
than any competitor between Chicago and
Helena and Butte. Its connection means
that an immense impetus will be given to
the smelling interests of Montana. 1t will
place Helena and Butte City in absolute
control of the commercial interests of Mon
tan& and a vast contiguous territory of
Idaho, Wyoming and eastern Washington
and Oregon. Consequently Helena and
Butte City will, through the advantages
gained by the construction of the railroad,
stand next to Chicago in this trade, instead
of after Chicago. st. Paul, Omaha and
Denver. The shortness of the mileage will
place the Burlington in a position to dictate
rates and to control the bulk of the traffic.
For thousands of head of cattle annually
the new road will cut the distance they are
now being driven to reach railroad trans
portation by from 100 to 800 miles. All in
all, this new move of the Burlington is one
of the most sensational that has been pro-
jected in western railroading in a long
time. The whistle of Burlington locomo-
tives in Butte City and Helena will be the
worst blow that has ever been struck at the
Union Pacific, Northern Pacific and Great
business over long, circuitour and tedious
routes.
1t may be asked where is the Burlington
going to get the money for this extension.
The extension proper lacks only about 500
miles of completion. This will surprise
people who have not been watching the
Burlington in their operations on the
branch lsadlng northwest from Edpemont,
The Burlington now has in it's system some
thing like 500 miles of road, built from
earnings, on which not a dollar of bonds or
stock has ever been placed. It can, il
necessary, take this 800 miles and offer 500
miles of established paying property and
5OO miles OF the new road yet to be built,
making 1000 miles of line, as security for
what the Burlington people call it, and
there are millions of dollars in New
England just where John Nj. Forbes can
call them out. The Burlington people are
not making much noise about this extern
sion and if any of their officials are asked
about 1T they only smile ana say they know
nothing about it. But the rails are being
put in place just the same. and Montana
and Chicago will reap the benefit.