The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1891-11-03
ACROSS THE ROCKIES.
Picturesque Route of the Great
Northern Railroad.
ALMOST GRADED TO SPOKANE.
amenities That Were Met and Over
eome-yillard Is Entertained
in Portland.

eKxAT FALLS, Mont, Nov. "A PosT.ISrELLI-
.sxcKx correspondent has just returned from
~. vertern end of the track of the Pacific ex-
,...ion o. the Great Northern railway. Though
c,mplcied for only twenty-five miles west OF
,hs summit of the Rockies, the road passes
,s,ough one of the most picturesque parts of
,hst chain OF mountains. When finished, the
Great Northern can easily lay claim 10 the title
I-raThe scenic Route OF America
Tina Pacific extension leaves what is now
,nowD as the main line at Havre, n lively rail-
,o.d town seven miles east OF Fort Assluaboine
TAs line runs almost due west across q rolling
|~snr.re country which is practically devoid OF
sny evidences OF civilization other than the
conventional sectioD-houses and water tanks
nlseed at convenient distances apart About 100
,ailcs west of Havre, the Great Falls & Canada
narrow gauge road is crossed ut shelby junction.
Ten months ago this Was lively place, with
little or no lax aud plenty of excitement. Since
the rack was laid past Shelby the people have
gradually followed 1t toward the
setting sun, and today the town con-
,sts OF hotel, saloon, and
mail depot used by both roads Twenty-one
miles west of Shelby the extension crosses Cut
hank river q small stream in a wide rayine,
having vs:y steep banks, which accounts for
the name trestle nearly 500 feet in length,
IN its highest part li9 feet above the bottom OF
the rlyer. spans the -Avine from hank to bank
4 The engineers worAsd hard in order that q tres
10 OF tsst size might Ds avoided, but the grade
\ o. the road sDd the contour of the country made
e AZ absolute iHpossibility. Accepting the sit
us,ion, they designed and erected a framework
OF the kes.-seasoned timber, calcuigted to with
stand the weight OF the heaviest known trains
Il is said TO be the company's intention to re-
/ place this structure with an iron bridge in few
years.
After crossing the Cutbank the road runs
through the Piegan Indian reservation, which
rssches 10 the summit OF the Rockies, distance
Of about sxtv-one miles. 1t is rolling prairie
country all the way until within about fifteen
niles of the summit Then IL becomes rough
and broken, like the foothills OF all great noun
tain ranges. Twelve miles from the top of the
great divide the road crosses the canyon of Two
Medicine, q tributary of the Aarias river Here
again the engineers were bafiled in their per
ssent efforts to do without a large trestle. But
| twas an unavoidable obstacle which had to
k crossed, and right at that point. The result
ssas the famous Two Medicine bridge, probably
| The highest wooden trestle in America. 1t is
/ 22 feet above the bottom of the stream, and ISL
feet In length. The towers supporting this inn
mense structure rest on foundations of solid
rock, and from all appearances it is reasonable
10 suppose can easily sustain a greater weight
that of the average freight train. Soon after
this trestle is crossed the actual mountain climb
begins.
For distance of about ten miles to the sum-
nit, the grade is SIS feet to the mile. This is
the only transcontinental route which is able to
reach the summit of the Rockies on what is
known In engineering as per cent. grade, or
/ one foot to the hundred. The advantages that
/ will accrue to the Great Northern from so COM
parsively small n gradient are evident Few
l Psciho lines will be able TO compete with this
| new route in making fast time, and freight and
passenger rates are bound to feel its effects 1t
| means volumes of good for Seattle and every
town on the Coast.
l strange as 1t may seem, the road crosses the
l tammit OF the mountains, the very backbone of
the continent, which has an elevation of 5,203
nj on light fill. No tunneling, no heavy cut
Tag, was necessary to cross the summit, thanks
TIE good Judgment of Engineer A. +. Whit
Arb, who located the line from Havre to the
i IN, crossing of Big river, about 1877 miles.
Tie line passes down the western slope of the
rsun.ains on heavier grade and with more
eg,ysture than in the ascent on the eastern side.
| Tie maximum grade, that is, the heaviest,
IRON the summit down to what is called Essex,
eighteen miles, is ninety five feet to the mile, or
Is per cent. The maximum curvature is 10
| degrees. The mountains have a greater declivity
| % the western slope, consequently the work
vn considerably heavier than on the eastern.
There are one or two 10-degree curves aud some
| Lrgs trestles. There are few tunnels, in fact,
/ only one is passed between the summit and the
/ present. end of the track, but there are some
l heavy cuts, both rock aud earth. The mountain
| PEAKS are very steep, and often rise to great
| hsghts. More than one of the lofty peaks west
| OF the summit bears the scars of snow
| sides which must have rushed down
| the mountain sides with tremendous force, as
| trees were pulled from the ground and can be
4setn lying at the bottom of the mountains,
heaped upon rocks and other debris just where
/ Ne snow melted in the spring.
The line goes down summit creek TO Big river,
sN,nd down that stream to the Flathead valley.
There Is beautiful scenery ell along TO kalispel,
which point the track will reach about Christ
mas. II would be hard to do the subject justice
NON scenic point of view.
The end OF the track is now about twenty-five
/ niles west of the summit, and track work has
ken slightly delayed by the wet weather OF late.
| The heaviest grade on the west side is ironed
l via eighty pound rails, which were put down
Il mi sdistsnce OF eighteen miles.
Il The grading il nearly completed as far west
sspokane, except in places where cutting is
i unusually heavy. solne claim the road will he
/ lonei 10 that otis by the LIST of next May,
nough II hardly seems possible, as there is some