The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1891-11-09
CROSSING THE ROCKIES.
The Pacific Extension Of the Great
Northern Completed to
Havre.
A Light Grade, and a Triumph OF
Modern Engineering
Skill.
Sutbsnk and Two Medicine Trestlss-Ono
Of the Highest in the United.
States.

Of the Highest In the United
States.
A Great Falls Tribune representative took
trip recently over the line of the Pacific
extension OF the Great Northern railway to
the end OF the track, about twenty miles
west Of the summit of the Rockies. There
was seen in the way Of scenery sights which
the pen cannot adequately describe in a
brief sketch Of this nature. Mountai nj
partly covered with snow rearing their ma
jestic heads above the clouds, deep n
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 or a par With the %wsll-known pic.
turesque routes of Amerioa. From the mo :
msnt the train leaves the prairie on the
eastern slope OF tho mountains, climbing
higher and higher az II advances until the
summit of the great divide is reached, the
interest of the traveller never flags.
There is q succession Of panoramas that
only the genius of q Bierstadt, = Brown
or . Bromley can faithfully reproduce.
There are also many evidences Of brill
liant feats Of engineering that 60 4 long
ways towards sustaining the we'll earned
reputation Of Chief Engineer =. H. Book
Ter and his corps Of capable assistants.
Yho descent of the mountains on the
western eide surpasses the ascent on the
eastern side for scenic effect. and il q far
more difficult piece of engineering. The
grade is also a triie heavier, owing to the
different contour of the country. The
mountains on that side arc far more
rugged, and, as a rnle, most Of the peaks
have a greater decl!vity. The traveller
does not seem to be in the mountains un-
til he has left the summit. and il we'll
down the western side. Then no becomes
impressed with the lofty mountain ranges,
whose tops are rarely without tho ''eter-
nal snow" and whose sides bear the
scars of more than one snow-slide. There
Ia also a greater growth of timber on the
west side.
The Pacific coast line of the Great North
ern leaves what is now called the main line
about seven miles east of Assinaboine at
Havre. The latter is a fouishing town
which has great possibilities and from the
present indications it bids fair to become
one of the best 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 buildings are
being erected. The railroad company are
erecting a commodious depot and ware
house and will soon build a round house,
Another track will be put in from Havrs
to- the Pacific junction hat east-bound
trains may run direct from the former
place. 1t is also understood that the COM
pany contemplate moving the train-dis-
nj krho = ~ - fA On fro~, lNlnoxN~s IN >rYr -
There is ono train a day from Havre to
Blaokfoot, the end of what is now called
the Marias division, a distance of about 153
miles. 1t is an accommodation train carry
ing freight and building material for the
road and more or less passengers. The run
to BlackfOot is made in about nine hours,
according to the size of the train. There
is little of interest to be seen after leaving
Havre until the train ia out about twenty
miles, when away to the northwest the East
Butte of the Sweet Grass hills peeps above
the monotonous looking prairie. AS the
train proceeds the middle and the west
buttes become plainly visible. These
mountains-misnamed hills-possess con-
siderable attraction for the traveller who
has become weary of the bleak-looking
prairie which always appears the Same OF
either SIDE. Every eight or ten miles neat
looking and newly built section houses are
passed. These with wind-mills and the
accompanying water-tanks are about the
only evidences of life that are to be seen
until Shelby junction, 100 miles' from
Havre. is reached. The line crosses the
Great Falls q Canada road at that place.
which, when the Great Northern Was in
course of construction was a pretty lively
town. Since the track pushed westward the
place has become deserted and to-day has
only one hotel and a saloon. After leaving
the once humming town of Shelby the road
passes through a rolling country which OK
tends forty or fifty miles to the foot hills of
the mountains. The long trestle over the
Cutbank about III miles from Havre is a
modsl6f bridge work. 1t is in the neigh
borhood of 1,500 feet in length and the
span over the river is about 149 feet above
tho bottom of the stream. This tsestle WAS
built by Palmer d Lowery, the ~well-known
Minneapolis bridge contractors, who put in
all the bridges east of the summit 1t is
made of the best seasoned timber and will
sustain a greater weight than that of tho
known trains. Watchmen patrol
the bridge night and day to avoid any pos
sibility of11its catching fire from passing
locomotives and te7 see that every part of
massive structure remains intact. After
crossing the Cutbank trestle the train runs
through the 'Piegan reservation all the way
to the summit of the mountains. Thirty
miles west of the great trestle ia the Black
foot station, tbs end of the division. There
w. b. Green, the affable superintendent of
the extension, has his headquarters. The
Indian agency is about thirteen miles
northwest of Blackfoot and several miles
the railroad.
Changing cars at the end of the division
traveller proceeds on his journey toward
the setting sun. The country soon be-
comes broken and when about fifteen miles
from the summit the mountain climb be-
gins. As the train proceeds a passenger
ran 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
country. 1t is 2l2 feet in height and
about $50 feet long. Like the Cutbank
bridge it rests OF firm foundations and is
constructed as substantially as possible.
Standing on the front platform OF the ca
booss while the train slowly 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
breath when he looked down that abyss and
thought what might happen if. But it
didn't happen or this would probably have
changed into a Medium sized obit-
nary. Two Medicine is 4 fair sized stream
looks very small from a height of
III feet, especially early in the incoming
on an empty stomach. Az the train
crossing the Two Medicine the morn
Ing sun Gilded the tops of the distant
mountains. making a beautiful spectacle
indeed, which was worth losing Il 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.S feet to the