The weekly tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1891-1894, 1893-08-10

claiming that the cars should be zoo
feet long, the track cigth to ten feet
feet wide, and the rivers be spanncd
with stone arches after the manner of
the Roman aqucducts. Expense hard
ly entered into his calculations.
Ills idea was that the tunnels through
the western mountains would reveal
sufficient gold and silver to pay for the
construction of the line. \ tunnel
through the Rockies now being advcr-
usCd by the crratiC Brick Pomcroy is
an attempt TO carry out the old idea
The first congressional action looking
to the building of transcontincntal
line was taken in 1883, when the sccrc-
tary of war, Jefferson Davis, was au-
thOrizcd "to ascertain the most praCti-
the Pacific ocean Several lines were
run, and Davis gave his preference to
what is now the Texas & Southern Pa
ciiC route, but the war came along and
put stop to the work. The Mormon
troubles and Indian affairs, after the
rebellion ended, and the wish to bring
the Pacific coast nearer to the eastern
states, resulted in the completion May
10, 500, Of the Union and Central Pa
ciic railways, through the help of the
enormous subsidy from the government.
not only in cash, which now exceeds
SIoo,Ooo,ooO and yet unpaid. but many
million acres OF land.
The Northern Pacific was the first
line to cross along the northern belt to
a Pacific connection. 1t was nine years,
from 1870 to 1879, i'll being completed
Now we have another tranScOntincntal
line, built without aid from the govern
mcnt. and finished with rapidity and
solidity that puts all other similar at
tcmpts far in the rear Before the col
ossal work Of Mr.. Hill the pyramids
and other wonders of the ancient
world which involved generations of
labor and armies of lives, shrink to the
ordinary.
Six years ago the Great Northern,
which was then developing the coun-
try with its interests in Minnesota and
the DakotaS, sprang out across North
Dakota and Montana to Great Falls,
Helena and Butte and gave new hope
and inspiration to those communities
1t made Great Falls one of the most
promising young cities in the west and
lifted the larger cities to Il plane Of
larger growth aud greater prosperity.
Three years ago President Hill, to
whom Minnesota and the Twin Cities
of the Mississippi, as well as the twins
of Lake Superior, arc indebted more
than to. any other single individual be-
gan the real work Of extending his
road to the Pacific coast. The build
ing of railway, however, was not
enough. for at the same time a fleet of
swift steamships was placed on the
great lakes, each vessel capable OF car
rying the contents of eight freight
trains of 20 cars each, in freight train
time, from Duluth to Buffalo. The
splendid management OF business in
tcrcsts for years intruStcd TO his care
gave Mr.. Hill unboundcd credit in the
financial world and millions of money
came along unbiddcn to help him
build his road through to the Western
coast. Men skilled in the science of
railroad building, for it has become
science, were employed and the best
of material was used. 1t may not be
known that the Great Northern has its
own physical and chemical laboratory
to test the strength and durability Of
steel, iron, wood. stone, etc. With a
machine capable of cNcrting pressure
of 100000 pounds to the square inch
needs to be good to stand the
test. Not only was everything which
entered into the construction Of the
road given all known physical tests.
but chemical analysis was also made.
This is a departure in Western railroad-
ing. but is an example of the careful
detail required by Mr.. liilI in all de-
partmcnts of the work. The result
Is Il
Roadway Ineuualed