The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1893-01-12
HIGHWAY Of COMMERCE,
Compilation Of the Great Northern d
Triumph Of Engineering
Skill
II Heavy Steel Tracks Reach In
and Across Seven Great
Commonwealth.
II II Not Many Years Ago That the Hill
systsm Had Only Nine Niles
Of Rails.

- 10 Not Many Years Ago That the HILL
systsm Had Only Nine Miles
OF Rails.
The railroad o leads in the Develop
msnt Of the American west. Tho looomo-
tive goes forward into the forest, ON TO the
prairiss and into Tho mountain fastnsssss,
and calls for the lumbsrman. the farmer.
the stockraissr. the miner and ths businsss
man. u seattsrs towns along 10 line like
beads on . string. In past dscades. when
the railway followed settlement. the pick
and shovel wsss she main implements used
in the construction Of roAdways. Time 10
Zoo precious In these days for ~plodding
work, and 20 plain tools IN the hands Of
men havs aivsn way to scoops on wheels
which carve their way speedily over the
surface Of the p~rairiss. while steam
shovsls aud steam drills out and
gnaw through the hills, and pow
dor and dynamite tear away the
rock barriers. The engineer bores through
the mountain instead Of going around IL
and the tunnel takes tho place Of the long
steep eurvs. Steam derricks lift and swing
bridges into position and the bridges are Of
steel, stone or hsavy timbers. instead Of
temporary ~trsstles, and machines rivet and
spin out the steel track like yarn running
from the old-fashioned wheel. Railway
building has been advanced to tho dignity
Of . science, and engineers and builders
have become specialists in the study Of
strength. safety. durability and sEsed.
Distance has bssn put At . discount and
divssted of its force. The merchant Of the
Twin Cities think no more of Z trans
Rocky tip than the Boston man breads the
run TO New York.
The st. Paul Globe says the compls-
tion Of The Great Northern railway to the
Pacific tide water on Puget sound il q mat
tor Of supreme importance to st. Paul and
the northwest: indeed. to the whole coun-
try. 81. Paul should be proud Of il because
1t 10 the work Of q St. Paul man. The man
agement has had the experience of other
companies in the construction of mountain
lines. II has had the benefit Of the
cheaper and better mate ials Of to-day, Of
modern improvements in grading. track
used in the making Of the road-stesl.
iron, wood, etc.-have been subjected to
every known test in the chemical and
physical laboratory of the company. The
track OF the extension 10 of steel and
Weigh. eighty pounds to the yard. the
tie was examined. The grade is a,x-
teen feet wide. almost wide enough
for two tracks. Built quietly and without
ostentation and government help. q a
time. too. when gigantic undertakings en-
gross public attention.. yet its completion is
one Of the wonders and triumps of modern
engineering skill, business energy, enter
prise and saQacity. II was mot many years
ago that what 10 now the Great Northern
system had MIN miles OF track. extending
from ST. Paul to st. Anthony. To-day it's
monweRlths and a. many more are inter-
ested. lts main stem extends flom the
Mississippi and Lake Superior to Puget
sound on the most direct route possible of
construction. The indebtsdness per mile
IS scarcely more than half Of that Of other
transcontinentsl lines.
The mileage OF tho Great Northern sys-
tenn is now 1890. divided as follows: Min
nesota, 1,631; Wisconsin, az; south Da-
kota. 288; North Dakota, 1,O4O; Montana.
1903; Idaho. 90; Warrington, 47S, and
British Columbia, 35. II touches the boun-
diary OF the province Of Manitoba. runs
trains into lows TO tho boundary OF Ne
braska. and the vessels. of the No,theln
steamship line ply the great lakes from Du-
luth and Superior to Buffalo. It Crosses
the three great rivers of America, the Mis-
sissippi. tho Missouri and the Columbia,
and brings the worlds largest fresh water
sea-Superior-into closest possible union
by rail with PuRet sound, tho worlds most
wonderful salt water harbor. Then the Pa
cifc. the earth's largest ocean. and the
older east-Japan and China-xre before
us. The present mileage of tho Great
Northern is nearly double that of the whole
United States nifty years aao, and moro
thNn i0 found in thu vaak -
tinent Of Asia to-day, outside OF India.
When through trains are put on from 81.
Paul to Puget oun the length Of the run
will be eQualed on no other continent ex-
cept our own, whose mileage 10 one-half of
the whole amount now existing on our
planet.
During the past year the Great Northern
built b73 milss OF new track in tho west,
leading all other companies in the United
States in the total number OF miles, not
only leading but constructing quite one-
seventh of ths 1000 miles laid by 239 COM
Ianies engaged in adding new track to their
mileage during the yea. This is . very re-
markabls showing. and il evidence without
argument of the possibilities of the new
west. Mr.. Hill has fully investigated the
resources of the wide country into which
he has extended his lines, and knows the
owns. cities, population and prosperity
VIII justify his faith in the remotsr coun-
80 - s~V = "a uVdEOE W1lO0E-
ness which now blossoms with homes aud
plenty.
In building his new line Mr.. Hill has
avoided many of the difficulties snooun.
tered BY others in crossing the plains and
mountains. Like a successful general. he
massed his forces and material AID moved
ahead in a systematic way. and used months
OF time whore others used years. Low
grades is a hobby with him, and when il il
known that he reaches the highest point in
ms crossing of the Rockies by a climb Of
nfty-two feet to the mile, il shows what
a man can do then he knows how and
does 1t,
The Pacific extension of the Great North.
ern leaves the Helena d Butte line at HavrA
Mont. and like the flight Of an arrow. rms
directly west to the Rockies, the peaks of
the Sweet Grass Hills atandinQ guard In the
north. and the Bear Paw mo1ntaius doina
similar duty in the south. The first view
OF the Rockies is had from Galata station.
ll5 miles from Summit. When Midvale.
on Two Medicine creek, the last station al
the foot of the mountains, IL passed, aud
the track begins it's winding way up the
canyon OF the Mariss, tho fact thai the
train Is climbing up the mountain side is
not apparent to the traveller, the ascent is
30 light. The eves cannot be depended
upon, for up grade may look to DO down
an down appJar to be up.
Down the western slope Of the Rockies
the railway soon comes to the Flathsad
1iver, and then tho towns Of Columbia