The weekly tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1891-1894, 1894-11-02
RAILROAD RACE.

How the Northern Pacific Tried to Keep
the Montana Central cut of Butte.
The story of how the Northern Pacific
line was changed from it's legitimate
route via Butte by the schemes and in.
nuence (?) Of the Helena sharpers and
the great mining city and Its immense
business sidetracked has often been told.
All Of the citizens of Butte know that by
a combination of Helena money and Off
cial corruption Butte was for years at
the mercy of the Northern Pacific, the
Montana Union furnishing it's only out
let one way and the Utah Northern the
other. They know that the most extor-
tionate demands were made upon their
business by these two short lines and
that all requests for relief were only
laughed at. Butte was a rich goose and
it was mercilessly plucked by the twin
corporations. All these things are known
to even the new corners in Butte, for
with a sense Of the wrongs inflicted upon
them by the roads the old timers have
not failed to remember and re-
peat them. There is, however,
n episode showing the greed
of the Northern Pacific and its desire to
keep Butte under it's thumb that is not
80 we'll known. 1t was published at the
time, but as it was not successful, it
was allowed to slumber. The matter
was today brought to the recollection of
The TRIBUNE, by a gentleman who was
an actor in the attempted steal. It &C.
CURED in 1886, or at the time that the
surveys were being made for the Mon
tana Central. The survey on the east
eide had been completed from Helena to
Sand Coulee and the engineers were
ordered back to Helena. There they
were divided into two parties one to run
a line from Helena to Cataract, and the
other to proceed to Cataract and run the
line from that point to Butte, the only
available route for the west side being
through the canyon west of Basin by
Blacks ranch. The latter party was in
charge of Engineer Griffith and with
him was THE TRIBUNE informant. They
left Helena for Cataract, as they sup.
posed, without attracting any attention,
and went into camp about three miles
east OF their objective point. They arose
in the morning and were more
than surprised at seeing another survey
ing party Fastening toward the canyon.
They properly surmised that it was a
Northern Pacific party bent or captur-
ing the right of way through the canyon
There was no time to be lost. Griffith
without waiting for teams or breakfas
got his men and with instruments and
started on a run for the canyon,
in the race nearly frightening the people
of Basin, who thought they must be a
band Of wild men. They won the race,
began the survey, set their stakes, and
the Montana Central had and held the
right of way and the Northern Pacific
party retired from the field. 1t was a
call and but for the nerve and
of the engineers Butte would
have still been the commercial slave of
the Northern Pacific. The quick wit of
Griffith secured the Montana Central
and that gave Butte a competing line to
the east and released it from Northern
Pacific bondage. The road was then
welcomed as a deliverer, yet there are
some men 10Y in Butte who are abusing
it because it is a rival of the Northern
and in abusing it are using the
most unjust and contemplate subter-
fuges.
Further than this, and what is Of
much greater Importance to Great Falls,
had the Montana Central not secured
that route the Boston e. Montana smelter
would NOT have been built, the Sand
Coulee and Belt mines would not have
been opened, and this city would have
presented a very different appearance
from what it does today.