The Anaconda standard., 1895-12-15
NEW TELEGRAPH LINE
The Rocky Mountain Company Will
Build to Denver.
PLANS NEARLY COMPLETED
An Interview by Telegraph with
General Manager Hawk-He Is
Confident That His Negotia-
tione Will Be Successful.

Lately there has been some talk
about the extension of the Rocky
Mountain telegraph lines to Denver.
Yesterday Standard reporter, bent
on getting the facts of the proposed
extension. called on Mr.. Moore. the To-
cal representative of the company. Mr..
Moore stated that he had not been au-
thorized to make any statements as to
the company's intentions and. there
fore. could throw no light on the mat
ter. This. however. did not turn the
reporter from his purpose and. hunt
ing up the Standards operators, soon
had direct communication with w. p.
6. Hawk. the general manager. who
was In his Office at Helena. This is
probably the first interview ever had
in this state directly with the party to
be interviewed over $50 miles of tele-
graph wire. A..
What can you say relative to the
rumored extension of the Rocky
oueried over the wire f'- -
TT is true" telegraphed Mr.. Hawk,
that a company has been organized
for the purpose of extending the line
TO Denver. At present / am not at
liberty to say who the promoters of
the scheme are. but I am confident
that the new line will soon be reality.
The new company win be called the
Rocky Mountain Postal Telegraph
company. taking the name of the pres
sent company and that of the Postal
Telegraph company. with which 1t will
connect at Denver.
THE new company will buy the
present Rocky Mountain outright, for
which purpose the new concern holds
n N lfxo 90 tn,
estimated cost OF the Denver extension
Is about $350,000. For this amount we
Will be able to build two first-class
wires. One of the wires we will quad
ruplex and the other will leave single,
thus giving us the equal of FIVE single
wires. That will be enough for the
present. Later on another wire can be
easily added.
THE route proposed will be about
1.500 miles long and will run from
Butte to Salt Lake and Ogden via Po-
catello. At the latter place connection
Will be made with Denver over the
Union Pacific, probably via Cheyenne.
1T Is the present plan that shall have
charge of the new company and will
DO my utmost to give the people in the
new territory the best possible service.
] am confident that they will appre-
ciate my efforts and give us a. propor-
tionate share of their business, which
is all that could be expected"
do you anticipate any difficulty in
obtaining a right OF way over the
Union Pacific?"
mo; Justice Harlan of the United
States supreme court has lately rem
dered a decision in the Union Pacific
Western Union case which gives us a
perfectly clear track. Here is a part
OF what Justice Harlan says In decid-
ing the case:
I'm reference to the subject and
SCOPE of the Pacific railroad acts. that
the first Is sections of. the acts of 1862
"a are wholly inconsistent with the
Idea that the Union Pacific Railroad
company could have fulfilled its obli-
cations to the government by simply
constructing a railroad, without maxi
ing any provision whatever for the
construction or operation of a tele-
graph line. thereby leaving all commit
nication by telegraph along its route
TO the absolute control of private COR
porations deriving no authority from
the national government and whose
operations would not ordinarily be.
subjected to national supervision The
opinion further holds that since the
passage OF the act of 1866 no telegraph
company can. by contract with a rail-
road company, operating one of the
post roads of the United States over
which interstate commerce is conduct
ed. acquire an exclusive right to such
railroads for telegraph purposes.
You see. that let's us run our lines
on the railroads right of way under
the same conditions as any other com
pany."
Asked as to the probable date at
which work would be begun, Mr..
Hawk said that parties were now in
the East negotiating for the sale of the
bonds and that the negotiations were
progressing favorably He was NOR
ally certain that everything would be
In a perfectly satisfactory condition
by the middle of next month. AS soon
as the bonds are disposed of work will
be rapidly pushed.
Mr.. Hawk has a contract with the
Postal company for connecting facili-
ties at Denver for a period of 10 years,
with an option for an extension of
contract for a. like number of years
on the same conditions.
The Rocky Mountain telegraph line
was originally built by the govern
ment 1879. and ran from Fort Assina-
boine to Fort Walla Walla, Wash, by
way of Missoula and the Coeur
d'Alenes. The line from Fort Assina-
boine to Helena was purchased from
the government about 1866 and was in
corporated as the Rocky Mountain
Telegraph company by w. L. Hoge, j.
latter gentleman was its first general
manager and under his supervision the
line was extended south from Helena
TO Butte. and north from Assaboine to
Medicine Hat, in Canada At Medi-
cine Hat a connection was made with
the Canadian Pacific railway tele-
graphs. All business was sent 10 the
railroad who. in turn. transferred IL to
the Postal company at New York.
This ARRANGEMENT still exists. except
fhat the connection with the Canadian
Pacific has been changed to Swift Cur
rent. That portion of the original line
between Great Falls and Medicine Hat
has been abandoned and kilograms are
now sent over the wires of the Great
Falls & Canada railroad from Great
Falls north. The wires OF the Rocky
Mountain proper are about 375 miles
in length and run from Butte TO Great
Falls. crossing the range near Ellis
ton. and from Anaconda to Missoula.