The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1895-04-22
BITTER ROOT BRANCH
II Is a Profitable and Beneficial Little
Spur Of Railroad.
EXPRESS AND BICYCLES
Repairing the cour d'AIsne Road
II Everything Comparatively
Quiet on the Northern Pa
cIflc-The New Depot.

MIssoULA, April 21.-There has been
hardly an occurrence TO disturb the mon
otony of railway life for a week. Business
has been fairly good and the routine work
OF the division has gone on without any
interruption. There was little excite
mont for day or two over the receipt Of
the telegram from Supt. NJ. G. Hall of the
Northern Pacific Express company, i'm
structing Agent Ludium to move back to
his down town offis. Mr.. Ludium lost no
time in carrying out the instructione and
in Is hours from the time the telegram
was received, everything was back in the
pleasant Office in the Hammond hQildinx
and the dismal hole at tho depot to which
the agent was sentenced for q week, was
left in solitude. 1t isn't fit to be occupied
by anything else. A. M. Otto, auditor of
the company, arrived to-day and Will
make the transfer of the business from
Railroad Agent Clark to Mr.. Ludlums as
express agent. Tue change Is appreci-
ated by the business men of this city. who
had not realized how convenient the COM
pany's service is, until they had been de-
prived of it for week.
Tho express company Is reaping har-
vest from the victims of tho bicycle epi-
demic. Nearly every incoming train
brings one or two Grated wheels, and the
outgoing trains frequently carry wheels
with bursted tires or sprung axles or some
other defect that cannot be renedfed
here. When a man gets the wheel fever
he is in too much of q hurry to wait for
freight, and SO the express company gets
the benefit. Those that dance pay the
fiddler, and the wry faces that are made
over express bills show that they nearly,
always pay dearly. q
The Bitter Root branch must hold the
banner for business on this division. and
there are few pieces of track on the whole
Northern Pacific system that are as profit
able as this little branch line. The ira ffic
has been too heavy for the train service
! and ii has been necessary to send up ex-
ira trains several times during the week.
On Friday 40 loads of freight were brought
down from the valley, and this morning
another extra was sent up with 40 flat
cars and returned this evening with =
train of lumber. The Hamilton mills are
400 carloads behind their orders, and un-
ill they catch up, the volume of business
from the busy town at the end of the
branch will be great. The regular train
has been making good time for aiweek
and has not missed connections lately.
Orders have been issued that the train
must be brought in on time, even if some
freight is left behind. ~
A serious cave in one of the Cascade
tunnels delayed No.. 2 uine hours yester7
day and eastbound travellers. from Mas.
soula once more experienced the discons
forts of night service, when they were
obliged to get out of here at 3 o'clock this
morning. The delay recalled an incl
dent with which John Griffith was con-
nected two or three years ago and bis
presence in town last night added inter-
est to the story which was told willie a.
merry crowd of travelling men were wait-
ing for the train. 1t appears that the
Griffith company was delayed by a serious
landslide and that 'Cal" Stone, the jolly
ira ffic man of the railroad company at st.
Paul, knew that the party was on the de-
layed train. He at once wired Griffith,
asking him why he didn't come on. The
reply came back, II am waiting for them
to shovel some of your picturesque mounts
ain scenery of the track" tss
The rush of cattle shipments has some.
what abated and only comparati lively few
stock trains moved last week. There
has been considerable China freight
going eastward during the week,
however, one train on Friday. having
| 10 carloads, three being of silk. The
Northern Pacific is getting liberal share
of this trade this year and ii is sent East
at a lively rate, some of it moving on
passenger time. Atke
The track department has been putting
| in some heavy ticks for week. The two
work trains on the Occur d'Alene branch
have made a good showing along the St.
Regis and the most dangerous points on
the line have been we'll rip-rapped. The
work will be crowded until all that por-
ton of the track along this wicked stream
is protected. On the West End. Frank
Hartman is getting his part of the road
| into its old timo condition and the last
traces of the devastation of tho floods of
| last spring will be removed before this
season is over. Charlie RusselPs mon
are performing similar service on the
| East End and are now at work in the
canyon, where the He'll Gate river runs
along the track. 4.
Supt. ]. A.. Weed of the bridge and
building department. has men scattered
all over the division. On the Occur
d'Alene branch several OF the small
bridges are being rebuilt and others are
receiving necessary repairs. At Arlee, a
crew will start In the morning to build q
new water tank to replace the one de-
stroyed by fire not long ago. There Is also
| considerable bridge work going on
along the main line and Mr.. Weed
has plenty to do in keeping the
department going. Much of the work
done last summer after the fioods sub
sided was only temporary, and this is be-
ing replaced by permanent construction
this spring.
| Anxious eyes look up Higgins avenue
every morning to see IL work has really
begun on the new depot, but as yea