The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1897-12-24

its lines in Montana. It would show
them the people were not asleep, and
that there was business for them 70
get. At the present time there IS
congestion of Alaska travel In the cit
les of the coast. At Seattle there were
already 10000 people waiting, and by
spring there would be $4,000 TWO
steamships a day, each carrying 30U
passengers and their baggage, wocli
not be able to land them in Alaska
working all the summer. ard many
would look to the Edmonton route Tor
relief from this congestion. The Ir,s.
poets of striking Intermediary gold
fields was another factor.
Harry Sommers of Helena, manager
of the Rocky Mountain Bell Telephone
company, said that he was not posted
on the route, but he had been told oy
those who were that 1t was easy. All
of the telephone and telegraph compa-
MES are and have been looking for some
way to get to Dawson. The route from
Seattle was impossible. There were too
many high mountain ranges and that
necessitated the laying of too many
heavy cables. There seemed to De no
other way than by Edmonton. and the
making of a wagon road would settle
the difficulty for the companies.
Paris Gibson thought there was no
doubt of the practicability. He had
been led to so believe by an attorney
from Calgary named McCaui, VINO nad
been in the city two weeks ago. he
thought that the gathering should ask
Calgary to send down committee TO
explain the situation so that Great Falls
could act intelligently in the matter.
And then cooperate with the rest of the
state in the work. He suggested that
Mr.. Dunn write his Calgary and Ed
monitor friends to do this. The trans
continental lines would of course be OPP
lis,rr
but the Great Falls 81 Canada road
could help He moved that Dunn and
Conrad be made a committee to confer
with Edmonton. The motion was car
ried.
Mr.. Jockey suggested that it was a
good plan to take time by the foreiock
and have things ready to go to work IN
the spring 1t was impossible to meas
ure the advantages of opening up this
read.
c. w. Rinker of the Townsite com
pany was called upon, but said that ne
was ignorant of the situation and had
come only to listen. However he was
ready to do anything which would help
Great Falls and the other Montana cit
les, and he thought that work should be
done at once on this plan. There could
be no question about that.
1t having been suggested that there
were now steamboats, on the Mackenzie
river, MT. 1OHTdu SuEscSlSd that tiIt
old wagon trail would beat them, so far
as capacity was concerned Horses.
wagons, cattle, machinery, supplies and
everything that was needed could be
taken overland, while the water traffic
was limited in capacity
w. p. Wren advised that the news
papers be requested to discuss the mat
ter and SO lead to it's investigation. The
question of permanent organization
coming up. a committee composed of
r. S. Ford. w. G. Conrad and Paris
Gibson was elected to form a board of
trade Mr.. Gibson called the attention
of the meeting to the fact that the Alas
ka movement was going to be perma-
nent that it would last for the next q
years at least, and the profit would not
be so much from the present rush as il
would be from the establishment of a
permanent line of commerce and the
people of Montana had a special interest
in the matter.
After the committee on organization
had been empowered to call a meeting
at any time. the gathering adjourned
In conversation afterward it was learned
that the Great Falls & Canada railway
had already prepared for the trade and
had arranged a very cheap rate fol
household and similar goods in less thar
carload lots and another for horses and
cattle in carload lots.