The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1898-03-11
IN RAILROAD CIRCLES
There's No Cessation in the Rush
of Business.
C0EUR D'ALENE SERVICE
Time to Be Shortened Up Between Butte
and Missoula-The Track Depart
ment Is Getting Ready for
Its Summer Work.

Missoula. March 10.--There is no ces-
sation in the rush of business that has
kept the railroad men on the jump for
the winter months. Passenger business
continues at the top notch and the
freight that Is being handled is away
ahead of the average record for this
time of year. A visit to the yards here
at almost any time Of day will find the
yard crew on the jump with freight
business. Trains are going and coming
all of the time and most of them are
long ones.
! IF the links and pins would hold out.
there would he no limit to the length of
the trains that are sent out from here
under the present arrangement, said an
old railroader the other day. Trains of
from 40 to 80 cars are now the rule. All
are sent out with double headers and
the men in the caboose have all that
they want to do to take care of the
trains"
: As has already been stated in these
dispatches, much of the business that
the road is now receiving is coming
from local points. The local business on
the Rocky mountain division has reach
ed notch that is ahead of any previous
records and the prediction Is freely
made that the report of the year Will
show an increase of 100 per cent.
The lumber mills and the mining
camps are all furnishing lot of freight.
The Occur dAlene, always a good
branch for business Is now reaching out
in a way that indicates that the man
agement will soon be compelled to in
crease it's service on the branch. While
no definite announcement has been
made, it is believed that 1t will not be
long before there is new service in
augurated on this branch that will be
much more satisfactory than anything
that has been scheduled for several
years The volume of business that is
coming from the towns of the Occur
d'Alene district is such that one train
cannot take care of ii much longer and
IL is asserted by those who have studied
the situation that this Will increase
rather than diminish before the summer
opens.
The management has come to the re-
lief of those who travel over the Mon
tana Union in a way that is very graft
flying There Is no longer any necessity
for a long, cold wait in the gray of
early morning at the Garrison junction.
The through Pullman that has been
put on to run between Butte and Mis-
soula makes Il possible for a man to
come through without changing cars.
This week an additional coach has been
put on between Missoula and Garrison,
and now there is no weary crowd hang
ing to the sides of the seats and filling
the aisles of the cars as the train pulls
into Missoula in the morning. For two
weeks or more all of the local passen-
gers have had hard times finding seats
from Garrison into Missoula aud there
has invariably been an angry lot OF
passengers getting off at Missoula in the
morning. II is different now and the
travelling people are not backward in
expressing their appreciation of the new
order of things.
you will probably be able to an
nounce in a few days some material
improvements that is to be made iii the
service over the Montana Union. said
n local railroad man this morning. Il
am told that the Northern Pacific is
planning 70 shorten the running time
over that line as soon as the matter
can be arranged. The new conditions
that prevail will make this possible
and ii is likely that a straight passen-
ger service will be inaugurated before
long. This Will do away with the slow
service that has been afforded by the
mixed trains and will avoid the long
delays that have been necessary. The
amount of business between Missoula
and Anaconda and Butte is so big that
there ought To be a better way of TAX
ing care of ii.
The track department is getting
ready for an early start on its summer
work The distribution of ties has al
ready begun and new section men are
being sent out to increase the working
force along the line. The Italian gang
that has been in winter quarters ut De
Smet will soon be out and at work and
a, ,Sxrx no A
for the ferries The first allotment
of ties has been made to the Occur
a Alene branch. and Roadmaster Bur
dette is lining up his forces for bust
ness. There is plenty of work To be
done along the Snake and II is likely
that many OF the dangerous banks,
where the frequent slides occur, viii
be improved before fall
The Occur d,Alene train made a good
run into Missoula last night, there be-
ing no trouble with the track anywhere.
The train was delayed on the divide
and did not leave Saltese till after II
o'clock, two hours late The open track,
however gave the train a god chance
and the train pulled into Missoula only
few minutes late.
Both of the engines that run on the
Snake are laid up for repair work as a
result of the recent three days cam
paiEn against the mud slides Engi-
neer Laird got off the track while
hucking the mud and Engineer Gregory
damaged his machine while helping the
other back 10 the rails. All OF the dam
age is slight. but both men are run
ming engines now. The trainmen on
this run get the most thorough edu-
cation in railroading that can be OBJ
tanned anywhere on regular run
They are splendid snow men and their
skill at buckins n landslide is admir-
able. They are regular mud larks ana
heavy track is to their liking. They
get To be expert switchmen at the lum-
Der spurs and they can show good
bit of speed when they strike clear run
ming in the Iron Mountain district. For
Va ,.ietN Of nNnnrinncn This run Is a