The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1898-04-08
A Large Increase in the Division
Freight Business.
LOCAL TRAFFIC Is HEAVY
Track Department and Bridge Men Get
ting Ready for the summer Cam
paign-New Sidings on IN
Occur d'Alene Branch.

an increase of IS per cent. in the freight
business of the division over the corre-
spending month in 1897. and the passen-
ger business was 80 per cent. greater.
While the increase i'm the through bust
ness has been large there has been a
marked development i'm the local bust
ness of the Rocky Mountain division
that has contributed largely 10 the good
showing made last month Especially
il this true of the district between Mis-
soula and Garrison, where the local
traffic is getting so heavy as to be a
problem with the frequent number OF
stops that are necessary with the over
land trains that are now so heavy and
tina have such a fast schedule on MS
| division. Each month this year has
Witnessed an increase i'm this business,
and IL is expected by those who have
watched the conditions there that the
summer will find this one of the most
important pieces of road on the line.
There will be considerable increase In
the lumber shipments during the sum
mer. n there are several mining dis
tricts that are preparing for regular
shipments all summer. All of this busi-
ness brings an increased traffic Tor the
road in more ways than one and the
dealers of Missoula report an Increased
trade with the camps up the canyon
1 u Ht EtIOIA " nv lpd' h'hhh '
Gates a decided advance in the amount
of trade between Missoula and the
point up the canyon. with the usual
amount of business on the branch lines
the coming summer ought TO be one or
the best that the road has ever seen.
The Bitter Root will certainly do as
much as IL has been doing and 1t Is
possible that there VIII be a better
showing. ON the Occur d'Alene branch
IL Is certain that there will be more
business than that line has ever had.
As the spring advances the track de-
partment and the bridge men are get
ting things into shape for the summer
campaign, and as soon as the weather
Is settled there Will be as much activity
along this division as there was last
summer. The nature of the work this
year will be such that there VIII not
be the serious delay to traffic that there
was last summer when the main line
was all torn up by the construction de-
partment. There are no new bridges
to be built on this division this year. but
there Is considerable repair work tn be
done on the wooden structures that are
already built. TIL steel work OF last
year was the heaviest that has ever
been done in one year since the road
was built. The bridge at Perma, across
the Clark's fork, new steel t~restles ON
Helena mountain, and the steel cross
} ltS VI Nv LIE tPft, 49, -
made a record that was creditable to
the department that had IL I'm charge.
The Improvement, too. was great ana
the advantage Is evident from the run
ming of trains. The work of this sea-
son. as at present outlined. will consist
in finishing up the track work of last
year and getting the roadbed into the
best possible shape for the faster run
ming of trains and the easier handling
of heavy loads. The reduction I'm the
number OF trains and the saving in
power that has resulted from the grade
changes o. last year have been dppar-
ent this winter and. at the end of he
coming season IL is believed that sin
further improvements will he shown
along this line.
ON the Occur d'Alene branch several
new sidings are to be put in soon for
the accommodation Of new mills that
will be operated this summer. The
bridge gangs have nearly completed the
refining of tunnel No. 3. near the top
of the divide. and will soon start in on
the bridge repair work that is laid out
for them this summer. Bill DilliuS-
hams celebrated countenance has
weathered the SHOWS and winds of the
late winter and early spring I'm splendid
shape and IL m as he salutes
passing trains at the mouth of the tun-
mel. one of the granite boulders that
have been buffeting the storms for
ages. OF course Bill hasn't had his face
in the wind for hat length of time. but
he has caught up In fine style. He Is a
lively thing. anyway, and when he
starts out to win IL requires something
more than "A granite boulder to catch
him. The roadbed Of the Occur d'Alene
branch will receive extensive improve
ments this season and will soon be in
first-class shape. The business over
this line Is now very heavy and u needs
A sA,I track IN % tfN~ Tho loads fhaf n 80
being hauled there at present. There
Is still plenty of snow on the divide and
the usual Lookout snowstorm makes its
daily visit to the sumit despite the fact
that any well regulated snowstorm
wou long ago have started north for
its summer vacation. IL is not any
longer necessary 10 operate the rotary
pillow, however. except in case of an
unusually heavy storm.
The new train service on the Occur
d'Alene branch is giving general salts
faction at both end of the line. The
eastbound trains are rarely missing the
No. . connection these days. and the
westbound mail and passengers are he
ing delivered in Wallace and the other
Occur d'Alene towns regularly and
promptly. The hill crew that handles
the heavy business over the divide
takes care of the bulk of the work and
makes IL possible for the regular trains
to travel on time. The passengers no
longer are Obliged to sit i'm the ears and
look out at the dump below the Morn
ing mill for an hour or two. while the
train crew do the switching at the mill.
All of this Is taken care of by the extra
crew and the passengers are enabled 10
wave a fond regret Ia the mill as they
pass by and reach Wallace better ma
tured thar they used TO under the old
arrangements. The new service is
nraizaA hN the DAIrOnS ~ the rad
While there Is no official information
available on the point the indications
To one on the outside are that the
change I'm the service has resulted in
an increase of business. II this is true.
there is not much doubt but that a
faster passenger service will result be-
fore the end Of the season provided that
tho Increase in business will iustify.