The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1898-02-23
RAILROAD TRAFFIC HEAVY
Business Is Rushing and So Are
the Locomotives.
ALL SORTS OF GOSSIP
The West Side Anxious for Better
Facilities for Reaching Butte and
Anaconda-No. l Engineers
Have to Pound Things.

/ Missoula, Feb. 22.-Busness on tn.
Rocky Mountain division of the North
| ern Pacific continues to keep the train.
| men busy all of the time and is con.
| siderably ahead of the usual amount
of traffic for this time of year. The
through freight business is up TO the
average and the local business on this
division has shown a steady increase
since the first of the year. 1t is safe tc
say that the traffic that is now fur
ntshed by the local stations on the
Rocky Mountain division is greater
than 1t has ever been before. The Bit
ter Root and the Occur d 4Alene branch
es supply large amount of business,
and the stations along the main line
between this city and Garrison are all
contributing an increasing volume OF
railroad business This showing Is very
gratifying and shows that the couE :
try Is developing at an encouraging
rate. With the increasing traffic on
this portion of the line, 1t is probable
that the management will soon be COM
PEELED to provide better local train ia :
ciiities and that the long hoped for
local service between Missoula and
Anaconda and Butte will soon be an
actual fact. The division officers say
that they have no positive information
III iGsaId 10 Sucn Il move ana thar
they are certain that no steps have yet
been taken in this direction. However,
there are indications that point that
way and II is good gamble that the
Northern Pacific will make the experi-
ment this year
Nobody here can throw any light
upon the Montana Union situation and
there Is much speculation among local
shippers as to what is in store for them
in the way of facilities for getting the
products of this part of the state to the
markets of Anaconda and Butte That
the absorption of the Montana Union
by the Northern Pacific and the conse-
anent removal of the yexatious DELAYS
at Garrison and the injurious handling
or fruit at that point will be of great
benefit both To those who travel be-
tween the big towns up the river and
this section as we'll as TO the shippers
does not admit of any argument. The
tact Is too apparent and IL is for that
reason that the people over here are
watching for some new announcement
regarding. the plans of the manage
ment Of the road.
There are now nine freight crews on
the east end and all of them are busy
The new local train that does the work
OF the Philipsburg branch as well as
the main line business between Garri-
son and this point is one of the busiest
iuns on the line. AS already stated
The local business on this part Of the
line has increased to n great extent
and most of the handling of this pusi-
ness falls upon this train The sched-
ule seems to be satisfactory, however,
and there is not much fault found Wltl
the arrangement for the Philipsburg
branch. On the west end the crews
have had a good month and some of
them had lot.of mileage crowded into |
a few days. Two weeks ago, when the /
Great Northern's land slides tied up
their freight business, so much of that /
traffic was thrown over the Northern /
l'acitics lines that the Idaho division +
could not handle the ears with tile I
crews that We're available In ord ~ IL
prevent any delay in the handling tf
his freight. the crews of this division
were run through To Ellensburg IN
some cases and 10 Spokane In others
II meant long hours and hard WORK
out the runs were profitable ones for
he men and they prevented the road
rom delaying the freight business that
vas unexpectedly thrown upon its
lands The passenger business, not
llone the klondike rush. but in other
directions as we'll. is wonderfully heavy.
All Of the trains that ge westward are
oaded as full as they can hold and
he east-bound business, usually light
It this time OF year. is very heavy at
present.
The new westbound time-card keeps
ne wheels moving lively on this divi-
ion and the engineers have to pound
he track III good shape 10 make all of
ne stops and to bring No. ! IN on time /
here is not morning that some pas
enger does not speak of The fast run
own the canyon from Garrison after
a pal n h.a tt.ef IL
III and the trains are SO heavy that
acre is no time to admire scenery on
ne way. New passenger engines will J
e on this run in short time. and they !,
re said to be flyers. When they come
will be an Improvement over the /.
resent arrangement, and II will be |
asier TO make time. Ever since the {
ew time card went into effect there !
as been bad weather in the East and |
lie train has had hard time For the
fst week II was not ON time, hui this 1
eek there has been am Improvement
he time has been lost on the Mime J
ia and Dakota divisions, where storms !
nd washonts have combined 10 retard y
afiie. Since the weather has been !
ore settled, the trains are doing bet h
r. and there is no doubt that, under c
binary circumstances, the train can
AXE the fast time laid out fer H. even ;
18th the heavy loads that are now the c
lie. "
In pursuance OF its policy of operat- Il
4 the road with as few men as posi- s.
G. the management has discontinued b
Z night telegraph offices at several y
'ints on the West End, Three of the Z
ght offices have already been aboi- II
he'd and there are more IL follow To / N
ke the place of these night offices IN n
Sc that II is necessary 10 eommuni- IL
te with the offices i'm question after II
g day man has gone off shift, the Al
mpany Is introducing an ingenious z,
tie machine which is called a might n
orator" Ii il a simple looking affair II
lust little black japanned box with f.
screws or one end Each of al
ese boxes has a different combina- Il
n, that is. IL takes a different COM III
nation OF Morse dashes to operate II,
en-. The dispatcher in the Missuula r.
Ice who desires 10 call the office III
lefe there * one of these might oper- Ri
1rs. gives the combination of dashes III
At operates the machine nj thar SIN ~