The Anaconda standard., 1898-01-04
Reviews of the Great Northern
and Northern Pacific.
THE COUNTRY FILLING UP
All Along the Lines Signs of Pros
perity Crop Out - The Anticl-
pated Rush TO the
Klondyke.

Pacific:
This organization has passed through
more trials TINA any of its kind in the
country with the possible exception of
the Union Pacific. Throughout the
period of its vicissitudes and adversities
the country along the route has been
gradually occupied by settlers. and by
the accumulation and growth of towns
and cities. so that the advent Of pros
perity was only necessary TO prove Its
splendid capacities under the well dl-
rected management. When its immense
traffic of the outgoing year put these TO
the test they were found equal to the
emergency, and the handsome showing
OF earnings during the past FIVE months.
recently published, supply the reward
for the labor expended in making 1t In
all respects an available and reliable
highway for communication and traffic
of immense volume.
The physical improvements or the
road during the year consisted IN the
laying of additional track for. the as
tance of 230 miles. Within that period
there have been laid, also, in this con-
nection, and in repairs, about l,S5O,U0D
ties. There has been considerable Wild
ening of banks and the filling In OF
bridges and trestles and the replacing
of old trestles by new ones. The work
in this connection embraces about 90
miles, and the space covered by the ac-
tual bridges, to the number OF 3-o, rep
lesents a distance of l05 miles This
work Is in the nature OF transforming
property from temporary TO permanent
conditions. AS an indication OF the Ia
bors associated with this class of better
ment 1t may be said that 1t involved
the removal of about $4,000 tons uI
earth. The company has erected during
the past year about 80 steel bridges.
ITO its equipment the company has
added 300 box cars of $4,000 pounds ca
pacity each for use in grain and coal
transportation, also 200 flat cars, pur-
chased outright and 100 have been built
in the company shops. The addition of
40 locomotives. two of which were for
passenger service, have been added TO
the equipment. All are of heavy pat
terms.
The increase in traffic is largely ac-
counted for by the heavy shipments of
cereals of all kinds, In Minnesota, the
Dakotas, Washington and Idaho; OF
lumber over all parts of the road and
particularly from the mountains, ana
shingles and timber from the Pacific
coast.
THE fruit orchards of Washington,
Idaho and Oregon have contributed
largely: also the transportation Of
wheat over the Western division des-
tined to Japan and South Africa. In
this connection II may be interesting TO
state that in the hold of one outgoing
steamer alone there We're stored ap-
proximately 100000 bushels of wheat.
The magnitude of this bulk may be APP
preciated in the light of the statement
that had the same volume been loaded
in grain carrying cars they would have
made train almost five miles in length.
The hop fields of Washington have con-
tributed quite a little TO the increase or
earnings. From Washington and Mon
tana the shipments OF sheep have been
extraordinarily heavy. There has been,
also, an increased movement of wheat
from Manitoba to Ontario and also to
Europe. A notable source of improve
ment in tonnage consisted of large con-
signments of tea, silks, etc, II ON China
over the Northern Pacific to points in
the East On the Eastern division there
have been increased shipments of cattle
and swine from the farming districts
along the way. Where there has been n
shortage in any commodity ordinarily
handled the shipment of merchandise In
connection with the klondyke excite
ment has supplied the deficiency. In
Wisconsin the company has benefited
largely by an increased logging buSi-
ness. The traffic on the mountain dis
tricts of the roF was notably in
creased by the mineral products in con-
nection with which there has been con-
siderable development. Large supplies
of machinery have gone in to these To-
calities and with the increase of facili-
ties for handlinA 'ores the aggregate "
the output is much greater than in for
nler years. This condition fosters pros
perity in that section and there is a cor
responding demand for commodities
from the larger centers and the moVe-
ment of this traffic between local points
has been conspicuously increased.
Meanwhile the passenger business has
shown marked improvement on both Il
local and through scale.
There are about 0,000, 600 acres of
land yet remaining unsold Of the great
land grant The net sales of lands dur
ing the current year for the whole grant
aggregate approximately 100000 acres
sold for s., 900, 900. The number of sales
have been nearly 1000 the number of
purchasers exceeding that for any like
period in the history OF the company.
The sales of agricultural lands have
been almost exclusively for settlement
and cultivation, and the tracts most
popular range from SO TO 100 acres
EACH
Concerning the Great Northern the St
Paul papers review has the following:
During its last fiscal year the Great
Northern replaced wooden structures
with solid embankments and permanent
waterways to the aggregate extent of
about 2s.000 feet or 5.3 miles. There has
been in addition much work done In
the widening and strengthening of em-
bankments and ballast OF gravel and
broken stone was placed on over 800
miles. Steel bridges and trestles We're
built aggregating 9,2SS feet or over one
and three-fourths miles. The total in
lcreases in side track mileage on the
Fergus Falls and Dakota division and
between Breckenridge and LarimOre
xas 1905 miles. Considerable main track
n @1een relafd with T5-pound steel rails.
sregate Of such Improvement on
E~stern division amounting TO 93.02
sare have been many additions to
'uipmeDt as, for instance, Il Mogul
EiAf engines; Ts1 box cars OF 60, 600
Is capacity. equipped with auto
couplers and air brakes u addi-
~ o numbers of cars of lesser de-
of value The work of equipping
ste cars with air brakes and auto
&c coupiers has been advanced to
.-extent that about 60 per cent. of the
RS belonging TO the system have re-