Griggs courier. (Cooperstown, Griggs Co., Dak. [N.D.]) 1885-1902, 1899-01-05
FARGO AND THE 500 LINE.
How the Town Would Benefit
By q 500 Branch of Which
So Much Has Been
Said.

Special to- The Journal.
FARGO, N. D.. Dec. 2o.-There
was considerable comment last night
when it was learned that half dozen
civil engineers were making survey
south Of the CITY in the interests OF
The $50 road. From the completion
81 its line through The state seven
wears .sn there have. been ron,inn1us
rmnor> ct it's coming into Fargo.
The officials of the roa,i are said to
'ee' very kindly to this city, aud
Fargo is ready 10 welcome the road as
roy ally as the citizens can possibly
10. Il had been hoped for some
time tina, the present line would lie
tapped about Elbow Lake, Mimi.
run through Fargo and extended
northwest through Cass, Steele.
Griggs aud Foster counties and re
join the present line at Darlington.
Aside from thc magnificent territory
that would be tapped in The valley
by the 500 before reaching Fargo,
the line, il projected To 'carringten,
would run through one Of the finest
whea, sections in the northwest, and
hes, of all would furnish communica-
ton with the outside world with some
parts of the STATE tnat are practical
~ excluded from railroad privileges.
To Fargo the benefit would be IN
calculable. In addition to compel
ling both in and outgoing freights
rates that would seem like the first
stages of the millennium, it would in
reality afford the city another trans
continental line, as the passenger
trains from the Canadian Pacific to
Portal would be run through Fargo
instead OF the present route, as the
shorter line, and because of the
other advantages to be gained bv
the contact with both the other trans
continental lines at this point. this
being on the mai,, passenger lines Of
both the Northern Pacific and the
Great Northern
Another report that has gained
currency is that the Sou has such
connections with the present roads
into Fargo that it cannot enter Fargo
from the existing line for another
year, when the agreement expires,
but that the present short line west
from Duluth, which is really under
the 500 control, will be brought into
the Red River valley, with Fargo as
the objective point. This is to be
done, it is said, TO break up the APP
parent monopoly the Great Northern
has on wheat shipments from the
valley to Duluth via the new Foss,on
line. 1t is claimed that the line will
cross the Red river through Clay
county, Minnesota, south Of Fargo,
and run into the city on the Dakota
side, paralleline the Milwaukee line,
with which it at present has freight
agreement.
Nothing can be obtained from the
surveyors. They are saving wood
and keeping mum.
The advent of the 500 TO Fargo
would cause a stampede in freight
rates for points east Of the twin cities.
The freight traffic arrangements here
now are unsatisfactory to both the
roads ard wholesalers. A little war
IS among the possibilities, unless one
or two Of the roads stand up to the
rack better. Already on western
fruit shipments to Fargo wholesalers
the rate has been cut FL cents by the
500 and Milwaukee. The fruit is
brought to Fairmount over the
Canadian Pacific and 500 and from
there to Fargo over the Milwaukee.
While this is some relief it does not
assist the greater part of the business
men who buy almost exclusively
from eastern points.