Daily inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1881-1901, 1899-02-14
IS over
Montana Railr )adS Are Making
Schedule Time.
SNOW PLOWS 10 BE CACHED
Why the Coal Famine Failed TO Materl-
a!iZe--MOre Talk About Burl-
ingtOn Extension.
PLOWS 10 BE CACHED

After several days of battle with the
elements, in which the storm had all the
best of it, the Great Northern is running
again on schedule time. The Northern
Pacific also experienced some difficulty
from the heavy snow and one day was
ten or twelve hours behind the regular
schedule. During this season, although
not much was said of it except on the
quiet in railroad circles, the city was SER
iously threatened with a coal famine, and
had the blockade continued a few days
more many of the mines n other local
industries would have been forced to close
down, until the railroad conditions were
bettered. The supply of silica, which is
essential to the smelter treatment of
many of the ores of Butte was altogether
too short for the mental repose of many
of the smelter managers. The Inter
Mountains chinook, however, saved the
day, cleared the roads, opened the chan
nels of commerce., aVerted the coal fam
inc, n brought order out of the chaos
wrought by King Boreas.
j. E. Mccormick, city ticket agent Of
the Northern Pacific, is distributing the
Army and Navy calendar, recently is
sued by Charles S. Fee, general passen-
ger and freight agent of the road. The
calender is by far the most artistic ad-
vertising effect in it's line that has yet
/ oSNh oN - Io " vi SPi
tons of six drawings in water colors de-
lineating six handsome American girls in
army and navy uniforms, with a cupid, in
each instance, on guard. The cards are
held together by a bow of tri-colored
ribbon, of the kind under which Dewey
fought and won and is still fighting, and
the effect of the whole is decidedly fin de
steele.
Advices from Thermopolis, Wyoming
are to the effect that transfers who have
arrived in Thermopolis from Huntley,
Mont, the present terminus of the Bur-
lington road, say that the has
recently u~nloaded a large amount of steel
rails and scraperS at that place for the
p it is said, of continuing the line
on westward. 1t is reported in Huntley
that the proposed line will be from Hunt
ley through Prior's gap, across Big Horn
basin to Thermopolis, thence in a wester-
ly direction to the line of the Oregon
Short Lin in Idaho. During the past
few weeks General Manager Holdrege of
the Burlington, has paid several visits
to Huntley and all persons here believe
that the proposed road will be built. The
line was surveyed last summer.
The Washington and Oregon papers
are indulging in a great deal of specula-
ton relative to the O.. r. & N. extension
up the Snake river. The story is told thai
President Mohler of that road went
through the Palouse country in disguise
Commenting on this the railroad editor
of the Spokane Review says:
Mysterious moves are being made in
the PalouSe country that give the fore
going report of President Mohler's
strange visit to Pullman a peculiar sig
n~iticance. One explanation is that the
O.. r. & N. like the Northern Pacific, is
calculating on getting a shorter hau'
from, tho baart of tha Do 1o,,co on,,rtpy, r.
the Snake river. 1t seems to be the de.
sire of both railroads to strike the low
grades of the Snake river valley as quick
ly as possible after leaving the Palouse
country, so that they may lave a shorter
and easier haul in transporting the i'm.
mense wheat production of the region.
AS related February 3, the Northern
Pacific has filed locations that give it d
straight away course from Oakesdalt
through ColfaX, across Union fiat, dow
PenawaWa creek to the Snake and across
the Snake to a junction with it's project.
ed Snake valley line from Lewiston tt
PascO.
The O. r. & N. people. however, claim
they already have the route from Colfa>
to the Snake appropriated by prior loca'
ton, the valley of the PenaWaWa only at
fOrding room for it's 100-fOOt wide lOca.
ton, and the O. r. & N. people appear
to have a complete understanding of the
value of the right. To get down to The
Snake another way should be out of the
question because of steep grades.
Both the O. r. & N. and the Northern
Pacific have a number of feeders through
the Palouse country, already built anC
projected. that, We're either road to builC
through the little Penawawa funnel-llk'
valley, would pour their traffic dow
through there to the Snake river anC
thence on to the main lines on a shorter
and easier route than can be found else
where.
And all this may explain the presence
of the roughly dressed railroad presiden'
at Pullman that night. He was looklns
over the ground for himself, after thu
manner of his patron saint and 'grea
and good friend" James j. Hill.