The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-04-19
BUTTE News.
THE LOSS IS ENORMOUS
Most Disastrous Floods in Nor
thern Wyoming.
FIVE BRIDGES WASHED OU-
The People OF Sheridan Forced to Leave
Their Homes-The June Floods
This Year Are Expected to
Break All Records.

Burlington passengers who have been
arriving in Butte the past few days.
after having been detained at Sheridan
Wyo., nearly a week on account of
high water, say that section of the
country was visited by one of the most
disastrous floods in the history of the
Northwest No lives were lost, but
financial damage must have been enor-
nous. Five bridges in Sheridan were
washed out. The entire northern por-
ton of the city was under water and
the people had to vacate their homes
and wade through deep water to reach
places of safety. All railroad tracks
were made unsafe, the city water main
was broken and the streams in the
surrounding country were all out of
their banks and all bridges were swept
away. The cold wave came in time
to prevent the ruin from being made
complete.
Railroad men in Butte predict that
the June thaws will cause the great
est floods and damage to railroad prop
erty ever heard of in the West, and
they look for an entire suspension of
traffic for many days. They claim that
such great quantities of snow in the
mountains has not been known in
many years.
The Burlington railroad is doing its
share towards increasing the popula
ton of the Northwest. At the time of
the last homeseekers' excursion it
transferred to the Northern Pacific at
Billings a solid train of 10 coaches, con-
tanning nearly 500 people holding tick
cts to Montana and Puget sound points.
Most Of these people came from Ms
souri,, but Iowa, Nebraska and Kansas
were all well represented.
The western part of Nebraska is to
be opened up for development by the
branch off from the Burlington's line
to the northwest at Alliance, Neb., and
extend westward distance of lis miles
to Hartville, Wyo. The new line has
been surveyed and 120 teams are al
ready at work grading the rCad-hed
The company building the line is styled
the Nebraska, Wyoming & Western
railroad, and it may later be absorbed
by the progressive Burlington system
The Union Passenger station at Chi
cago has long enjoyed world bea ting
record for freedom from accident and
the correctness with which baggage is
handled. The report for 1898 just to
hand contains the following interes tin z
statement: There We're handled T.
100000 passengers without accident and
$50,0O0,000 worth of baggage without
the loss of single piece. This is the
third successive year in which there
has been no claim for lost baggage of
any kind at this station
The Pennsylvania. Chicago & Alton
Burlington and Milwaukee roads are
the lines whose trains run into and out
of this station.
Features of Passenger Service" a
booklet just published, gives some facts
and figures that are fairly astounding
to one not familiar with the work re-
CURED to keep Americans on the move.
Here are some excerpts showing the
immensely of the service on one West
ern road:
"One hundred and twenty-five thous-
and passenger trains run each year by
the Burlington route.''
Besides $500 miles of main line and
branches, $500 miles of side track are
necessary in operating the railroad"
The equipment comprises approx
mately 1,05O engines, LOO passenger
cars, 80, 500 freight cars. If coupled to-
gether, these would cover a stretch of
road 300 miles long"
Upon the Burlington are LIS cities
and towns, A of which are cities of
more than 10000 people"
Thirty union depots are used, and
II great bridges have been built over
the Mississippi and Missouri rivers"
Runs of Loaf minutes-the world s
long distance record-and of 500 miles,
Chicago to Council Bluffs, in 554 min
utes, show the efficiency of the motive
power
Earnings for the Northern Pacific for
the first week in April, $4S9, 532, an in
crease of $13,S56. For fiscal year, SCI
224, 217, an increase Of $685., S79.