Fergus County argus. [volume] (Lewistown, Mont.) 1886-1946, 1899-11-22
WILL BUILD
TO MERINC
So Says Manager Harlow Of the
Montana Railroad.
The Road Has No Intention Of Com
ing to Lewistown for
Business.
Helena independently

r. A. Harlow, vice president and
general manager OF the Montana Rail-
way company, returned yesterday
from Martinsdale. where he complet-
ed arrangements for an extension OF
the road to Merino, % miles east Of
the present terminus OF the line. The
contract for grading has been let to
Cook & Woldson, OF Helena, who be-
gan work Wednesday. A contract
for ties has been let to Dean & Mar
Ter, of Townsend. Cook & Woldson
will also lay the rails OF the new ex-
tension and have contracted to COM
plete the road by July Is, next year.
MI. Harlow said yesterday that a
good share of the grading would be
completed before winter puts a stop
to operations.
''The contractors" he said, fare
prepared to push the work with all
speed. They had 33 teams on the
ground yesterday and expect so more
before the end Of the week. The
work will be confined principally to
low ground this winter which In the
spring would be to some extent
marshy. The whole extension will
be completed before July ID.
1.-THE extension" continued Mr..
Harlow, twill bring the road within
so miles OF Lewistown and beyond n
doubt the company will secure the
business of that prosperous little
city. Merlno, to where we propose
to run, Ia situated directly south Of
the Judith gap, the only pass be-
tween the Little Belt range and the
Snowy range and the only natural
outlet through those mountains.
Merino will be by many miles the
closest point on a railroad from Lew
istown, and our road will be patron
lied accordingly. For that matter,
Martinsdale Is considerable the near
est point on a railroad to the me-
tropolis of the Judith country. Trains
are now running daily to and from
Martinsdale. and q stage line has
been established between that station
and Lewistown. The new town Of
Martinsdale which is q little more
than a mile from the old postoffice OF
that name, promises to Don become
thriving little place. Several new
buildings have been erected there In
the last few days, and Others are to
follow.
"The Judith and Musselshell coun-
tries which our road now taps are
vast In extent and rich in resources,
which as yet have only been partially
developed. The extensions to our
old road will open up new territory
to Helena and Butte merchants, and
they are already taking advantage
OF It. The Montana road will be just
100 miles long when the extension to
Merlno is completed"
Mr.. Harlow said yesterday there
was no truth In the report that the
Montana railroad company proposed
to build to LewistOwn.
$50 far as / know" he said, "this
extension we haveiustcontracted for
will be our last. We have no inten-
ton OF building to LewistOwn as has
been reported In some quarters. /
will say, too, that the Burlington
system has no interest In our line,
which was built and Is owned by a
company independent OF any other
company. It is said from time to
time that the Burlington was con-
templating q plan to extend its line
from Billings west by way Of the
Montana railway company, but II
that was ever considered, 1t Ia not
now"