Daily inter mountain., 1899-11-14
THE RAILROADS
The Southern Pacific is Making
Some Money.
FARMERS COMING WEST
Many Have Located in the Flathead
and the Milk River
Valleys.

| San Francisco, Nov. H-According to
statement just issued, the gross earn
/ ings Of the Southern Pacific company
| for July, August and September last ag-
gregates 14,,256, ,534 an increase of 81, $685.
! 1863 over the same period of 1898. Oper-
ating expenses We're SO, 79S, 62S, an increase
| OF 81 ,42I,314. The net earnings We're So
! 4oo,906, an increase of $1,19S,575 over the
same period of last year. During July
| and August last the Central Pacifcs
gross earnings aggregated $3,45O, $40, an
increase of $734,46s over the same period
of last year. Operating expenses We're
81, S62, 134, an increase of $246,04 The net
| earnings amounted to $1,62S,476, an in
| crease of $4SS,419 over the same months
| of last year. In the absence of G. p.
Huntington and George Crocker. H. +.
| Huntington is acting president pro tenn
/ of the Southern Pacific.
! Engineers Of the Great Northern are at
work between I<alispen and Libby ex-
amining the county and running lines
! for what is supposed to be a change Of
line, says the Great Falls Tribune The
whole country is being examined and no
definite location for the line will be made
until the survey is complete. The engi-
neers will remain in the field until Dec
l. and are completing a line which is eX
utcleu no give Il better grade l1an any
yet gone over. The line under consider
alton is about Is miles in length. running
from the present line at Batavia up Smith
! valley, then south to point near the
lake, and west again to a point sOtIt h
of the present lile to upper Libby creek.
I following the stream down to Libby.
The line will traverse a mountainous
country, and viii necessitate the expesid-
/ ture of a large amount of money. ! 51
1t is understood that the change is. un-
der consideration for the purpose ofrse-
curing better grades and decrea sinGAhe
cost of transportation At one pofft on
the Great Northern west of Kalispril.
the company has been greatly annoyed
by a sink hole in which many thousands
of dollars have been spent. Many 1tSan
loads Of rock have been dumped afbn 8
the track at that point and scores of T1les
I driven. but the bottom has not yet been
reached, for the track is constantly sink
ing there. All trains are compelled to
move slowly over that stretch of track
which has cost the company an enormous
sum to keep in fairly passable condition.
At another point east Of Libby high
bank gives constant trouble, as the earth
is continually sliding down on the track.
1 The new line Will avoid -hese difficulties.
and it is said to offer a much higher
grade throughout than the present road.
Moses Folsom immigra ton agent of the
/ Great Northern, returned yesterday
t!
the central western states. in the inter-
ests of the i'm ngration department of
the road says the st. Paul Globe. Speak
ing of the movement of settlers north
and west this fall he said
! .There have been more people coming
into the northwest during the late sum
mer and fall this year than ever before.
Northern Minnesota has attracted a
large number, and many farmers from
the territory lying south of the state line
as far as Indiana and east as far as AAhio
have taken up homesteads in the terri
tory tributary to the Fosston and Red
River valley branches Of the Great
! Northern. There has also been heavy
! movement to the Flathead and Milk
River valleys in Montana and to the Big
! Bend of the Columbia and Puget sound
t countr in Oregon.
/ .-rhe class of people coming from these
states is most desirable Many are well
to do farmers. tired of grubbing away
with small returns on their Worked-nut
! farms in the older states, and many are
young men, practical agriculturists, the
kind which is most needed in undevelop-
ed territory. ne percentage OF fOreign-
ers has been smaller than ever before.
I and the settler who come a-a the kiad
who will make substantial and progress
+ I've pitiZpnc''