The Anaconda standard., 1899-08-21
HEAVY PICNIC TRAFFIC
N. P. and B., A. 81 P. Have Carried
Thousands of Excursionists.
IMPROVING THE MAIN LINE
Great Northern Expending an Enormous
Amount OF Money in Cutting Down
0rades-Boise May Get on
the Main Line.

The Northern Pacific and the Butte,
Anaconda & Pacific come very near to
having all the excursion and picnic
business from Butte this season. What
business the Butte, Anaconda & Pa
cific gets of that character is of course
limited to the picnics held at Anaconda,
while the Northern Pacific has been
carrying thousands in three different
directions every Sunday since the sea-
son opened. Its Sunday trains to Deer
Lodge, to Twin Bridges and the resorts
west of Whitehall have been crowded.
1t was fortunate day for Deer Lodge
when that city was added to the North
ern Pacifics list of Sunday resorts for
the people of Butte. Hundreds of peo-
pie go to that pretty town every Sun
day. For the Woodmen's picnic yester-
day three trains, with 26 coaches, We're
run to Deer Lodge, and fully l,600 peo-
pie carried. Nearly 1.400 tickets were
sold. and fully 200 children rode free.
Chief Engineer Stevens of the Great
Northern, in a recent interview on the
subject of the work now being carried
on by that road, was quoted as saying:
THE road is engaged in a systematic
improvement Oh main -B1ne,E winch,
when completed, will place the Great
Northern at the head of all transcon-
tnental lines for the uniform lowness
of it's grades and the class of equipment
which it will use.
The pay roll of the company for Ia
Dor in July shows how expensive are
the Improvements under way. During
that month alone $4,000 was expended
for work on the road
In the state $500,0 Is being expend-
ed along the roadbed at the Columbia
river bluffs to get rid of numerous
bridges and curves.
The road from Monroe to Lowell, in
Snohomish county, has been improved
to the extent of $780, 900 in work during
the last few months, and in riprapping
down the west side of the Switchback
$4,000 has been expended during the
last year or year and half, for the
purpose of avoiding damage by high
water
THE Cascade tunnel has seen some
rapid work this summer, and now is
finished a distance of 1000 feet, out
of $4,000 feet required before the work
is complete, from 500 to 600 men work
ing day and night. This tunnel should
be completed in October. 1900, and will
then be next to the longest tunnel in
America. Its total length will be two
and half miles, which will save an
elevation of 1000 feet. The contractors
will commence lining the tunnel by
Sept. l. The machinery has been bought
and some of it is on the ground. The
lining will be concrete. There is a fine
plant at each end Of the tunnel. Elec-
trio cars are being used to haul the
stone and earthwork out and to light
all the buildings and work places. The
pay roll of men on this work amounts
to $4,000 month.
1.-THE entire Montana division of the
fn n Il
foot. is being reballasted, which gives
employment to 800 men, six steam SHOW
els and 80 engines and work trains. On
this line 30 new steel bridges are being
built, and 200 others are being filled
and fitted with stone culverts. The
work this year alone has resulted in
the reballasting of $50 to 400 miles of
the track, besides the general widening
of the grade and cutting out says, etc.
On the line from Blackfoot to Havre,
$50 miles long, 80 miles of new roadbed
is being built to tighten the grade.
"In that vicinity the contract has
been let for the construction of two of
the largest railroad bridges. in America.
One of them is 1875 feet high and $500
feet long, and the other, which will be
the highest wooden bridge on the con-
tinent, and probably in the world, will
be PA feet high and have total length
of l,000ssfeet This latter is to be at
Two Medicine. These bridges will re-
quire 1890 tons of steel and will cost
from $lS0,000 to 5000, 900. Along this same
road two short stretches of eight or nine
miles are being made to cut out the
curves. sM..- XII
THE line from Havre to Great Falls
is being entirely rebuilt for distance
of "a miles. following the Missouri
river, to tighten the grade. This will
include two new large steel bridges.
From 700 to 800 men are being employed
in this work. ,-
Hon. c. J. Basset of Boise, in an in
terview the other day, stated that at
the recent meeting between the Oregon
Short Line officials and the committee
from Boise in Salt Lake. the Short Line
made a definite proposition to the Boise
representatives in regard to the pro-
posed plan to place their city upon the
main line of the road. The railroad
company agreed to carry out the wishes
of the Boise people on condition that
they raise s20O,0 900 in cash and pledge
themselves to share with the railroad
the cost OF constructing two new iron
and steel girder bridges, with stone
abutments, one just east of the city, the
other to take the place Of the one now
used for local trains between Boise and
Nampa, the present structure being too
frail to stand the extra weight of the
heavy through trains. 1t is estimated