The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-11-12
On the Extension of the Bitter
Root Branch.
FORCE TO BE INCREASED
Season OF Heavy Business Is Approach
ing-Along the Sun Cure Route.
A Peculiar Accident on the
Couer d'Alene Branch.


vision would not take its customary
winter rest. This work has already
been commenced and, it is reported,
will be rushed along all winter. The
primary purpose of this extension is,
Of course, to facilitate logging opera
tons in the upper valley. 1t will, how
ever, be of great service to the farmers
above the present terminal of the
branch in getting their crops to market.
This road will hasten the development
of the portion of the valley above Ham
ilton, which includes most of the best
land in the Bitter Root There are
many fine farms there now, but there
will be more now that railway COM
munication is esta blished. The con-
struction of this extension, Eext to the
building of the cutoff across the Bitter
Root mountains into the Clearwater
country. is the most important piece of
work that the railway has undertaken
in this end of the state in recent years
It is of Importance to Hamilton and to
Missoula, as it will bring into direct
connection with these towns an i'm
mensely rich territory that has not
been on railway heretofore. The pres
emit construction force will be increased
soon, and it is stated that there will
be no delay in completing the road.
The season of heavy business is APP
preaching. The holiday rush of freight
is beginning to move and it will not be
long before the holiday pilgrimages will
fill the passenger trains to overflowing.
What the road will do with more bust
ness is not easy to see. The traffic at
present is all that can be handled with
the present schedule and the trains are
so heavy that they are not able to make
time at all. The 'west-bound train has
MI ,,yi,,rr he
past week in getting here on time. That
was on Tuesday, but on every other
day this week it has been from one to
three hours behind. The train has been
made up of from IL to Is coaches each
day, and 1T Is no wonder that the nine
car schedule is not complied with. The
motive power cannot move these heavy
trains at the required speed. That Is
the explanation that is made, and it
seems a reasonable one. The trains,
long as they are, are not big enough to
take care of the local business that is
done on this division. Hardly day
passes that there are not complaints
made by passengers who are compelled
to stand up all the way from Garrison
to Missoula. With the large number of
passengers and the accompanying large
amount of baggage, it is not to be Won
dered at that the train is never on time
It is remarkable that it is able to make
as good time as it does. The effect Of
the discontinuance of the Copper City
limited is apparent. That train used
to take care of much of the local bust.
ness on this division, and its removal
from the time card has added much to
the work of the through train.
The Sun Cure train continues to, af-
ford passengers an excellent opportu-
nifty to study the beauties of the Bit
ter Root This train makes the 90
Ior IN
in five hours, sometimes. Oftener 1t
takes two hours longer than that, but
the passengers are not charged any ad-
dtional fare for the length of the ride
There are few, If any, lines in the coun-
try that give passengers as long ride
measured in hours) as this for so lit
tie money. 1t seems strange that there
should be any complaint when the
road is thus liberal. There are certain
ly no finer mountains in the world to
look at than the Bitter Roots. There
is certainly no more beautiful stfean
on the globe than the Bitter Root J.
There is no finer valley that is farmed
than the Bitter Root. And the Sun
Cure train runs through all of this val
ley, past all of this scenery and along
this river. Yet there are some passen-
gers who are unreasonable enough TO
find fault because they are kept in the
midst of all this beauty for seven or
eight or 10 hours and are charged no
more than they We're when it took but
an hour and 40 minutes to make the
trip. Then they saw none of the details
of the beautiful scenery OF the valley
and river and mountains. Now they
are enabled to study every turn in the
| river, every slope in the valley, every
peak and gully on the mountains, and
yet they are not satisfied. Of course,
these complaints are not pleasant fol
the company to hear when 1t is doing SO
| much for its patrons, but it is asserted
| positively that these unreasonable
| criticisms will not in any way influence
| the company to abandon this long
term service that it has inaugaurated.
! The patrons of the Bitter Root sun
| Cure train will continue to receive full
| value for their investment and will
| have 10 hours of enjoyable scenic study
| for the same price that was formerly
| charged for an hour and 40 minutes.
| There was a peculiar accident on the
| Coeur'd Alene branch this week. just
as the train left DeSmet and was pull
| ing along the cut toward Grass valley
a coupling broke. There were SO cars
on the train and the break was about
| in the middle. The air brakes set au-
| Dramatically on the front section and il
| stopped, The rear section came bump.
| ing into it with such force that fiat
| car. rather weak from long service
broke in two and doubled up. When ii
had reached height of several feet in
| the middle it turned over easily and
| rolled into the ditch. Its rear coupling
broke and it left the track without
taking anything else with IT.. The re
| suit was that the next car behind took
its place in the train, which proceeded
| without loss of time.
Roadmaster Hartman has been in
town on short visit from the wcs;
/ end. He has been having the mumps
and has been on the retired list for
| week or two, but his steel work has
been going on in good shape ia ana nc IL Is
| plains and at Perma is finished and
the new piece at Olive will be finished
in a short time. This will end the
| steel laying for the year on Mr.. Hart
| mans district. There will be WORK
enough in surfacing and ballasting TO
keep the crews at work till the frosl
comes. On the other districts the new
steel is also nearly all laid for this
year. There is a little more to do on
| the Missoula mountain and on the east
end there are some DieceS of track YET