The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1899-08-23
lhWS OF RAILROADS
ENGINEER STEVENS SUMMARY Oh
GREAT NORTHERN IMPROVE
EIENTS FOR 1899
LARGE SUMS ARE REQUIRED

over One Million Dollars to Be En-
pended IN the State of Washing
tOR-'The RcmOdeIing of the Min
neapOIis Union Station VIII Cost
Iars-Stntement Very Exhaustive.
Chief Engineer Stevens, of the Great
yorthern, at Seattle, has carefully sum-
married the betterments of that road this
year in the following statement, just
made public: 1t is no exaggeration to
say that the improvements of 1899 will
represent hundreds upon hundreds of
thousands of dollars. The remodeling of
the Minneapolis union station alone will
cost in the neighborhood of 100000. In
Washington state the total for work on
the bluffs of the Columbia river and
elsewhere foots up over $1,00G000.
This is the information given out by
IT. Stevens:
At MinOt and WiIiston, N. D., and
Glasgow, Mont, new yards are being
built to give 5000 feet of room. New
twenty-staH roundhouses are going up
at all of the three places, each to cost
$4,000. and a new brick freight and pas
senger depot is being built at Glasgow
that will cost $4,000. The entire Montana
division of the line, extending from
Minot to Blackfoot, is being reballasted,
which gives employment to 800 men, six
steam shovels and thirty engines and
work trains. On this line thirty new steel
bridges are being built and 200 others are
haino will
verts. The work this year alone has re-
suited in the rebaIlasting of $50 to 400
miles of the track, besides the general
widening of the grade and cutting out
says, etc. On the line from Blacl1foot
to Havre, $50 miles long, thirty 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 125 feet high and 1900 feet
long, and the other, which will be the
highest wooden bridge on the continent
and probably in the world, will be PA
feet high, and has total length of l 600
feet. This latter is to be at Two Medi-
cine. These bridges will require 1900 tons
of steel and will cost from $3.50, 900 to $780,
@AACiao 1Ai4S Same 1Oou Two SNORT
Stretches of eight or nine miles are be
ing made to cut out the curves. The
line from Havre to Great Falls is being
entirely rebuilt for a distance of twenty
four miles, following the Missouri river,
to tighten the grade. This will include
two new large steel bridges From 700
TO 500 men are being employed in this
work. The company is also spending
from $4,000 to coo in improvements on
the Minneapolis depot, charging the gen.
eraI rooms, erecting new baggage rooms,
erecting elevators, etc. In Washington
S509O00 IS being spent in improvements at
the Columbia river bluffs in order to dis
pense with a number of bridges and to
eliminate several curves. The road from
Monroe to Lowell, in SnOhomish county
mas been improved to the extent of $500
OO0 IN work during the last few months
ana In riprapping down the west side of
the sWitohback $4,000 has been expended
curing the last year or year and a half
all for the purpose of avoiding damage
by high water. The Cascade tunnel is
finished distance of 1000 feet, out of
15'GoO feet required before the work is
complete, from 500 to 600 men workin,
day and night. This tunnel sbouId he
completed in October, 1900 It's total
length will be two and one-haIf miles
which will save an elevation of 900 feet
Inc contractors will commence linine +ba
tunnel by Sept. l.