The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-06-26
CANNOT MAKE THE TIME
Long Trains Run by the North
ern Pacific.
NO CAUSE FOR KICKING
The Copper City Is Taking Care OF the
Local Business-Supervisor Palmer
Busy--Sx Hundred and Seven
Bridges to Look After.

NIissoula. June 25.-The result of the
change in the time card of the North
arn Pacific has been principally to cause
the public to ask why the double sefN-
ice was taken off. The single trains
that have been running since the cara
was changed have been long ones IN
stead of light trains of seven to nine
ears the overlands have heightened out
To 10 and IA cars, loaded so heavily
that it has been impossible for them to
make the time that is laid out for them
in the card. The railway people nave
way of not consulting the public Wheh
thew make these changes and 1t is pos
sble that there was very good fea-
son for changing the service, but IL Is
not apparent to the casual observer as
he sees the amount of business that is
crowded on the single overland service
that has succeeded that OF the old cara.
Last week was a demoralizing one lor
the overland trains, anyway. The high
water that prevailed all the way from
ST. Paul to the coast was enough 10
make the service irregular without the
added handicap of heavy trains. WORK
ing under this double difficulty, it IS
wonder that the trains got in at all.
Better things are promised as soon as
| the water and the weather settle down
| to their regular conditions. In the
meantime, the Copper City tram Is TAX
| ing good care of the local business IN
| This section and there is not much cause
| for kicking.
Supervisor Palmer. who now sits in J.
A. Weeds easy chair at division head
! quarters has stepped into his new po-
siton when there is plenty of work on
hand. He takes hold While the water
is playing around piers and against rip
rapping in a manner that is not at all
pleasant He has also fallen heir to
washout at Riverside that leaves INN
with only half a bridge there. There
are other little trihes of this kind that
Mr.. Weed was kind enough to leave
for the entertainment of his successor
these warm days, that will at least
serve to keep him out of mischief for
| some time. 1t is doubtful if Mr.. Palmer
| finds time to go to the circus Monday
| That is good evidence that he is busy
| Mr. Weed made Mssoula short visit
early in the past week and smiled when
| he saw the water rising up close to the
stringers of the bridges that he has
| been watching with anxiety Iof lhe past
| several years.
| The Importance of the position of su'
pervisor of bridges on the Rocky Noun
tain division will be apparent When II
| is considered that the character of the
line where it crosses the mountains
makes necessary a great many more
bridges than are found on other parts
of the line. These, too, are not the
low easy bridges of the lake divisions,
but high airy fellows that keep man
guessing all the time. On the main line
and branches of this division there are
COZ bridges. Of these only eight are OF
steel All the others are wooden and res
uuire constant inspection and supervis.
ion. This number of bridges is enough
to occupy the time of any man. The
bridges are located as follows: Main
line. between Helena and Hope, BE-
Red Mountain branch, u; Marysvillt
branch, %; Philipsburg and Drummonc
branch, %; Bitter Root branch, 70
Occur d'Alene line, 95; Burke branch, il
Total COZ. There are steel bridges al
Oleson and Greenhorn gulches on Hell
ena mountain; at the crossing of the
Blackfoot below Bonner; at Perma
Thompson and Lightning creek or the
west end, and the high Marent ant
O'Keefe trestles on Missoula mountain
This summer there will be five new
steel bridges put in, four on the jock
crossings west of Missoula, and one II
place of the high wooden bridge owe
Fish creek on the Occur dAlen'
branch.
There will be considerable work dom
this year in the filling of the higi
wooden trestles over dry gulches tina
has been going on for two or thre
years The high trestle on Missouli
mountain. this side of the O'keefe tres
| tie, is now being filled. This work
done by contract. On the branches, toe
wherever it is possible, trestles will b
filled. Small bridges, too, will be re
placed by culverts wherever this can D
DONE The enumeration of bridge
given above does not include culvertE
but does includes these high trestle
over dry gulches.
The Copper City Limited promises t
be even more popular this summer tina
it was a year ago 1t has been doing
good business for the first week OF ii
running, despite the fact that its west
ern terminus has been washed ou
bridge with a long wagon drive betwee
it and Hamilton. The number of in
quiries that has been made the pas
week indicates that there will be cor
siderable summer vacationing done
Western Montana this year.
!, The past week was free from seriou
accidents, aside from the washing ou
of the Riverside bridge. There We're n
train accidents on the division and Ii
serious injuries to men or stock. Whe
the report came down from HamiE o
that the big dam there was about I
break there was a hasty figuring on tn
| number of bridges and embankment
, on the Bitter Root branch that woul
go down with the flood, but fortunate
- ~ the flood did not come, and the wor
y' rebuilding the temporary crossing a
Riverside has been pushed along q
= rapidly as possible. Trains will be abb
to cross the bridge Monday and Hami
! ton will have a train for the first tim
in q week.
Considerable live stock business ha
been done during the past week. Thre
4 trainloads Of sheep and some cattl
have gone tbV9npb AiSSlll1 hnUp1 E,