The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-09-05

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normal, more than ordinary trouble
was experienced in the effort to trans
act business either with the railway
managers or with the employees. 1t
didn't take very long, however, to get
action. There was a hustle in the
Standard office and within 20 hours. as
the result of a Geographic lombard
ment, the famous handcar service was
arranged with reference to it's preinin-
aries, and the rema rkable equipment
was in running order.
Bound to Get There.
Early in the morning of June 49, a
little procession of railway velocipedes.
freighted with Standards, pulled out of
the Montana station at Anaconda, with
Missoula as it's destination. The. exre-
dition included all the rolling stock of
the kind that was available at that
hour. A little later, a more clumsy
equipment in the shape of an everyday
handcar, left the Butte station of the
Northern Pacific road, under orders to
make the best possible time for Boze
man, with Livingston as the terminus,
II 1t was found possible to reach that
place and arrange for the return of
the rolling stock in time to comply
with the time card that had been ar
ranged for the running of the celebrat-
ed handcar limited. This was, one way.
a run of about lis miles, Now. a
miles mile the world around. But
everybody who is acquainted with the
topography of the country in the en-
virons of Butte knows how long a. mile
is when the distance is covered by men
pumping freighted handcar over the
grade. To get from Butte to Bozeman
you have to cross, at the Homestake
tunnel, the main divide of the Rocky
mountains. Within the first II miles
out of Butte the elevation overcome
by the Northern Pacific'e grade is 500
1eet' once across the crest the mere
running down hill toward Bozeman
would be easy enough were it not for
the procession of high trestles which
carry the line along over the most dar-
ing ana picturesque stretches of rail-
road construction in the world.
A'Shty haru ruling.
1t was a tug to pull these uncouth
handcars up the grade. 1t is a steady
cHinp. 1t was jaunty enough to ride
along, at easy grade, on the yelocinede
but for the mountain grades the ordi-
nary handcar was considered safer, and
1t was a long, hard pull OF course
there were relays of men. Crews were
stationed along the routes. The nsn
who contributed his share toward
pumping the handcar from Butte RI
Homestake, say IL miles, had done a bis
days work. 1t was not so hard to care
for the handcar on the down grade to-
ward Bozeman, and good time was
made there. But, mind you, there was
the steep return trip. The handcar
equipment for this service was limited
perhaps that is why the whole serv-
ice was called the Standards handcar
limited. Day after day the procession
of handcars, going and coming, had to
be kept in motion.
This was the starter AS has been
said, the service west-bound was
equipped with velocipedes-the com
paratively easy grade between Ana
conda and Missoula made them avail
able. The daily run was from Anacon-
da to Stuart, thence to Garrison, thence
over the Northern Pacific's main line to
Missoula. The distance is 1876 miles.
After few days of experience the rule
was for one man to make the run from
Anaconda to Garrison; in instances one
rider made the full run from Garrison
to Missoula, seventy-odd miles. Gradu-