The Kalispell bee. [volume] (Kalispell, Mont.) 1901-1901, 1901-07-26
OF Benefit
TO kALISPELL
Libby Cutoff Abandoned for
the Present
CHANGES IN THE LINE
Division Headquarters to Remain Here
Did President Hill Talk While
Here Last Sunday?

Here Last Sunday
It is evident that the building of the
much talked of Libby cut of has been
abandoned temporarily, and the
chances are permanently. If the cut
of had been built as first intended it
would have meant the abandoning OF
about 95 miles OF track in order to Sc.
cure easier grades between Kalispell
and Libby.
by the building Of the road now be.
ing surveyed from Kalispell follow
ing the Saltwater river in a northeast.
erly direction to a junction with the
Crows Nest Pass railway, at Tobacco
Plains, the building Of the cut of will
be obviated and the present track Of
the Great Northern from Kalispell to
Jennings, distance of 81 miles will
probably be abandoned. The advant.
ages Of such route are many. The
line will follow a natural water level
with maximum grade of not over
six tenths of one per cent, and while
it would increase the distance, the
easier grades will make it possible
to decrease the present time from St.
Paul to the coast and at the same time
to haul heavier freight trains.
The new road from Jennings to the
Crows Nest coal fields will be about
160 miles long, and taken in connec-
tion with the other work to be done
in this country will furnish work for
several thousand men for over a
year.
On this subject the Great Falls Tri-
bune of yesterday has the following:
Dan Ledgerwood of this city, who
has had several contracts on the Mon
tana Central, has secured contract
for construction of large portion of
the Jennings Crows Nest branch of
the Great Northern, and will ship his
outfit in few days. George Chew,
who had contract on the Teton-Tu-
mis- cutoff of the Montana Central, has
also secured contract about 40 miles
north of Jennings, and some of the
sub-contractors on the Portage cutoff
of the Montana Central will ship their
outfits to Jennings as soon as they
shall have completed their contracts
on the Portage cutoff.
.The injunction secured by Canadi-
an Pacific interests, prohibiting con-
struction of the line south from
Crows Nest to the boundary, has been
dissolved, and now there is nothing
but the scarcity of men to interfere
with the rapid progress of the work.
Five thousand men would be reQuir-
ed on the new work If it were to be
completed as soon as desired, but it is
absolutely impossible to secure any
such number, and it now seems very
probable that the line will not be COM
pleted much before 1903. The earth
to be moved will average 10000 cubic
yards to the mile, and some long hauls
will be required. The new line will
be almost entirely without trestle
work, and recently adopted policy of
fills being strictly followed wherever
possible.
Official confirmation is given to the
report, published in The Tribune few
days ago, of the contemplated aban-
donment of the present line between
Kalispell and Jennings; but the
change will not be according to the
plans outlined year ago for a new
line between kalispell and Libby, a
distance of 80 miles. It was original
ly planned that the new line should
swing south of the present line, and
part of the right-of-way was purchas
ed. It is now decided. however, tha
a portion of the Jennings branch will
be a part of the Kalispell-J
cutoff, while another branch from the
vicinity of Kalispell will follow the
Saltwater river northwesterly and
connect with the Jennings line near
Tobacco Plains. This will give a maa
imum grade on the main line of about
six tenths of one per cent. The pres
ent line from Kalispell to Jennings
win be abandoned, and the new line
will be longer, but the grades will be
much less. those on the present line
being very heavy.
"None of the construction in that
section will materially benefit Colum-