The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1901-05-10
RAILROAD NEWS.
Many Men On Yellowstone Division
H~omeseekers' Excursions.

Homeseekers' Excursions.
From Wednesdays Daily Gazette.
A new time caro- is to go into ef-
feet on the Burlington next Sunday,
but there is to be practically no change
in the passenger service: new
freight train will be added to this
division, however.
The Northern Pacific is doing all
kinds of quick work on it's Yellow
stone division, having owe 1000 extra
men engaged in various ways. Six
ty-fve new steel bridges are replac-
ing wooden structures, bluffs are being
cut down, grades widened and new
steel laid. The pay roll on the divis-
ion amounts to over $4,000 per day at
present.
The ~homeseeker movement, which
came to an end this week, says the
Helena Herald, has resulted in a gold
en- harvest for the northern railroads.
The Northern Pacific, Great Northern,
and Burlington, as well as the Chicago
connections, received in the neighbor-
hood of $1,5OO,O 900 from tickets sold
to prospective settlers. The figures
astonish the railroad officials them
selves, as the record established by
the homeseekers' excursions eclipses
anything recorded in the annals of
the western railroad traffic.
An estimate made by a railroad OIL
cial at st. Paul places the amount re-
ceived by the transportation compa-
MES from homeseekers for tickets at
81, 900. The greater a Went
to the western lines, that is, the three
roads passing through Montana, but
on business through from the east
the Chicago lines benefited in a ma.
terial way. The 500 line also received
it's share of the business.
The success of the homeseekel
movement astonished even the mos
sanguine of the passenger men. NC
more effort was made this year to al
~vertise these excursions than previous
". vet the movement was SO per cent
greater.
The grand total of the spring move
ment now reaches $4,000 persons &C
cording to the figures given out by the
passenger association based upon thu
reports made by the participating rail
roads. OF this number between $1,000
and $4,000 will become permanent
residents of Montana, Idaho, Washing
ton, Oregon and not a few of Nortl
Dakota. Montana has received per
haps the smallest portion, which i
to be expected, when all things ar
: considered, although all additions t.
, the population will be very percep
tible. The Milk river and Gallatil
valleys received the bulk of the new
{ citizens. The largest number OF home
, seekers going to n state located Il
Washington.
4 The travel this week closed a SCI
: les of l. excursions for which tn
railroads declared a rate OF $25 from
, the Twin Cities and $50 from Chi
) cago.
The trains which passed through
Montana and owe the 500 yesterda,
carried approximately 5000 people
which with stragglers leaving st. Pau
yesterday and today will bring tn
weeks business to nearly 10000. Q
. the largest On record during Tn
: spring.
The people taking advantage OF tn
+ excursions are for the most part
4 most desirable class Of citizens. A
q are thrifty and many natives OF tn
country. In fact, n OF the chara'
teristics of the homeseeker movemeI
a is the number Of Yankees and we
TODD eastern and middle state farr