Daily inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1881-1901, 1901-04-16
BELL TELEPHONE
WILL SOON ENTER LOCAL FIELD
WITH GOOD BACKING.
ONE MORE LOCAL COMPANY
billings Could Have Had Big Wooden
Mill if the Citizens Had Spoken
Up in Time.
ONE MORE LOCAL COMPANY
Billings, April 16.

Billings, April 16. 49,
H. Sommer of Helena, superintendent
OF the Rocky Mountain Bell Telephone
company, was in the city last week, ac-
cCnpanied by David S. Murray, general
manager of the company, with head
quarters at Salt Lake. The gentlemen
came up from Miles City, where they
have already begun work on local ex-
change, which promises to start out with
over 100 subscribers. The purpose Of
their visit to Billings was to make ar
engagements for the establishment of
local exchange here, which will be done
just as soon as the work is completed
at Miles City. The company expects IL
be in Billings inside of the next 80 days
with it's long distance system from Big
Timber. At Laurel the company will
run a branch line up to Carbon county,
touching several of the prominent towns
of that county. From this city the COM
pany will branch in two directions, one
going east to Miles City and Glendive,
connecting at the latter place with Il
system from North Dakota and south
be made with the Bell system from
Denver.
F.. NJ. Hungerford has resigned as SUI
perintendent of the Billings Telephone
company and has been succeeded by l..
H. Stoddard. Mr.. Hungerford intends to
remain in the telephone business in Bill
ings and will ask the city council for
franchise to operate a local exchange.
having received the necessary support
of local capitalists for carrying on an
other system. He expects to install
complete up-tO-date system and prom
Uses that rates are to be made lower
than those in vogue at the present time.
William Whitefeld, the promoter OF
the wooden mill enterprise at Big Tim
ber, who has been spending a couple OF
days getting acquainted with the WOOL
growers of this vicinity, has returned
to the former place. There has been 4
rumOr that the purpose of Mr.. Whit
fields visit to Billings was to talk up the
matter of organizing a company to erect
a similar mill here, but the gentleman
denied the same. He thinks this SPLEEN
did point for such an enterprise and be-
lieves that he would have brought his
plant to Billings had he been interested
in the plan by the citizens before he de-
cided on Big Timber.
1t will be a matter of less than three
weeks at the most until Billings will be
entirely free from smallpox, unless some
new cases break out. in the meantime.
In talking to DR.. Free. the attending
physician at the pest house, over the
telephone. he stated that a present there
were only ten patients in the institution,
and that he expected they would all be
able to leave by the first of May. when
he had hopes of being able to close the
place FOR good.
Thomas Hogan. who has been con-
nected with the Northern Pacific for
several years as travelling freight agent
for this section of Montana, has resigned
his position to become travelling agent
for the livestock commission firm ,f
Smith. Haas & Co., of Chicago Mr..
Hogan will cover a territory comprising
the state of Montana. west from Miles
City. He has just returned from a trip
to st. Paul. where he closed up his rail-
Northern Pacific has not yet been
named.
Carpenters are now at work placing
the fixtures in the upstairs rooms of the
First National Bank block, which is to
be used by the downtown Office of this.
Western Union Telegraph company. It
is now thought that everything will be
ready so as to open the Office about April
%. Three men. besides the manager.
will be employed there.
The 87th anniversary of Odd Fellow
ship in the United States. which occur $
April 26. is to be observed in Billings
with grand celebration. A big parade.
with plenty of music, is being planned.
There will be speaking in the afternoon
by some prominent Odd Fellows of tn.
state, and in the evening there will be
a grand ball.
United States Senator elect c. II,
Dietrich of Nebraska. accompanied by
N. K. Griggs. prominent attorney OF
Lincoln, passed through the city Fraday
en- route to Bridger, where they go to
look after the formers gold dredging in
terests. Mr.. Dietrich expects to resign
as governor Of Nebraska on May l, To
which position he was elected last fa,,,
and will Immediately go to Washington
to acquaint himself with the senatorisj
duties.
There is little probability of an eastj
ern Montana amateur baseball leagu(
! being organized this season, owing to thj
indifference of the towns that at frs|
proposed going into the league. Living,
stOn is very anxious for the league to bi
go. as is also Billings, but Red Lodej
and Miles City seem to have lost theii
interest. and the outcome will orobabl3
be independent clubs for this section.
An attempt at burglary was made ,,e|