The Kalispell bee. [volume] (Kalispell, Mont.) 1900-192?, 1901-01-31
NOTHING IN 1T.
Prominent Raiiroader Says That About
the Proposed Growing Cutoff.


record to The effect tnat the story
that the Great Northern would build
d cutoff nom Great Fails to BrOWn-
Ing and thence to The Crows Nest
coal lieIdS did not seem plausible. Now
comes "a prominent railroad man"
in the Great Falls Leader and says
practically the same thing. In fact
it seems to be generally understood
that II the Great Northern taps the
Crows Nest country at all the branch
will start from this city. The Leaders
article follows:
IF there has ever been any int ~ntion
on the part of the Great Northern to
build line from Great Falls to the
Crows Nest country across the Can
adian line it has been SO jealousy
guarded within the breast of some one
that it has never come to the knowl-
edge of the employees of the road, to
whom instructions on this line usual
ly come first of ALL said prominent
railroad man last evening. "And l
will venture to say without fear Of
contradiction, that within Lne Official
circles OF the Great Northern there has
never been such a proposition ever
mentioned not to speak of it being an
thorized. There has never been such
survey made. and there is no rea-
son for the building of such a road,
SO far as | can see it. If the Great
Northern desires to build a branch
which will shorten the lumber haul
of the Flathead country to Butte such
a one as outlined would be folly for
the reason that it IS but little over
200 miles straight across the country
from the Flathead lumber fields to
Butte Leaving the road anywhere along
the main line in Flathead county, AMI
besides shortening the trip by about
800 miles more than the other route
spoken OF, would open up an entirely
new country both for lumber, farming
and minerals.
II think there is but little doubt
that the G.. f. & G. will be widene1
during the present year and anyone
can see if they think for a moment
that there would not be the slightes,
reason on top of the earth why the
Great Northern should parallel the
former road between here and the
main line and especially when the G
f. & c. is much more than able u
handle all of the freight and traffi,
which comes from that district il
| about two carloads week. Mr.. Hill
has never been noted for running rail
road lines across the country for tn
fun of the thing and l do not imagin
that he has changed his policy in thi
regard within the present century"
Further light has been thrown upo
the proposed new road to be built b
the Great Northern into the Crow
Nest country by ,--e Ottawa 'Citizer
which publishes an article on the ma
ter. According to the charter aske
for, the Great Northern will bull
either from Jennings, up the Flathea
river and past the newly discOvere
oil fields in that section, and after tn
line shall have been gotten into Bri
ish territory, a branch is to be ru
east to tap the Great Falls & Canad
near Lethbridge, which confirms tn
statement above, that the Great Fall
& Canada will not be paralleled, bl
.. will be rather used as an assista1
carrier by the Great Northern. TIL
Great Falls & Canada from the Can
dian Pacific to Lethbridge is alread
broad guage, and although the san
company, is called the Alberta roa
The charter if granted by the d
mnion government will give the Gre;
: Northern access to east kootenai ar
the Crows Nest coal mines, and WI
extend 80 milesGnto Canadian teri
tory. 1t is not yet decided Wheth,
, the line will come down the Kooten
river to junction with the Gre
. Northern main line at Jennings, Mon
or whether it will descend the Fla
head river to junction with the ma
line of the Great Northern at Kali
pell Mont. The charter of cour
does not specify as to the route, b
merely for permission to build to Il
boundary, a distance of SO miles
: Canadian territory.
From the boundary to either of Il
: points on the main line of the Gre
Northern, distance of about IS mile
: the line will be looked after by Pre-
ident Hill himself.
The application for a charter by t
Canadian company, at the back
/ which are President Hill of the Gre
! Northern and Messrs. Cox and j;
Il fray. of the Crows Nest coal syndica
! provides for an act to incorporate