The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1901-08-09
BETTERING ITS LINE
GREAT NORTHERN IS SPENDING
THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS ON
IMPROVEMENTS
BIG BRIDGES NOW UNDER WAY
Old Grade Between Libby and Kali
ispeII Undergoing Important
and Expensive
Changes.

The Great Northern road is constantly
working on improvements along it's
line and thousands upon thousands of
dollars are being spent by that company
in all kinds of betterments.
The work of constructing a bridge to
span the Columbia river at Marcus,
Wash. will be commenced just as soon
as the low stage in the river is reached.
Within a month or six weeks active
operations will be commenced. The con-
tract has been awarded to a leading
Pittsburg bodybuilding firm.
At first the Great Northern's plan was
TO build a large transfer boat to be
used during the construction period of
The road. Later this project was
abandoned and it was determined to
bridge the Columbia, site having been
located by Engineer Baldwin and APP
proved by Chief Engineer Stevens.
The first structure will be of wood.
Piles will be driven and securely braced
and anchored, on which the super
structure will rest. This false work will
be used during the time the road is be-
ing built At the time the foundations
for the false work are being made the
piers for the permanent bridge will also
be built This viii be done in order to
take advantage of the extreme low stage
of the Columbia. Meantime, work on the
steel bridge will be in progress and when
that is completed the temporary bridge
viii be removed
The contract price for the bridges has
not been made public nor will it be. The
steel bridge will be 1850 feet long and,
when completed, will be one of the long
est, heaviest and most expensive
structures of its kipd on the Pacific
coast. One span Of the big bridge will
be $50 feet long.
Porter Brothers of Duluth, have the
contract to build the foundations of
both the false and permanent bridge.
They have also the contract to build all
other bridges along the line clear through
to Republic, Wash.
The second bridge in size and i'm
pOrtance will be the one which crosses
the Kettle river, about five miles above
its mouth. Should a branch be built
through to Grand Forks and Phoenix,
the river will have to be crossed again.
The Kettle river bridge will be 5000 feet
long. There will be two wooden spans.
About 1000 men are now engaged at
work along the entire line of the road.
Flathead county, Montana, promises to
become a very important scene of opera
tons for the Great Northern, so far as
the system of betterments is concerned.
Probably the most extensive and eX-
pensiVe piece of work which the Great
Northern mas mapped OUT in its desire to
better the old grade lies between Libby
has been found a most admirable grade
from Columbia Falls to the KOotenai
about twenty miles south Of the interna-
tional line. 1t is said the new line Will
leave the present line at or near Column
Dia Falls, will cut across a low country
to the Saltwater river, will follow that
stream to a point where there is a low
divide between 1t and the Kootenal river,
striking the headwaters of Graves creek
and viii follow down that stream to the
KoOtenai. From Graves creek it is
about thirty-ive miles down the river
to Jennings, from which place they are
now building the branch to the coal
fields.
In addition to these lines which are
now being run in the northern part of
the county the company has a partially
located line between Libby and Kalispell
south OF the present line, The company
mas purchased right of way for a con-
siderable distance west of Kalispell and
has also bought several rights of way
through land in the immediate vicinity
Of Libby. Granting that the new line
will go to the north 1t will probably be
the means of placing the division at
Columbia Falls, instead of at Kalispell,
where it now is, and will make the in
termediate division at Libby, instead Of
at Troy. 1t would also be the means OF
placing Kalispell, the county seat, on a
spur of the main line and will probably
make of Libby the seat of a county
which win in the near future be made
out of the western part of Flathead
county.
This northern line will pass through
Dne of the largest bodies of virgin timber
to be found in the state, which is ex-
ceedingly valuable and about sixty miles
IN extent. There is a big market in the
Butte mines, and there is one of the
largest tie-making and tie-pickllng plants
on the entire system located on Flathead
lake, about twelve miles south of Kalis-
pell. The new line would be in splen-