The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1901-12-31
is FREE WITH HOT AIR
Joliies Great Falls BY Basing Fancy
Upon Slight Foundation Of
Fact.

pany'S line to Great FAILS, n news
papers of that city are almost con-
publishing something, which
they declare to be authentic. The
Tribune of the last date to reach here
contains a lengthy interview with j.
w. Bcice, a Gilt Edge stockman, in
which he is reported as giving some
interesting information.
According to the Tribune Mr.. Boice
is authority for the statement that at
present there are three crews of Bur-
lngton surveyors n the Judith basin
and have their camps east of Gilt
Edge, about a mile apart. Taking the
gentleman's statement for the truth,
the engineers are an uncommunicative
lot, for while they are working they
refuse to say what Chey are doing.
All the same Mr.. Boice is confident
and emphatically declares that the
basin is to have a railroad He
said:
ooh you can just bet we are going to
have a railroad. We have three
camps of railroad engineers ~therefll-
ready and expect a grading camp soon.
There are three men in each party,
and while none of them will say any
thing of what is being done, it is sup
posed they are preparing the way for
the new line from Billings.
ct oct En;dox, 7 V,oc oJf RI npn of Tho
camps. There were lots of surveying
instruments lying around. I inquired
what was going IN, but they informed
me they did not know. There is a re-
port at Gilt Edge that there is 60
ing to be a grading camp started near
there shortly after the first Of the
year, and from that point the grade
will be carried south. We are in hopes
that another Christmas will see Gilt
Edge in communication with Great
Falls.
The building of the line from Bill
ings to Great Falls, through the Judith
basin, will be a boom not only for that
section of the country, but also for this
city. At the present time there is a
very large amount of the Judith pro-
duct that finds a market in the south
ern part of the state. There is no rea-
son why it should, other than that
| our section has become accustomed
to go that way. All the Judith basin
is tributary to Great Falls, and once
there is railroad communication here,
every pound of stuff grown in all our
section of the country will come to
the market here.
IA line of railroad will mean the
development of our section to a much
greater extent than aver before, and
the more it is developed, the greater
benefit will be derived for all parts
of northern Montana"
For the sake of the good such news
would portend for Billings and the
country tributary to it, The Gazette
sincerely hopes that Mr.. Boice will
prove a true prophet and that grading
camps will speedily dot the entire dis.
lance between this city and Great
Falls, and that at least one or more
will find it convenient to utilize some
of his broad acres as a site for their
temporary homes. So far as the gen
tleman's predictions in reference to
the exclusive benefit the extension OF
the Burlington would prove to the city
whose special champion he seem to
be, is concerned. While it would nc
much alarmed. While it would nc
doubt be a good thing for Great Falls
should the proposed line be built, il
would prove no less beneficial to Bill
ings. Notwithstanding Mr.. Boice's
evident prejudice against this city anG
much as he would probably like te
see his prediction verified in every
detail, The Gazette, nor none of the
people of Billings views with alarm
the coming of the time when all the
trade of the Judith basin will find its
way to the city by the falls from
which it takes it's name. 1t will be
found that in the case Of many the
habit formed long ago and which he
admits has become a custom will re
main too strong to be shaken off ant
there will be no appreciable falling of
in the trade from the Judith basi1
which this city has always enjoyed
In fact a different result is anticipated
Instead of decreasing, that trade will
be found increasing. The advantages
which Billings possesses in the way O
direct railroad connections with the
east, west and south, will always bt
found an important factor in it's favor
and because of the better market i
offers for about all that the basin has