The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1901-02-08
FUNDS FOR
Burlington's Answer to St. Paul Rail-
road Deal.

road Deal.
There is a vast amount Of %speGu1a-
ton INDUCED in throughout the state
AS to what the recent sale of stock by
the Burlington railroad means to Mon
tana, says the Helena Record. Some
think that there will be a striking
coincidence between this sale and a
similar action at the time of the Bur
lington extension to Denver.
The history of this road in the past
has been, that relying upon it's ability
to compete with other lines in all of
its western extensions, it has sought
entrance to points where large initial
traffic originates. For instance,
when it first extended it's road to the
Rocky mountains, it did not seek to
develop new country, but went direct
ly to Denver, and a few years later
sent q llne to Cheyenne, where a large
and profitable traffic was already Gre
ated. Butte is the initial freight Gre
ating point, not only in Montana, but
in the Rocky mountains. Judging
from the history of this company in
the past it is natural that in any ex
tensions, twill seek the largest initial
freight producing points. The policy
Of this read has been to extend west
for a distance, just as it did when it
went to Colorado and thoroughly
absorb the business before any further
extentaons are made.
All Wall street dispatches indicate
rho ., nm uos,, ,ifx- <f 1n%D,oc+ 1o<~,oD.,
the Great Northern, Northern Pacific
and Chicago, Milwaukee & st. Paul
railroads has been arranged. If this
is true, then the present advantageous
agreement which the Burlington has
with the Northern Pacific will doubt
less be abrogated.
Inis arrangement was made to pre-
vent the Burlington from extending it's
Billings line through to Helena and
Bntte, for which a survey was made
at the time the line fram the Black
Hills to Billings was located. This
survey, in order to give the company
the right of way over the public
lands, was led with the general land
office and is shown on the maps issued
by that Office prior to 1891, plainly
Labeled 1.-THE Burlington & Missouri
River railroad" This was the route
by which the Darlington was prepar-
ing to enter Helena and Butte, be-
cause from the Missouri river or
Painted Rock, now called Lombard,
down the river to Helena is an easy
and cheaply constructed line. The
same is true from Lombard to Butte.
If the community of interest ar
ralgement goes into effect, AS the
press dispatches seem to Indicate, its
effect would be to turn the traffic Of
the two western roads oyer to the
Chicago. Milwaukee & St. Panl rail
road at st. Paul. This would cut the
Burlington off from a large proportion
of the business which it now gets
from the Northern Pacific at Billings
and St. Paul. AR extension of the
Burlington from Billings to Butte and
Helena may be expected as soon as
that goes into effect. 1t is believed
that, anticipating this, the present
issuance of stock was made for the
purpose of having funds in hand to
build through to Helena and Butte.
In spite Of all the rumors to the
contrary, if the Burlington is going
to extend it's line into Montana at all,
it will come by the Billings Lombard
route. Those familiar with the coun-
try to the south of the Yellowstone
National park know that the building
of a line through that section must be
through difficult country.
Any extension of the, Burlington to
the Rocky mountains in the northwest
will in all probability come to Butte
and Helena. 1t is easily seen that the
Billings-Lombard route strikes Mon
tana fairly in the center and reaches
the trafic-producing territory to a bet
ter advantage than the southern route.
1t is also significant that this was the
original loute selected after the ex-
penditure of two years of time and a
large sum of money in preliminary sur
veys. The rumor that the Toluca
branch of the Burlington, now under
construction, wa to be continued to
Butte was probably a pipe drem. An
engineer who has surveyed the forest
reservation to the south and east Of
the Yellowstone park says: "The
country east and south of the Yellow
stone park for sixty to seventy miles
is up on end.'
Il the Toluca branch is going to
it must pass seventy miles
south of the park, because it cannot
pass through the park to the north
IF it. 1t would be as far away from
as it's present terminus, Bill
lngs.
AGAINST TIERNEY BILL.