The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1902-03-31
.NOONAN DIDN WAIT
Floods on the Northern Pacific
Couldn't Stop Him.
STORY TOLD BY HENRY MARKS
He Says the Enterprising Chicago
# Man Paid $500 for n Special
Train.

Like the famed Mr.. Barnes, of New
York, Mr.. Noonan, Of Chicago, is one Of
those resourceful Americans with plenty
Of money who refuse to wait on obstacles
OF time or tide If they can buy their way
through or around difficulties when there
are important matters demanding their
urgent attention elsewhere.
Mr.. Nconan is the enterDrising Chicago
capitalist who chartered a special train
from Mckenzie, N. D., and hurried on to
the windy city to attend to business, when
through traffic was suspended on the
Northern Pacific road by flood last
week. #@ 40
Henry Marks. of Minneapolis. who was
q passenger on the coast train which
brought Mr.. Noonan to Bismarck, re-
turned this morning. He says that MT.
Noonan was hurrying back to Chicago to
wind 10 negotiations for the sale OF tine
Occur d. Alene Lumber company, OF Vic
toria, B. G. He had gone to Victoria to
inspect the property, and the purchase
price agreed upon was something like
$780, 900.
It. all hinged upon his arriving in Chi
cago on certain date. Unless other
Chicago parties interested could be con-
suited at that time. there was a strong
probability that the deal would fall
through. " 49,
When the train pulled into Mandan at 5
o'clock Wednesday afternoon, and 1t was
learned that it could proceed no farther
on j. account of Lake Mckenzie; ME-.
Noonan announced that he couldn't walt.
A little thing like flood, ne saio,
couldn't stop him. He promptly wired
ing him to have an engine and car at his
disposal to leave for Chicago THURSDAY
evening. The regular train ran on to the
flooded country, about thirty miles east
of Bismarck Thursday afternoon.
The lake, which covers the tracks to- g
depth of eight feet, is fourteen miles
long and two miles wide at that point.
Although a strong wind was kicking up q
big sea at the time, the angry waters had
no terrors for Noonan. He had trouble
engaging boatman to row him across,
but 500 finally persuaded a man named
Kelly to undertake the task. After a
desperate battle with the waves, they
made the far shore and within an hour
Mr.. NoonaI was being whirled away to
Chicago on his special, which had been
sent up from Fargo. His fare was $500.
Old Lake Basin RefIIed.
cifc will either have to bridge the lake
or build around it to avoid an indefinite
suspension Of traffic. He was delayed at
Mandan from Thursday morning until
Saturday afternoon. - -.
'"The people at Bismarck and McKen-
zie," said he. ARE at a loss to account
for SO much water. They tell me that
there was formerly a big lake in the basin
now submerged. and that when it grad
ually dried u2 the railroad which had
made "a, detour around the lake took a
short cut across the low land. Some
people believe that the springs that for
! merly fed the lake have gone to worl
again. There's water enough there tc
last all summer. ..-.s.
1.-THE company is handling traffic now
by pressing all the available farm wagons
and row boats into service. The wagons
convey passengers from the end of TIT
| line to a point ten miles down the lake
where it is only a few blocks wide, ant
! they are then rowed across. -, Wagon.
meet passengers on the other side ane
convey them to Mckenzie where another
| train awaits them.
s"The Northern Pacific officials have
done everything possible for the comfort
Of passengers and though the weather
| has been disagreeable. there has been lit
J tie suffering. They generously provided
all passengers who wished it with trans
portation over connecting roads, so tina
half Of the people on our train who were
| bound for Minneapolis, st. Paul, Chicago
| and other points, reached their dest1na
ton by the roundabout way OF Omaha an
Sioux City over the North Western road
Just $50 of us took the boat trip"