The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1904-08-15
SEE A NEW TRANS.
CONTINENTAL Gut
IOWANS THINK HILLS LITTLE
GRADE MEANS MUCH.
Extension South from Minot Taken to
Portend Bee Line Northwest Bring
ing Sioux City 400 Miles Nearer
Puget sound-Possible Eject on
Minneapolis.

In projected Great Northern ex-
tension from Minot, N. D., to Bis
marck, the sanguine residents Of
Sioux City profess to see the
first evidence Of a new trans
continental cutoff with Sioux
City as an important gateway. Fifty
two miles of the line south from Minot
plan is to have steel laid to Bismarck
before snow flies. According to the
Iowa idea the line will ultimately be
extended on thru Aberdeen and Huron
to Sioux City, bringing that city 400
miles nearer the Puget Sound country
than now. Further speculation car
ries the line to ST. Louis, creating a
new transcontinental line of large pro
portions.
While the tangible evidence of this
vast scheme is nothing more than
a paltry fifty-two miles Of grading,
there are possibilities in it that will
cause Minnesota shippers to await
further developments with interest.
When the anti-merger agitation was
young, intimate associates of J. J.
Hill were eloquent regarding what he
largely by indirection, conveyed the
idea that he had it in his power to
nullify whatever commercial adj
yantages these cities enjoyed. No one
would suspect Mr.. Hill Of cherishing
revenge to the extent of building a
thousand miles of new road, but it is
a fact that ever since he acquired the
Burlington he has been laying wires
to build up st. Louis as an east and
west gateway. He has taken into con-
sideration the deep water possibili-
ties by river and gulf and has fire.
quently expressed the keenest salts
faction that he had gained entrance
to so promising traffic center. In
fact, he was talking in most sanguine
fashion Of ST. Louis commercial flu
ture, long before the Northern Securi-
ties merger was launched.
There thus appears to be a strong
factor of probability to the conjecture
that the Great Northern magnate
contemplates a short line from st.
Louis to the north coast. Whether
or not the line, if built, will verify the
threatening intimations of Hills
| oracular friends remains to be seen.
AS a matter of fact, it does not now
appear probable that st. Louis cut
! off would divert any great amount of
| traffic away from the twin cities un-
less Hills dream Of port of export
and import at st. Louis be realized
more speedily than present develop
ment indicates. Even in that case, the
larger amount of traffic west bound
from st. Louis would be Of a sort that
the twin cities do not now handle
anyway At all events there is a
large quantity Of transcontinental
business which necessarily must be
! handled thru here.
When the rapid settlement Of the
northwest is considered, it will be
seen that the nearer market is the bic
market for the twin city business IN
/ terests. When the Btllings-Om
1 cutoff was constructed, placing Chi.
cago in more direct communication
with Puget Sound, the twin cities ha6
more reason to fear a diversion o!
traffic, but this same development Of
the nearer market has more thar
offset any loss It appears that the
most a st. Louis cutoff can do is tc
place that city in the same relation tt
Puget Sound that Chicago now en-
joys.