Pierre weekly free press. (Pierre, S.D.) 1889-19??, 1905-09-28
WHERE Will IT Be;
Location Of Bridge and Depot
the Great Question Of
Interest.
Northwestern Engineers Have
Spent the Week Running
Lines Over Town.


The past week Pierre has been pretty
we'll covered by transit and levelmen,
with their helpers, in the employ OF the
Northwestern road. They have run
lines and taken elevations and levels
from East Pierre to the boat landing
and have covered every street from
Pleasant Drive to the river They have
cross-sectioned and set grading stakes
on the second bench along Pleasant
Drive avenue through to the stock
yards, and along the vacant half block
from the company's tracks to the river,
all Of which property has been marked
on the maps for the past twenty-five
years, reserved for railway purposes"
A of these operations have naturally
excited the interest of property owners
as to where the new steel bridge will
cross the river, and where the big depot,
machine shops, round house, etc. will
be located. The railroad company has
held in reserve for twenty-five years the
present autumn, when it first built into
Pierre, ample grounds for every con-
ceivable purpose in the way of terminal
facilities. They have re"koned on the
day when the present scenes were go
ing to happen, in the choosing OF suit
able sites for depot, machine shops,
approaches to the bridge to span the
Missouri, etc, and the matter is being
decided right now, but no word is
offered for publication to the anxious
newspaper men of the city or equally
anxious property owners who will be
affected by the decision.
Besides the numerous party of sur
veyors operating in the city, another
large party is holding forth at Fort
Pierre, and running lines through that
town. and up Bad river, which, it is
settled, will be the route of the road tc
Rapid City. The probable line of the
road from Fort Pierre west will be on
the south side of Bad river, which offers
the best means to avoid any damage
from repetition of the flood that swept
down that valley the first week in July
Monday night, John M. Whitman
first vice president, and Chief Engineer
Carter, of the Northwestern, arrived
from an overland trip from Rapid City
coming down Bad river. They have
been making their headquarters i'll {
special officers car, which was attached
to the passenger train Monday after
gentlemen, with whom, it is stated
tests the decision as to where the de
pot, bridge, machine shops, etc, will b.
located, have driven over the ground
thoroughly, visiting Fort Pierre AM
the bluffs overlooking the river vale,
on both sides, where they could obtain
good view of every possible advant
age in the way of railroad building. Il
this work they have heen largely as
aisted by Col. r. W. Stewart, the gen
eral attorney for This state of the com
pany, who is ali old resident of Pierre
knows the conditions here perfectly
and can act promptly on every lega
phase of the questions as they ma
arise.
There are at present five surveyin
crews working for the Northwestern
from Pierre to Rapid City over the lin
of the road to be built this fall, tn
coming winter and next spring. On
of these is in Pierre, one at Fort Pierr,
one working west up Bad river, an
the other two working east from Rapit
The railroad company intends, we al
Informed, to complete the grade eighty
five miles east from Rapid City dow
into the Bad river valley. The com
pany Will also keep "a big force {
graders at work all winter on the ba
ance of the route to Pierre, working Q
the largest cuts and fills, and neg
spring will complete the easy grade
on the line ahead of the constructio
train, thus enabling through trains
be put through to Rapid and beyond /
early summer