The Norfolk weekly news-journal., 1906-01-12


Tap New Coal Fields in Montana
and RaiIless Field in Idaho, With
Endless Possibilities.
A great factor in railroads within
the next FIVE years in the great north
west will be the Chicago Milwaukee
& St Paul company. There is no
system in the country which pays any
better than the old milwaukee" lines.
They are not listed in the stock quota.
tions, as those who hold the gilt edged
paper prefer to keep it.
For several years 1t was the policy
OF the Milwaukee system and the
Northwestern lines to build into each
others territory The Northwestern
road finally stopped their operations
in the Dakotas and turned to Nebras-
ka. The Milwaukee stopped their
work in the northwest at once and has
not done much during the past five
years.
For a time the o. p. at Council
Bluffs carried through cars for all its
eastern connections, but of a sudden
lew years uSO CDlllllltllCtu w DlNh up
through trains from the Northwestern
system and allowed the Milwaukee to
get along the best it could by selling
through tickets and transferring at
Omaha.
This aroused comment at the time
and there was talk of the Milwaukee
people building west from Omaha
that something must be done and
again took through cars from the Mil
waukeC and are doing so today.
A Number of Surprises.
In the meantime the Milwaukee peo.
pie have quietly sent out surveying
parties until they knew what they
could do and now they are doing a
whole lot of things that were not ex-
peCted They never expected to have
a transC0ntinental line from Chamber
lain Their Evarts extension is
through a country where every mile of
road will pay. They are making a
short cut to the coal hills of Montana
They can carry coal east and west and
make money coming and going as does
the Northern Pacific. They will open
up a country in which mixed farming
can be carried on as well as stock
raising. The Milwaukee Offers induce
ment to settlers. 1t has always done
so.
In Montana alone the possibilities
are endless In Idaho it will handle
a new country which is at present
miles from railroads with a thousand
advantages.
Will Come to Norfolk.
1t has already been hnted at the
possibilities of the Milwaukee build
ing from Omaha to South Dakota via
Norfolk. 1t is almost as certain as
life itself when one stops and investi.
gates the past successful policy of that
system. In railroad circles it is a well
known fact that Norfolk is considered
as being one of the stronghOlds of the
Northwestern. 1t has made the city.
It has developed the country. That is
additional evidence that the Milwau
kee will eventually come here. 1t may
not do it in 1906 but it will do so be-
fore it gets to the Pacific coast, and
they will be out there in about four
years.
Taking this view of the matter it is
of course but natural that the people
here would be interested in this Mil
waukee story. The Union Pacific
would also feel the Milwaukee by this
line. All this may seem mere talk, but
past history and present surveys, to-
gether with commercial advantages to
be gained, will demonstrate that there
is always hope where there is activity. |
Build Own Fleet.
1t is reported in New York that the
Chicago, Milwaukee and st. Paul Rail |
way company has sent an agent to
Liverpool to purchase equipped and
ready for service five ships of min
imum tonnage capacity of 5000 tons
for use on the Pacific ocean. The re-
port says:
THE Milwaukee will spend over $4,- |
100000 in getting its initial feet on |
the Pacific ocean. The company has |
had agents in the orient for two years .
and has already made arrangements |
for the establishment of docks at Kok-
ohama and Shanghai. The general re-
port is to the effect that the main .
docks of the system on this side the
ocean are to be at Tacoma, though this .
is likely to be modified according to
the advantages that may or may not
be gained from the Seattle city coun-
Gil The Tacoma authorities seem to
be willing to grant almost anything |
asked for.
"The officials report that the Seattle
council is well disposed, but is ham
pered by long time allegiance to the
Hill lines, to which the city owes a |
great deal in the way of development |
The Milwaukee people say that the
Hill lines are finding it all they can do
to fill their big ships, and that the Sc
attic authorities have been politely but |
firmly asked to do nothing to interfere I.