The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1911-10-30

cars on branch lines, and Fargo farm
land dealers are planning an active
campaign In the various counties along
the new line, as soon as 1t Is COM
pleted.
shortens Trip to Coast.
But the new line is Of more than
merely local interest, in that 1t short
ems the distance, over the Great North
ern, between the Pacific coast and
points east OF Minot, including the
twin cities and Chicago. The short
est line at present from Fargo TO ME-
not, over the Great Northern. is by
way Of Cassenton. Aneta and Devils
Lake. the present main line. making a
sort Of curve or bow with the convex
side to the northeast. while the new
cutoff Is q straight line, the string TO
the bow, as It were. and viii cut the
distance by about fifty-flve miles, and
shorten the running time of trains by
about two hours between Fargo and
Minot.
The heaviest OF steel rails will be
used, and II is expected that as soon
as the roadbed hardens so that 1t Will
carry fast and heavy trains, the cutoff
will become the main line Of the Great
Northern for all its through trains,
including its silk and fish express from
the coast
The movement Of the crops from
the numerous feeders extending north
westerly from the present main line
toward the Canadian boundary has
each season caused a congestion OF
traffic that has interfered with the
use of the line for through rights,
passenger and mail trains. This has
been remedied to some extent by double
tracking. but still the problem Of talk
ing care of the local traffic on the
same line with the fast through traf-
fic, has been a serious one, which will
now be solved to a great extent by
sending the through traffic along the
new line, leaving the present main
line TO take care of the grain coming
down from the branch ines or feeders.
That the new line may In time be
itself superseded by another cutoff is
evidenced by the fact that the Great
Northern has surveyed line from
Bremen, the first new town west Of
New Rockford, straight to Wiliston,
crossing the main line OF the 500 next
Manfred, passing about fifteen miles
to the south of Minot touching near
the Fort Berthold reservation. winch
was recently opened to settlement, and
making string to the bow caused by
the northward curve Of the present
main line between Minot and Willis
ton.
Another Cutoff Proposed.
This will stin further reduce the
distance between Fargo and Wiliston,
and consequently will to the same ex-
tent reduce the time and distance be-
tween the twin cities and the coast.
No grading has yet been done on this
line, but 1t seems only question Of
time when 1t also win be needed to
take care Of the increased traffic re-
sulting from the building Of branch
lines in western North Dakota aud in
Montana, following the settlement OF
the vacant government lands. The
main line of the 500 will then be, as
it were, between the two jaws % tho
Great Northern, formed by those two
new lines, the Fargo Minot line almost
paralleling the 500 on the north, while
the Bremen Williston line win almost
parallel it on the south.
Among new branch lines or feeders
of the Great Northern, now under con-
struction that from Stanley, in Noun
trail county, on the present main line,
to Wildrose, in Divide county, is per-
haps the most important. 1t Is about
ninety miles in length, and the grad
ing was done last year, but the lay
ing Of the rails was postponed until
this year, and has just been completed.
This branch furnishes a market to
settlers in williams, Divide, Burke
and Mountrail counties. The line will
eventually be extended to Daneville.
on the Montana boundary. The prin-
cipal towns on the new line are Stan
ley, Lostwood, Lunds, Valley, Powers
Lake, Battleview, McGregor and Wild
rose.
500 Also Active.
The Great Northern's most active
rival. the 500 line, is also planning
and constructing cutoffs and feeders in
North Dakota, the most important OF
which, now under construction, is the
Drake Devils Lalxe-F ordville cutoff.
Branching off from the main line of
the 500 at Drake. in McHenry county,
the new line runs northeasterly about
twenty five miles, to point In Pierce
county about fourteen miles south OF
Rugby, the county seat, then straight
east across Pierce, Benson, Ramsey and
Nelson counties. and the corner OF
Grand Forks county to Fordville. for