Fergus County Democrat. [volume] (Lewistown, Mont.) 1904-1919, 1911-08-01
ORDERS TO START CONSTRUC.
TIoN At ONCE RECEIVED
IN LEWlSTOWN.
BURKE HAS CONTRACT
Line Must Be Completed by First Day
Of October-Big Force Of Men and
Teams Now Being Assembled
Farmers Of Kendall Country Jubi-
liant Over Good News.


tractor, who has made Lewistown his
headquarters for the past eighteen
months, was, yesterday afternoon.
awarded the contract for completing
the grade of the Lewistown-Hilger
line to its temporary terminus, and
the work must be all completed by
October l, else the contractor will suf-
fer big daily penalty. "Pick Handle"
says that he is not bOthering about
the penalty clause and has no doubts
as to his ability to do the job on
schedule time. He also secured the
contract for furnishing the lumber
and driving the piling for the bridges.
Best News Of Year.
The kilograms which reached this
city Wednesday and addressed to
David Hilger and R. W. Reynolds
from Mr.. Goodnow, assistant to Pres.
ident Earling, stating that the line
from Lewistown to Hilger is to be
completed at once, brought the best
news received in LeWistOwn for
given up all hopes of any railroad
construction work in this section this
year. While the officials of the road,
upon their recent visit to the city, ex-
pressed their desire to go ahead with
the work, they gave no assurances and
rather left the impression that moth
ing would be done, owing to financial
conditions in the east. The news,
therefore, that they will proceed to
complete the line to Hilger. distance
of 18 miles, was received here with
much qualification.
| Engineers at Work.
Chief Engineer C. o. Reeder, of the
Chicago, Milwaukee & Puget Sound,
arrived in the city Friday, being &C.
companied by Assistant Chief Engi-
neer A. G. Baker, Of Butte. They
commenced to figure with contractors
and Burke was given the work to do.
Will Use Big Force.
To the Democrat, Mr.. Burke states
that he will assemble his outfit as
rapidly as possible and expects to be
| throwing dirt on the grade by next
monday morning. In addition to his
own outfit, which is now down on
Flatwillow, where he has a contract
with the Fergus County Irrigation
company, Burke will sublet portion
OF the work to Andy Sullivan, of Bill
ings, who will bring in about forty
teams. All told, there will be on the
work 1875 teams and about $50 men.
The principal work yet to be done is
extending the present grade for dis
tance of six miles,, Bridges, the com
bined length of which will be 800 feet
will also require great deal of work
in construction. The line from the
end of the present track near the
depot will be 18 miles in length. The
work here will be in charge of H. B
Sprague, who is well-known in Lewis
town, having been connected with the
work done here last summer by the
Milwaukee.
Getting in the Steel.
While the work on the Lewistown
Hilger line is in progress, the task o1
rebuilding the Lewistown-HarlOw
line will be in progress. The latter
line is to be laid with heavier steel
Of this steel, sufficient for 25 miles il
already on the ground at HarloWton
, Some of the steel which will be re
. placed on the Observation-Disclosures
line will be used in the construction
of the line to Hilger 1t is understood
that several carloads of ties are now
on the road here and tracklaying viii
begin from this end in very short
while.
Ranehers Are Pleased.
Ranchers in the Kendall country
are elated at the sudden turn Ol
events. Last fall they sowed thou
sands of acres of wheat. with the ex
pectation that the road would be built
this summer. Without a road, these
ranchers would be wholly unable to
market their grain at anything re
sembling profit. There are some ex
ceptionally fine crops out that way
and the new line will command q
splendid tonnage from the start.
Good for Iewistown.
Lewistown will reap immense bene
fits from the construction Of this new
line of road. It will make an i'm
lmense and fertile agricultural regiOr