Fergus County Democrat. [volume] (Lewistown, Mont.) 1904-1919, 1912-06-04
IMPROVEMENTS
BEING PLANNED
MONTANA MANAGER OF NOUN.
TAIN STATES TELEPHONE co.
GIVES OUT GOOD NEWS.
TO ERECT FINE BUILDING
Lot on Fifth Avenue, Just Back of
First National Bank Building, Pur.
chased and Modern Business Struc-
ture to Cost Hundred Thousand
Will Be Started at Once.

General Superintendent Morris, OF
the Mountain States Telephone com
pany, spent several days in this city
the latter part of the week, and, while
here, announced that his company has
decided to start at once on improve
ments and extensions in Lewistown
which will call for an expenditure of
approximately one hundred fifty thou
sand dollars within the next twelve
months.
Will Erect Fine Building.
Plans are now being drawn for a
fine business block which the Noun
tain States company will erect here
beginning just as quickly as the nee
essary arrangements can be. made.
A deal was closed Saturday for the
purchase of a lot of Ernest May. The
lot is the one just in the rear of the
First National Bank building and fac
ing Fifth avenue. 1t has a frontage
of 45 feet and depth of 100 feet.
The entire lot will be used for the
building, which will be of reinforced
concrete and fire proof construction
and two and one-half stories high, not
counting the basement. This building,
together with the lot, which cost in
the neighborhood of ten thousand dol
lars, and the equipment, will mean an
investment Of about one hundred thou
sand dollars.
Improvements in Lines.
Among numerous other improve
ments to be made this summer will be
the taking of all poles and lines out
of the principal streets and placing
them, so far as possible and prac-
ticable, in the alleys. Some of the
heaviest lines will be placed in con-
duits. Superintendent Morris informs
the Democrat that the labor cost of
the improvements, exclusive of the
building, will total forty thousand dol
lars.
Will Be Central Point.
The plan of the management of the
Mountain States Telephone company
is to transform the local plant into
a model telephone system in every
particular. They have decided to
make LeWistown their leading dis
tributing point in central Montana,
which means that, within a very short
while, this will be one of the most i'm
portant telephone centers in the en-
tire state.
The selection of the lot on Fifth
avenue was selected after several ex-
perts, including the chief engineer OF
the company, had thoroughly gone
over the ground. The idea of these
experts was to select what will be
the most central location in the city,
taking into consideration both busi-
ness and residential sections, fifteen
years hence. At that time they esti-
mate that Lewistown will have a
population of at least fifteen thousand
people, with the possibility of having
twice that number.
Start on Apartment House.
Ground was broken yesterday for
the foundation for the new apartment
house to be erected on the corner of
Sixth avenue and Broadway by local
capitalists. 1t is the intention of the
men behind the project to push it to
completion with all possible rapidity,
the contracts calling for the building
to be turned over and ready for oc-
cupancy by October Is. 1t will be a
modern structure in every particular
and the ground, building and furnish.
ings will call for an expenditure of
about fifty thousand dollars.
An Announcement Soon.
Within the next week it is highly
probable that definite announcement
will be made of plans for the imme-
diate construction of yet another big
business block on Fifth avenue. This
building will be four or five stories
high and will cost, together with the
ground, better than one hundred fifty
thousand dollars.
Will Be Increase.
Assessor Mike Gurnett and his