The Fargo forum and daily republican., 1912-02-19
Railroad News
N. P. SURVEYING
CREW AT WORK
ARRIVAL or SURVEYORS AT DICK
lNsoN AND THEIR DEPARTURE
FOR THE COUNTRY NORTH OF
THERE CAUSING GREAT DEAL
OF SPECULATION.

Dickinson Press: The arrival in the
city the first of the week OF crew
of ten or dozen Northern Pacific
surveyors, in charge of g. e. Coons,
has caused all sorts of speculation re-
garding 1912 railroad building in the
country north. Surveyor Coons. who
was at the st, Charles hotel the great
er part of the week does not give out
anything further than that he is sent
north from Dickinson to do certain
work for the Northern Pacific
Five teams from the s. l.. Carroll
stable, including one four-hor outfit,
were started north on Wednesday.
Sleds were taken and the first nights
stop was to be at Manning, the objec-
tive point being the Shoe Bar ranch,
near the mouth of Cherry creek, some
seven miles southeast of Scheffer, in
Mckenzie county This is near the
Fred Madison ranch and not more than
eight to ten miles from the Missouri
river.
Surveyor Coons was waiting for fur
ther instructions from st. Paul on
Thursday and stated that he would
probably follow his men north within
a day or two.
People who are familiar with the
character of the country up north are
inclined to believe that the Northern
Pacific is looking for a water grade, as
| nearly as possible, and that the branch
from Mandan to. Stanton is to be push
ed on west to point near Halliday,
thence in more northwesterly course
as near the Little Missouri as practic-
able to point near the mouth of Cher
ry creek and thence to Schafer. From
Schafer the route would probably be
more nearly west through Mckenzie
county, as it is believed that the best
chance of crossing the divide is in the
vicinity of Alexander. The line would
eventually be built on to Sidney, con-
Meeting with the north line already
constructed some distance out of Glen
dive
The best part Of Mckenzie county
for agricultural purposes is west OF
Schafer With railroad from Man
dan up the Missouri river and through
Mckenzie county to the Yellowstone
river, the Northern Pacific would have
the business of the heretofore four in
land counties. A part of this business
has been going north to the Great
Northern and 500 lines. The railroad
would at the same time stimulate
farming development north to a Won
derful extent, and it looks reasonable
| that the Northern Pacific should want
to protect it's own territory Following
out this reasoning, it is not improbable
that feeder line will be built into the
central portion of Dunn county, pos
sibly making Manning the terminal
This, of course, is matter OF specu'
lation at the present time.
A dispatch from Stanton this week
seems to indicate great activity north
and reads as follows:
H. j. Tavis Of, Mandan, the right-of-
way man for the Northern Pacific rail
road company, arrived in Stanton
today from the west end of Mercer
county, where he has been engaged fol
the past week in buying right-of- way
| along Knife river, Spring creek ant
Goodman creek. 1t is understood thai
he has experienced no difficulty in deal.
ing with the various farmers through
whose land the proposed line runs, and
he is now working from the vicinity
1 of Stanton. This line viii branch out