THE CANADIAN PACIFIC RAILWAY.

Waikato Times, Volume XXXII, Issue 2587, 9 February 1889, Page 1 (Supplement)

THE CANADIAN PACIFIC RAILWAY.

The liUistratjd Liulon News has been publi-sliiny a series of sketches made by. their special avtUt-, Mr . Melton Prior, to furnish illustrations of a grand and important, work • accomplished by.p.ublio outerpriso in tiro greatest.of the British colonies, an achievement that is destined to have political and commereiil results, as we confidently hope, most beneficial to the whole of the British Empire, in id by which' not only the national possession ot' a very propiruou ot' • North America is rendered more .secure, but the intercourse with the farthest countries of Asia, with Japan and China and tho East Indian Archipelago, and _ possibly hereafter with Australasia, obtains a new route "Across Two Oceans," with the intervening breadth of tho A f neriean Continent entirely traversed by railways over lauds under British sovereignty in tli j vast territories ol : the Canadian Dominion. It is henceforth impossible— oven if, by a hostile combination of European Powers which is nut Likely ever to raiso in force superior to that of our navy in the Mediterranean, the Sue/, Canal were to be closed against us, and if the safety of. the Cape route were also compromised, it has become impossible for all the Powers. pf Europe to deprive England of direct access to the East since Canada has made for us a road through the far West to the far East, by which a' belt' of steain-ttaflic, on sea and land, under the British Hag, binds together the Old World anil the New, [u°our6wii temperate latitudes, from London to Montreal, from Montreal to Vancouver, from Vancouver to the nearest ' islands of Eastern Asia, crossing 220 deg. of longitude, this region of Imperial dominion ruid iTririfciine - suprcinatiy i& -riven to lie held by Englishmen ; and it will be our own fault,;.-whatever' may be the disposition of any foreign nations, if we do not keep the Empire and the.facilii ties of trade that England enjoys at the present time. ' This is the grand consideration, from a British (joint of view, in estimating the Imperial value of the Canadian Pacific Railway; hut with regard also to ,t!ie.. Spread and growth- of that magnificent coToiiyruTinrarTate'period not one but several colonics,and, settlements, now joined by a Federal Cioveriujieut with institutions as free as those of the United States Republic, the line of railway is actually proving what .it waA designed to be—the mighty instrument of agricultural, commercial, and industrialenterprise. ' It is r.apidly covering ' ohe. Great Lone Land,'' the ancient huutiug. and trapping-ground of Indians and of the Hudson's Bay Company's fur. trade, the " Rod River" and the thousand miles of prairie, the Rocky Mountains, and the rugged highlands and forests of. British Columbia, and tho ereeka. and inlets of its-Pacific eoast, with a robust, and energetic civilisation. Eor Canada is already so much of a nation, with .her live millions of people of vigorous European race, accustomed to manage their own affairs, that she does - not wait for help from England, for labour or capital though sheiyill pay well for both—and she certainly does ' not. want Imperial guidance, counsel, or credit, in this huge task of filling np -the empty places of half ' a continent wi'th farms and villages and towns, abodes of thriving industry and comfortable' homes. The Cauadiau nation, we expect, 'will be twenty or "thirty millions before. Old Englandis ■ ' half a century -older ; aud everyColonist feels sure of the capabilities of that vast country, whose geography is ou such a scale that the British Islands might be dropped into one of its lakes. We take no account, indeed, of the "renter part, about of the territorial extent of "British America," which is, on tho whole, nearly as large as all Europe, and as large as the United States ■ but, setting aside the northern regions, Canada possesses more than- a million square miles of territory favoured with a climate fit for tho habitation of our countrymen aud for agricultur d industry. The soil and the climate are better as you go west, and are better than in inany parts of tho United States 1 y-i ncr some degrees farther to the south. In mineral"wealth, including coal as well as useful aud precious metals, Canada is abundantly endowed, while hrr forests aud her fisheries are most valuable possessions ; her manufactures aud her shipping exceed those of any country with tho"same population. There is ample justification, then, for the estimate that we form of the Canadian future; to which reference is here made ouly as the prospect, from a colonial point of view, attending the completion of the Canadian Pacific Railway] It is aline 'made by the Canadians for their own benefit, not expressly for th? advantage of Briti-di imperial "policy, Strategy, or commerce: aud it is quite unliko the line sometimes talked of from North to South Australia, for it runs through fertilo plains,- and through a mountainous region which is

rich in valuable, minerals, and near great nn vijr.'ibl*' 'mors and lakes, which cannot fail to support a great trallie and a large population. There are about 13.000 miles of railway in Canada at the present time. Kvery place of any importance has its one or more railway-stations. The three principal systems are the Canadian Pacific(•Mil) miles), Grand Trunk (2GOO miles), and the..lntercolonial (lIO.'I miles). The remainder of the" mileage is made up of smaller lines in tho various provinces. The Dominion and Local Governments and 'municipalities have contributed, in one way o.r fino'her, a fourth part of the cost. • The. number of passengers carried in IM$7 was 10,G!)S,(i.'SS, and the freight is put do wn 'as 1 (via(i/!3 ; j tons. There is no country in the world better served by railways than Canada. ,

Tho Canadian .Pnoifin Tl-iilway is now in operation to t { be Pacific Ocean, ami tho rapidity and ehw«v displayed in its construction deserve special mention. Until J SSI, tho lino wih boijiar built by tho Government j but iirthiifc year the work-was undertaken by tho Canadian Pacific Knil w:i»'• (J-miptitiy, tin) contract, requirm:* its completion in ton years, it , was, however, finished in December, ,lßsr> — nearly six years before tlw stipulated time ; and it. is one of • tho, greatest ..ensrinoorinjf achioveaftnits of modern times. It is tho shortest, of tho three uTeat, t lin'Mital lines, tho distance from Montreal to Yimeouver being 000 miles le>s than from X-w Yoilc lo San Francisco. I>y t.ho Canadian Pacific .Rail way, too, Now York, f'.oston,- and Portland are brought, within from 300 to f>:>o.mi!e.-i nearer the Pacific ooast by rail than formerly ; and the di.-t.ance from Liverpool to Japan and !;hiirt, via t'iio Canadian lino, is shortened hy about 1000 miles. . .Tho nonstnintiou of this railway and tho. Intercqloiiiid Railway has cost Canada about t'-21,000.0i10, equal to an annual burden, of nearly' £1,000,000, and about 18,000.000 acres'of land. The Canadian Confederation may ho considered as having been consolidated by ■ mollis of this railway -Kaeh province has uow communication with the others and with the eoabaard, and in consequence ti grot impetus will bo iriven to trade and ooanneri'o. Eastern Cauadiv Has long- had railway facilities, • but Manitoba, the -North-West, and particularly British Columbia, have until recently remained more or less isolated, ■and therefore practically undeveloped. The railway, however, now bring? this •state of things to an end. Besides, it has opened np a largo tract of fertile land iii Manitoba and tire North-West, unencumbered with timber, ready for the plough, and considered to be the largest wheatfield in the'world. - This tract of land'is ■at least . 900 miles long and 300 miles wide, or an area of over 'J00,000,000 acres', all more or less suitable agricultural purposes, for. the raising of wheat am l other crops, and the breeding of cattle ; and its population is rapidly growing. Without the railway the country must have remained an " illimitable ' wilderness." .-With it there is afforded the prospect of bright and happy homes for a large number of inhabitants, increased markets for local ami British products, and a. new era of prosperity for the Dominion. - Branch linos have already been made in different parts of the North-West, and more are projected. " Charters have b°en granted, for a ra'lw.iy bet-ween Man - toba and Hudson's Bay, in anticipation of the' shorter roule through ; the Hudson Straits to. the Atlantic Ocau being available. for a suiKcient time each year for commercial purposes. A r ot only have the people of Manitoba connection with the Pacific Ocean and with Kastern Cinada through llritish territory, and access to the, great lakes, but there are also two lines running to the United States howndary joimng there tho American, system of railways. Coal has been discovered in large quantities along the line of the railway ; mines are being worked, coal is now sold at all the railway stations at a reasonable price, and dependence has no .longer to be placed upftn.tlje supply from the United States.

.Montreal, a city of 100,000. people, at the head of the navigation of . the St. ■Lsw+'omje,—is— piratically an Atlantic Ocean port for large ships, though nearly six hundred miles from the open soa; though in winter the Lower St. Lawren.ee U- closed by ice, Montreal is always accessible by.railway either from Halifax, in Nova Scotia, by the Intercolonial line, •or from Portland, Boston, or \ T ew York. While the Canadian Pacilic Railway Company has a line to (Quebec and others into the maritime provinces, the eastern •termiuus.of this great railway is at, pro-, sent at Montreal. Hero are located its extensive shops for locomotive and car building and repairing' Hero is its grain elevator of G()(J,00'0 bu-hels capacity, which-the-export trade over its li.nes had soon outgrown, so that a second and third uf equal size and capacity V.ave been required.- Tho admirable terminal facilities are so arranged that the steamer or ship can take in a rain -and move o: her cargo at the same time, au.d the elevator charges are reduce:! to biit.one cent., a bushel. At Montreal are the grand passenger station and tlie general ollh'cs for the company; while at Lachine, above the city, the railway company have constructed a, second »T<?'at bridge across the St. Lawrence. This bridge, to connect, the Canadian Pacific lines on both sides of the river, -is about. 3500 ft. lon*, a single-trackcd truss bridge, built on seventeen stone piors and abutments, and elevated GOr't. above high

water. ■ • By.(ho Canadian Pacific Railway wo will commence tho journey, up the grc it tributary valley of the Ottawa from Montreal to. the city of Ottowu, the Dominion capital, aiicl beyond to the west. 1< rom Montreal to Vancouver is a distance of •290(3 miles. Our Special Artist writes as Me.iitrq,»l-,I; called at the offices of tlie*Canadian Pacific Railway Company, and was introduced to the manager, Mr Van Home,'who at once became interested in the object of my visit—namely, to obtain passes and all information I could get fur my sketching tour across from the Atlantic to the Pacilic, by the most northern railway-line oil tire-American continent. I need hardly say that Mr Van Horne did everything in his power to assise me; and as ho is the ruling authority of this vast railway .system, it was accomplished. I said g-ood-byo to him with hearty thanks, being provided with passes and letters of introduction to all the principal' officers of the company I was likely to meet oil the road. '• Having engaged my berth ill the sleeping car,'and seen my luggage duly labelled, I started on one of the finest trips across a vast continent that any traveller could desire.

•• The first, station of fitly importance we stopped at was- North IViy, svhore ive arrived at half-past nine iu the morning. North liny is a bulling little town on the romantic «horo.» of Lake Nipi*siug. 11 has n population of 1600 people, with four churches and eight hotels, the only really goufl «no being the Pacific Hotel, under the management of Mr Maokie, where every politeness is shoivn to you ami arrangements made for shooting or .fishing parties. Five years ago the spot on " wliiiih the town stands was a virgin forest, and it was only by tho Canadian FauiliC Rtilwav coming through and putting up a few sheds for the navvies, with a store to supply the workmen, that this place was started, which soon developed into a-small town. A speculative firm of Americans, Messrs J." and W. Murray, purchased the surrounding land four

years ago, and the town land almost entirely belongs to them. Buildings are still' being put up and roads are being mail.-, and there is no doubt that from its peculiar position on the main line, North Bay will, in a very short time, become one of the most flourishing and important of these towns,,

"The Nipissing district is said to.be one of the, very finest for sport. There is moose-hunting — those animals weighing from 5001b to "JOOOIb ; there are red deer, black bear, hares, partridges, wild ducks, and wild geese. The best fishing is to lie had about four and a half miles out, at a charming spot known as Trout Lake. Here, in the season, which commences on June 1, sportsman of the rod or line are to be seen in parties—some from lingland, as well as from 1 ;t-he United States and Canada. Here the speckled trout is to be caught, weighing from half a pound to two pounds and a half ; and salmon trout from 101b to 301b. A lady last season oaugl.t a magnificent specimen o'llb It is quite a sportsman's headquarters at Trout Lake. At a house owned by two brothers named -lessop, the older, Dick Jessop, supplies boats, dogs, guides, fishing-tackle, tents, cooking utensils, and all necessary equipments for shooting or fishing, and for a party of live or six, will- do the whole thing for four dollars a day, anil labour, the party providing their own provisions "and extra'lu airies. There is a road cut through (lie forest to Trout Lake ; and the view on arrival is charming beyond description. I think a row on the lake to Four Mile Bay is alone worth the journey. Many settlers on the shore are; to be seen clearing the ground and building houses. I am hound to own £ was delighted with my visit to Mr Jessop'.s lishing resort, and I mule two' sketches of llie spot, also a small view of the principal street in the town of North Bay. Unfortunately, on the return drive, the rain came down unmercifully, which put an end to my sketching. A Canadian back-board carriage is not one of the most comfortable at any time, but in rain it is simply horrible. ' It is a framework with four wheels and a board fixed across for you to sit on, which cannot bo very luxurious, though it makes easy running for the horse:; and I was not sorry when the hotel came in sight, and, later on, when I heard the sound of.the train that was to take me on to Sudbury, another very young ;town on the Canadian.Pacific Railroad.

Sudbury Junction, where the branch line commences which passes by the Denisoh goldmines to Algoma, Lake Huron, opposite Manitoulin Island, and to the Saul to Stc. 'Marie, the rapids by which Lake Superior discharges its .surplus, waters..-into Like, Huron and Lake Michigan, was .mentioned ill our List. The main line of railway proceeds westward, reaching the north shore of Lake Superior and Manitoba ; the region which was traversed with much toil, chiefly in canoo3, by the Red River Military Expedition-of IS7O, under command of the present Lord Wolseley. The city of Winnipeg, on the site of the 'old "Eel River Settlement,' 1 to the south of Lake Winnipeg," 1423. miles from Montreal, is reached on the morning of the third day ; tins city is the flourishing capital of Manitoba, a province containing already some 120,000 people, with the bast land' for agricultural occupation. In this province, far 011 the line, is the new town of Brandon, ' with 4500 inhabitants, a great wheat-market for the Manitoba farmers, of v, hich out- special artist supplies a view, with another sketch of the warehouse for corn, and its shaft called a " grain elevator," through which the corn is pumped up, like a liquid, from tho waggons below to the topmost floor—the contrivance now much in use at tho centres of tlk? American corn trade. Beyond Manitoba, the great prairie pro viuct's of Assiueboia and Alberta, respectively, occupying the region of the South Saskatchewan, and that nearer to the Rocky Mountains,' with the Bow River and other large streams, extend more than a th'oussiud miles ; and to the north of Alberta is the territory of Athabasca, hitherto unoccupied, but which is described as equally promisuiEf, the climate really being less severe than that of Kasterw Canada. Tho places along the line, Qu'Appelle, Degina, Moosejaw, Medicine Hat. and Calgary, which are small towns of rising importance—Regiua is tho political capital of its territoryneed wot detain us at present, except to

!- : l»p at Calgary, a very pretty littlo town, situated - in a broad valley, between the 1) iw and i.he Elbow Rivers, overlooked by tlio white peaks of the Rooky Mountains. To this place, and to Bailiff, a little farther cm, we shall be called again by the next batch of our special artist's sketches.