The Sun.
London, England, 1859-06-28 00:00:00

TVINTER TRANSIT ON THE ICE.

More than 10,000 miles of the rivers and waters
of the North and West are frozen during from four
to five months of the year, completely isolating the
inhabitants in some localities during the entire
winter months. The richest copper and iron mines,
and the most valuable lumber regions, as those of
Lake Superior, are cut off, not only from means of
transportation for their products and articles of
consumption, but even the means of communication
are wanting, so that for months together the mails
are transported by half-bred Indians moving on
snow shoes. Even along the course of the rivers
of the winters often interrupts travel.
up by snow
where railroads are projected and already exist the
severity
Illinois Central road was blocked for
The
six weeks during the winter of 1856-7, and the
machinery was broken by the frost, causing serious
damage and delay. The enhanced expenses o f
running the trains in winter on some of these roads
more than consumes the profits of the summer busi-
ness. On the Northern Railroad, from Toronto to
Georgian-bay, in Upper Canada, it has been found
necessary to
suspend operations during the winter,
and the Government last winter prohibited the
running of trains on its tracks. Much of the damage
arises from the severe concussion which, with the
unequal contraction and expansion, breaks the
wheels and injures the rails. The introduction of
the steam ice-carriage,
frozen sur movi ngface of the riton runners in placed
f wheels, upon the ersan
lakes, instead of the iron way, and thus using the
natural ice roads, which are formed and kept in
repair by the winter itself, will to a great extent
obviate these difficulties, and afford even better
facilities to the traveller in winter than in summer.
Impressed with the value of this new mode of com-
munication by steam, certain citizens of Prairie du
Chien, in Wisconsin, have purchased the right to
use upon the Upper Mississippi a newly-invented
steam ice-carriage, first constructed last winter.
In addition to this, arrangements are making
to open a great north-western route by the way
of the Mississippi, St. Peter's, Red River of
the North, Lake Winnepeg, and the Sas-
katchewan River, from Prairie du Chien, through
a pass of the Rocky Mountains, to he head
waters of the Fraser and Columbia rivers, the foun-
tains of which rivers, emptying into the Pacific
Ocean, are but 317 yards from the fountain of the
Saskatchewan and its affluents. This forms a con-
tinuous and available ice road 3,000 miles in length.
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A continuous railroad of that length is among the
amnarviroenls
whole apparatus in the water in safety. They'are
provided with a cable similar to that of a
canal
packet, and with similar conveniences and comforts.e
wheel,pr o propelled
penetratingb y st steam mt h
ea
icepp
le to a single
Theyd vn agr
graduated pressure, and they applied
an elastic
are steered by a
wheel placed forward in a pilot
- house by means
which give the pilot entire control of it. The whole
structure rests upon two pairs of runners, so ad-
justed by screws that the whole may be raised or
lowered to pass snow and other obstructions
whether in motion or at rest. The calculated rate
of speed is about equal to that of a railroad mail
train. The success of this invention, it is claimed,
will open up a vast field of winter navigation, not. •
only on this continent, but also in the frozen regicrns
of Europe and Asia. The inventor, Mr. Nornaan
Wiard, an eminent mechanical engineer, is now
making arrangements to develope his planks, and
the subject deserves to engage more of the ' public
attention than it has yet reeeived.—New York
Times.