New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1853-06-02
A NEW HIGHWAY To FITpopE


America and Europe, will ere long be via Quebec-that
from New-Orleans, Cincinnati, st. Louis, Chicago
Boston and New York, the speediest and most per-
manent route to the United Kingdom will be through
Quebec and thence 20 Labrador north Of Newfoundland
and the Straits of Beisle by the best route that be
found on the north shore Of the St. Lawrence River and
Gulf
said 80 in the Canadian Legislative Assembly, in
1851, at Toronto, but met with incredulOus smile.
have since eOnveTsed with many intelligent aud expe
renced persons from the north and south shores Of the
river and Gulf-have had access to Capt Bayfelds vol
umes, containing bis sailing directions and to many
charts and descriptions Of the country and the impress
sion grows stronger my mind that but few years will
eapse the world shall continue to prefer commerce to
"qlory" when daily ferry of steamships will be upheld
between some one of the excellent harbors on the At
lantic north OF Beise Straits and Liverpool, Galway
such other ports in the Old World as trade shall see
! fit to continue as her great commercial emporium.
England and Canada are now about to commence a
grand Notwithstanding that it shall pass upward to
Lake Huron and downward to Halifax.
This is well enough-but that route will never CON-
mand the trade and travel of the Great West
When traveller gets TO Halifax he has 500 miles to
sail by water before getting opposite st. Johns, New
fOundand and after sailing these 500 miles he is
Europe than another person who would take the cars
at Quebec, for York Bay, north of Newfoundland.
From Quebec to Halifax there are $50 miles by the
proposed railway then $50 by steamer in the midst of
the fogs and mists Of dangerous coast Distance in
time "a hours assuming, shall throughout this letter.
that ~ miles is the average for the steamship and
"a miles for the railway.
From Quebec to York Bay or any other good port
open all the year. north of Newfoundland the distance
is say $50 miles, all the distance by railway, which, at
"A miles per hour, gives &c hours.
The distance from Labrador near Newfoundland to
Liverpool, is 900 miles. The distance from st. john
Newfoundland, which is the route Of the NewYOrk
Boston and Halifax steamer, to Liverpool, is 1900
miles
Is not plain that the Railway along the north shore
Of the st Lawrence would the traveller, if at Que
bee, f0ryeght hours-twO days and nights-the differ
ence between sevenytOur hours and twentysix hours
Now, to apply this argument to you at New-York
assume that the distance between Liverpool and your
great City, is 3,l00 miles by steamer The distance
from NewYork, by Quebec, to Liverpool is also g. 100
miles, along the north shore OF the st. Lawrence to
York Bay
Eleven hundred miles of this distance you may ira
verse by railway TO Labrador rid Quebec, which, at
only twenty -four miles hour, will be accomplished in
46 hours but by steamer, at ~ hours, it will take
nearly % hours Here is saving OF nearly 46 hours,
and if the railway is made good that of the North
River you may save NEARLY THREE DAYS.
should add that powerful steamship away from the
Ogs and other difficulties Of the coast of America and
supplied with excellent machinery and improved pad
dies, might make much more than tweve-would have
to do SO if the voyage from Labrador to Liverpool were
to be completed in five days. Whether in five days,
however, or in six the relative advantage of the North
Shore route is equally obvious. -
In The Tribune of the DIST see ii stated that a
$4,000 tun ship is under contra in England and that
1t is probable She will be propelled with little motion
as a Brooklyn ferry boat If so, aud she be made
TO move fast enough water may become the superior
means Of conveyance in point of speed but this is very
doubtful and although estimated the quickest travel
ing per railway at "a hours, might have said &C. if the
road shall be well constructed and the rails heavy
There is no other route possessing the same adyan-
tages with this Northern
Continue, if you will, your European aud American
Railway to Halifax or beyond that to the harbOr OF
Whtehaven, at the Gut of CansO; your terminus there
will be $50 to AGO miles farther from Liverpool or Gal
way than the Labrador terminus of the North Shore
Road via Quebec; and the daily line of steamers will
have to encounter the Ogs and other distractions OF the
| coast from which the Northern route is free.
What have said of NewYork, its distance and the
saving to be made via Quebec, applies to nearly all the
Western Continent may be seen by any one who has
! a map before him.
In the Northern Regions both south and north of the
Gulf and river the dry, crisp snow will sometimes fall
say Is inches in six hOurs-and will drift in all direc
| tons How is this difficulty to be got overt
Russia has her railways north of 6O'-Scotland north
of the faramed line of $40 40. The North Shore
Road will, all of it, be south of 54' 4V.
Engines can certainly be made with pipes to send the
smoke behind the trains; fuel also be used that will
emit no sparks.
To protect the railway line in all exposed places
HOUSE It build an enclosed line of plank &c-the sides
10 be taken down in by Withdrawing the panks
the roof to remain to protect the woodwork and az
ford a shelter from the midday sun.
Such covering might cost am told, 5000 per
mile including glass where wanted; but if it were
s. OOO what that when compared TO the advantage of
gaining the nearest and best point to Europe at all sea-
sOnsl -
do not mean to say that the Labrador landing would
have many charms to the Souherner, any than
Orkney or Shetland landing but there would be variety
cooness and the ability to leave in the ears the moment
he landed fromthe steamer
OF course a route from Newfoundland TO the Sault
Ste Marie Lake Superior, passing long way north OF
Quebec would be still shorter for the mineral region,
which is fast rising with commercial importance.
am no Spectator or railway jobber never owned
railway share have idea of starting company, and
write TO The Tribune Gin the office OF which was once
honored with desk beside being for time an Albany
and Washington correspondent in the hope of drawing
public attention to great beet not yet considered or
reflected upon but de stined to be soon accomplished
unless international fighting shall put the clock of the
world ten degrees back
From Washington, Baltimore, Philadelphia, and New
York the railway line via Quebec, to Labrador north
Of the Straits Of Belsle is about straight on tie
path to Europe, as il is possible to desire.
20 the country below Quebec, through which such
railway would pass there forty rivers includ
inc the Saguenay, many of them full Of salmon trout
SC and al most of them trading post of the HudsOns
Bay Company Much of the country is barren, much of
IL woodland part il very fertile and doubtless much Of II
possessing mineral advantages as little thought OF new
as the cold Of California and Australia the first
settlers in these distant lands.
There are vast pains-valleys Of great eNtent-moun
tans one or thousandeet highrocky coasts barren
sands immense cod and other fisheries plenty of granite
abundance of land and water fowl putns gunnets gs