The Portland daily press., 1869-12-30
DAILY PRESS.
MD.
Thursday Morning, December 30, 1869.
THE CANADIAN SECTION.
CORTLAND

THE CANADIAN SECTION.
In order to secure the most direct practical
BILE line of railway from Chicago to Portland
it is needful to run across the lower peninsula
of Ontario, between the Niagara and St. Clair
river, distance of 160 miles, William A.
Thomson, Esq, of Queenstown, proprietor of
the Erie and Niagara Railway, connecting
Buffalo with Lake Ontario on the Canada
side, procured in 1868 charter for line of
railway from the Niagara river to St. Thomas,
and thence to the Detroit river opposite the
city of Detroit, two years being allowed in
which to organize his company and COM
mence the work of construction.
Upon the developement of the Trans. Con-
tinental Railway scheme proposing a direct
route from Chicago to Portland, Mr. Thomson
gave his adhesion to the scheme and took ac.
tive part in the Rutland Convention in June
last, and the Oswego Convention in October.
Cooperating with the Michigan Air Line,
Mr.. Thomson found it necessary to obtain an
amendment to his charter, authorizing him
to run direct from st. Thomas to St. Clair.
leaving Detroit some 80 or 40 miles south of
the Detroit route.
Opposition to Mr.. Thomson's plan display
ed itself at the Oswego Convention, and the
Detroit people sought to throw discredit upon
him and his scheme. He adhered to his
pledges made at Rutland, and refused all con-
cessions to the Detroit interest; so that when
his bill for change of line and extension of
time came before the Ontario Parliament, he
was confronted with opposition on the part of
the G. T. Railway of Canada, of the great
Western Railway of Canada, the Michigan
Central R. r. and the influence of Detroit.
The newspaper press of Canada generally
took ground against him. The railway COM
mittee rejected his bill by a small majority
but the friends of the measure in the House of
Assembly reversed the action of the Commit
tee, and we have the gratifying information,
that Mr.. Thomson's bill as amended has pass
ed under the name of the Canada Southern
Railroad, giving that Company a right to build
aline of railway on the broad or narrow
guage, from a point of connection with the
Michigan Air Line at the st. Clair river across
the peninsula of Ontario to point of connec-
tion with any railroad in the State of New
York at the Niagara river, and the Company
is allowed till Nov. 1, 1870, to organize and
three years thereafter to complete the line.
Various other schemes as rival OF compet-
ing in whole or in part, were all defeated, ex-
cept the bill authorizing a line to St. Clair
from point on the line of the great Western
Railway with a suspending clause, that if
Thomson's line goes on, the charter for the
new company becomes imperative, so that
the only through independent line without a
clog is that authorized by Mr. Thomson's new
bill.
The procuring of this charter across Cana
da in concert with the Michigan Air Line
railroad and with the Lake Ontario Shore
railroad and the organization of the new
company from Oswego to Fort Ann completes
the chain of charters from Chicago to Port
land, and has given great impulse to the eff
forts of the friends of this line from Portland
to Chicago. %