Worcester daily spy., 1872-05-10
The Canada Pnci0c RoiIro,d

The construction of an inter-oceanic railway
route Of their own has for some years been
fayorite project with the Canadians. Its feasi-
biity was supposed to be demonstrated by the
success of similar enterprise in the United
States, and the prospect that such road would
receive etfectual support from the Dominion
government was one of the leading inducements
10 the union of all the British North American
colonies to form the Dominion of Canada. The
turbulence and anarchy which for a time pre-
vailed in the little province of Manitoba seemed
10 enforce the Importance of a means Of speedy
and regular communication within those seat
tered settlements, and the people of the remote
Pacific coast colony of Victoria demanded
railroad connection with their eastern breth-
ren for similar reasons to those which gave Cal
ilOrna so strong an interest in the construction
of our Pacific railroads. Since the nego-
tiation of the treaty of Washington, in
which the Canadians believed that their inter
ests were not sufficiently considered, the imper-
al government, 10 appease their discomfort, has
proposed 10 aid in their fayorite railroad enter
prise by guaranteeing portion Of the bonds
TO be issued in its behalf. Most of the Canadian
papers speak of the construction of their Pacific
railway as already assured, although some of
them, with apparently more adequate apprecia-
tiOn OF its difficulties, express doubts No part
of the road has yet been built, of course, but a
chief engineer was appointed some time ago,
and some surveys have already been made. The
engineers report will be presented TO the Do
minion parliament at its present session, and
an outline of it has already been published
from which some idea of the obstacles to be en-
countered and the prospect of successfully over
coming them may be gathered.
Three grand divisions of the route were made.
The most eastern, from the terminus at Malta
wa, point near the Ottawa river, opposite Lake
Nipissing, 10 Fort Garry, is 200 miles in length; ;
the next, from Fort Garry to the Rocky Noun
tains, is 100 miles, and the western, from the
mountains to the Pacific, 450 miles. The whole
route, therefore, according TO this estimate,
which, Of course, is Only an approximation, is
245O miles in length. OF the physical features
of the eastern section, hardly anything was
known with certainty, before the survey was un-
dertaken, beyond the general impression
that it was a rough and forbidding
tract of country, heavily wooded, with
rocky hills and frequent morasses. 1t
had hardly been penetrated at all, excep.
on the canoe routes which lead to the outlying
ports OF the Huds Bay company. Along
the coast Of Lake Superior the country was
found most impracticable, and the attempt to
hnd route in that direction was abandoned
lhe surveys actually made seem to have been
nasty and imperfect, and ii is said that the
nature OF the country, densey timbered
and without road or trml of any kind
made the prosecution Of the work extremely
difficult The country west of Fort Garry
peins mostly open prairie and appar-
emily Offering everywhere specially favora.
Die features, was Thought not to require an in
strumental survey at present, or until the cana.
bilities of the more difficult parts of the ronte
had been better aseertained. Even here, how.
ever, it is remarked that the great width and
depth of the valleys through which the river,
flow is suggestive of bridging on a gganti,
scale. In the third division practicable ant
easy mountain passes have been found, but tn
country between the mountains and the Pacid
coast abounds in obstacles cf the most seriou
nature, which the engineers do not yet see thei
way through.
II appears from the whole report that i
neither Of the two divisions in which actual SUI
yeys have been made practicable route ha
get been found, although the engineer states hi
belief that be will eventually discover one, ant
IN the third and easiest, while there are believe,
TO be no insuperable difficulties, a superficial
examination suggests the necessity of unusuall-
large and costly bridges. This report does no
present the great Canadian railway enternris
in very hopeful light. As set off 10 thes
discouragements u IS remarked that the Cana
dian line compares iayorably with our Unio
and Central Pacific roads as regards gradient
aud distances. The pass in the mountain,
which would be the highest point
the former is said 10 be less tina
baf the elevation attained at sever