, 1873-01-03
Difficulties Of the Route East of the
Red River.
Tie Line Capable OF Being Used in the
The Summer 0n1y--.Intense
Goodness of the
Winter.


norant Of tho existence Of
TIE CrrY or w1SSEPEa;r
nay moro, they looked in blank amazement
when spoke OF Manitoba, and were even impo-
lite enough to ask in what part Of the States it
laid; but what still more astoundod me Was that
when I mentioned the fac. OF its being in Brit
ish North America, they invariably added, "Oh,
ahl yes, know it's in Canada you mean" !"
Now, my dear sir, let me assure you that
no greater insult could be offered to 8 native
bonn Winnipeggar than to be called a Canadian !:
it is an actual term Of reproaeh,-a vile slander
which the poorest half breed will resent, aud I
think with some show OF reason, as hope to
prove to you before this letter concludes I
think that, oven thus far in my letter, you will
perceive that my feelings hsve been wounded,
for, as lending citizen of Winnepeg, had be-
gun to fancy no email beer Of it; the wonderful
progress it has made during the last two years
lad really led me to imagine that in time it would
c1unl, if it:did not excel, your boasted City Of
Chicago, and that, if re only once got
TIE CANADIAN PACIFIC RAILWAY
broush it's --ahl well, must be careful
what I say on that subject, for Iknow you Amer
lcans nre awtully skeptical. about it, and
between ourselves. don't believe in it quite so
much as did before my journey South in
fact, Mr.. Editor, it is with ha1f-con6dentia1
kind Of feeling write to say, that my journey
has opened my eyes to good many things OF
Which Was before ignorant. nj In tha first place GO
south Of PembinA and, what is still more ex-
traordinary, I really believe that Brother 1ona-
than is not eTerlastingly on tho lookout to COB
up bere5; and after seeing little Of Illinois,
deal pulled down, and haIf-think now thai ao We
pay. rather. dearly for tho privilege
compare our climate With that of tho States just
mentioned. In fact, may ns we'll out with the
truth ut once, and tell you that have made up
my mind not to be humbugged any longer, even
by Archdeacon Mclean (who. between our
selves, is an awful man for Church and State,
aud respectability in religious matters). No. sir,
I won't, won't stand it any longer; the state
untrue, and especially about tLat railway. Why,
.sr, Two heard at least half-a-dozen OF thec own
IS AN 1o1rRAcr1cAn111rT
east Of the Red River that, if they pledge the
whole Dominion to construct it, it would take
ahat, and more too. Now, sir, what want to
know is this: 'sWho's pulling the strings ?
Who aIe the parties that are to make their pile
out OF 1t ?" That's what 1'want 10 know:
at house where lot Of these young
surveyors lodged, and q pretty briak
conversation vas kept up. among them
from what they said thaR the original idea Of
starting from Fort William, on the north ahore
of Lake Superior, Was abandoned, as a1nore prac-
ticable route had been discovered
BETWEEN LAKE S1p1doS AND LAKE. w1SSErEa.
In this they all agree; but cue young fellow
suggested that they might be getting little too
far north, in which thought ho wasn't far
wrong, considering it is at least s1 degrees north
Of Winnepeg, or. On tho seth parallel Of lati-
tude. Graciousf it made me shiver to think
OF it. Just fancy the difficulty OF running loco
motives in winter even in this latitude Of Min
neRota.-nay, even Of Northern ulinois,-and
then Judge what it will be nearly twenty degrees
Now, cir, there is another point on which they
can't be induced to tell the truth here, and
that is
AS REGARDS TIE TEMPERATURE.
Dear E{e ! how it used to make mo laugh,
last winter, to sea our leading paper, the Mani
to1an, coolly state, after one Of the cold snaps,
that, from register kept by our worthy fellow
townaman, Mr., the lowest range OF the
it fell to IS degrees below zero, when, for days
both before aud after, my unfortunate bit OF
quicksilver had covered itself up in the bulb to
keep itself warm. On one occasion, was talk
ing to fellow-townaman. who assured me that
December, 1871, registered IS degrees below
zcrol Fancy being one Of party Of travellers
Oh the road between Nipigon and Winnepeg at
such time as that, where there is not, and
distance for what would people be doing set
ting up there? The summers here barely reach |
to 100 days,-neyer that long without frost.
There is one thing that botters me more than
breaking up house and home to settle here,
don't como and see for themselves. Truly somo
do, but they always zee it at the best-in sum
mer i they want to see it. in winter they must !
and you are very much like /
\ RAT n A TnAP,-
sou can't got away, unless you take g dog-s1eigh |
for it. After leaving Mosehead (thc CROSSING Of |
to Manitoba leaves everything in the shape of |
civilization behind him ; he plnnges into coun-
try Of scarcity food for himself and family in
u ana r e of bd that IN
s1-40 at Georgetown, and gradually rise as lie |
proceeds north, and 80 on with every necessary |
OF life. But
TIE GREATEST WANT |
OF all others in this country is timber it Is all
but q tlmberless region ns may be proved by the |
fact that the comtnonest lumber, last summer, |
fetched from $50 to $40 thousand; tho bulk OF |
TINT sold Was brought from McCanley's mill. at |
Fort Abercrombie, and drafted down the Red |
River distance OF 500 miles. Now, I want to |
know how this country is ever going to be what |
tho designers Of the Canadian Pacific Railroad |
represent, under these circumBtanccE.
hare had several opportunities lately of
co0Teraing with one or tWo OF
THE SCOUTS ::
employed Dy the Canadlan GoTefnn1out to &C.
little interested in then Tor tLey arc, as T rule
very peculiar men,-somothing after Coopor's
Misunderstanding style, taciturn and reticent al-
most to fault; but, once hit the right nail on
common Eense out OF them than q whole
house fall Of tie surveyors (for the latter arc,
as rulo, the sons OF leading members OF tho
COT community IN canada, and some Engliahmen,
but an afflicted moro or less with that idiotic
ah! ali! style OF the young English swell Of the
preeeat day).
Ono evening, 8 friend Of mino and myself
happened to fall il with ono OF tho scouts,
Etrolling along the river-bank. cheerful "good
evening" aod hearty shake OF the hand, we're
Introductory to a long conversation On the sub
ject OF the railway; and for the first timo got
rhst considered reliable information as to fho
country between Collingwood aud Lake Winnie
Peg ria Lake Nipigon. Tho country along the
eastern shores Of Georgian Bay aud Lake Huron
he describes as being almost as bad, in an Oh
EiueeTinE pQlUt OF Iief. that hetK.peu Thun- |