The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1873-04-15

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unerring.
Looking upon q map of the United states
and Canada, Won will see how the ersa' niiu
land seas have opened to give you hishmay
tn the ocean-that a line OF Ioao iii'ei'e.5
the Northern Pacific, and perhaps becoming
,art of Il. may be constructed from tnls point
pa. ~ Sanlt St. Mary, and continued thence
10 ' m,to,ra and Montreal, the political and
e ~ capitals of the Dominion of Can
oGa extending from either in almost a direct
line through the Notch of the White Noun
tains. to the finest harbor in America, at the
civ of Portland-a harbor deep enough for
the largest ships and so near the ocean that it
is never blocked by ice even when those of
Boston, New York and Baltimore are closed
the nearest of all to Liverpool, and the one of
all at which transhipments are made at the
smallest expense and the most rapidly.
BY existing lines, as find by consulting a
railway manual, the distance from Minneapo-
lis to New York by the shortest line south Of
the lakes is 1881 miles, to Boston 1,43S, to
Portland l,546. BY the Sault st. Mary. line
the distance to New York will be 1850 miles,
or gain OF 81 miles; to Boston 1920 miles.
or gain Of ll8 miles; to Portland 1890
miles, OF gain of 2S6 miles, over any line
now i'll operation-and nearly as great over
any that can be built hereafter.
The distance to Montreal will be 1000
miles, and there in the summer your products
will naturally go, so far as they seek ship
ment to foreign countries. The shortest line
now in operation to New York, where sea 60
ing ships arrive, is 1881 miles it will be only
1000 miles to Montreal--a saving of two
days rail carriage-and 1850 miles to Port
land in winter, or asaving of l2l miles.
Suppose you had to day this railroad have
described to you, your growth would be in
crcdibly quickened and augmented, for it
would shorten the distance of all this country
from the great markets of the world. You
will have it. You will have it within five.
Allan said to me in Montreal less than year
ago that he intended to have this line finished
through to the Sault St. Mary, within three
years; but give him some margin and say
five years. BY that time you VIII be entirely
independent of Chicago, and l predict that
passenger trains, with all modern improve
ments, will then make the trip between Min
neapolis and the East, reaching Montreal in
SO hours, Portland in 40 hours and Boston in
4S hours. [Applause.l There will be Pull
man palace cars all the way, and at the
wharves of Montreal in summer and Portland
| in winter you will find running III connection
| with the road. line of the best steamships
| that cross the sea. So you will become the
western terminus of a grand independent
system of railroad and steamship connection
with Europe, running in your interest, and
devoted to your progress
The practical question is how are all these
excellent things to be accomplished? Well, let
US see. In the first place, there is the great
Northern Pacific trunk railroad now being
built from Duluth to the Pacific. This road
will aeed all the outlets eastward that it can
get. 1t will demand the shortest line across
the globe to Europe and Asia.
| There is another consideration that will aid
the present project The old Grand Trunk
system of Canadian railroads formerly had for
their eastern agent, the Montreal Steamship
Company for ocean transit. The company is
composed of Sir Hugh Allan and four brothers,
who are the largest ship-owners in Great
Britain. 1t is said they own something like
one fortieth of the commercial marine of the
realm. They are immensely wealthy and
strong. These steamers ran in connection
with the Grand Trunk road, nine steamers
| of 1000 tons each-the best steamers that
cross the ocean. They are so staunch
and sea-worthy that passengers who are &C.
quainted with the line go from New
York and all parts of the East to take pas.
sage on them. The company is building more
constansly-adding one or two ships every
year. This line of steamships has furnished
the outlet of the Grand Trunk system of
roads. But recently there has been some dis
agreement between the Grand Trunk road
and this steamship company, in consequence
of which the Grand Trunk road has brought
on a new line of its own, known as the Do
minion line, large and spacious steamships.
These, together with the Allan line of ships,
and another line, ran to Portland this winter.
They are all fed by the Grand Trunk road,
and it is found impossible to furnish all the
| how Co CsrH ,tnh Han, hoc
set about the great work of establishing line
of railroad of his own-a trans-continen
railway to feed the ships.
1t is one of the grandest and most compre-
hensive schemes ever known in this country.
A railroad is now being constructed to Otta-
wa, and is to be extended from Ottawa to To-
ronto. and thence is to be connected with
Chicago Independently of the Grand Trunk
So that there will be two lines from Chicago
to the Atlantic seaboard through the Domin-
ion territory.
This is to be supplemented with the Canada
Pacific; road chartered with abundant SUBJ
sidy. 1t was to run according to the charter
around the north shore of Lake Superior and
make connection with Fort Garry across the
mountainous and desolate country around
Lake Neepigon. A year ago two companies
were chartered, which received magnifcen.
land grant to build the road. but it is now
tacitly agreed on all hands that there will not
be any road north of Superior. On account
of failure to agree with the old companies
the government by authority of the legsla-
ture, chartered new company to build this
road. The new Canada company has thirty
millions of Canada capital and fifty million
acres of land, and will proceed at once to
build the line from Ottawa to the Sault St.
Mary. Thence road will be built to juno
ton with the Northern Pacific at or below
Duluth, completing the connection with Man.
itoba. Sir Hugh Allan made speech last
| fall i'll which he stated that the road would be
built Immediately to the Sault st. Mary, and
from there would connect through Wisconsin
and Minnesota with the Northern Pacific, by
the united efforts of the Canada Pacific and
the Northern Pacific companies.
When this great work is completed, you
will see whether it will be for your interest to
build Or assist in building the road that is
certain to exist to connect Minnesota and
Dakota with the line that runs almost due
east to the Atlantic. 1t seems absolutely GER
tain that your trade to and from the sea will
pass north of Lakes Michigan and Huron, uia
Ottawa. Everything postulates and enforccs
it. [Applause].
Portland is the winter harbor of Montreal,
260 miles distant. There is a new line of road
running from Portland straight to Ogdens-
burg, in which Sir Hugh takes deep interest
The line is now being built. In winter, when
the outlet to the sea is closed to Montreal, the
freight will go thence by rail and find the
steamships at Portland. This new line from
Ogdensburg to Portland, makes the short est
possible outlet to the sea from Minnesota.
You are to have the shortest and the cheapest
route to reach European markets, and the
highest prosperity for Minnesota will not be
reached till that is attained. Then your flour
will go East the cheapest way, to supply those
people who live by fishing, by ship-building
by manufacturing mostly, and bring back to
you their wares, and your importations from
Europe. Minneapolis will become port Of
entry; imports will come here without break
ing bulk, and the duties will be paid here.
We find it impossible to estimate the impor-
lance of this grand scheme. But we know
enough about it to know that in Minnesota
will grow up within the next twenty years a
city as large or larger than Chicago is to-day
[Applausel.
Farm Products.
From the statistics published in the census
reports, we gather the following interesting fig
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