The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1881-06-15

OF every person claiming to represent our Journal
|
Canadian Railroads and New En-
gland Connections.
The most ordinary observer must be i'm
pressed with the spirit of enterprise which
prevails in the Dominion, and especially in
the Province of OntaHo. This activity,
which has been awakened within very re-
cent period, is Of course to produce great
and beneficial change in the condition of the
British Possessions, provided it is encour-
aged by liberal governmental policy, which
seems to be assured now. The new Cana
dian system of railroads, so far only as
it has been indicated by the action of char
tered corporations, is comprehensive, and
that part of it confined to the Province Of
Ontario contemplates ultimately the subju-
CATION of the British Northwest, as our Pa
cifc railroads are developing our Western
domain. The Canadian system is interest
ing to US, too, on account of the influence it
will inevitably have upon the prosperity of
New England. Naturally enough, the course
OF traffic which the projected lines to the
West is expected to create, tends toward
one point-the valley of the st. Lawrence,
and is to find way to the sea down that
stream, and that being inadequate at all
times for the prospective volume of bus-
ness, New England must furnish outlets
for a considerable part of this business.
New England capitalists, realizing the
possibilities of the future, have already be-
| gun to reach out toward the new railroad
system in anticipation that within the next
five years manyof these enterprises will be
in successful operation. Let us summarize
and present to our readers, as clearly as we
can, the outlines and present conditions of
some of the principal features of the Cana
dian scheme, hoping to show by this means
better than any other, the future value of
these new thoroughfares to our New En-
gland seaports; and no. only to our seaports,
but to all our industries, in the interior and
on the coast. a
The Canadian Pacific Railroad is the most
imposing element in this grand scheme-a
road 1900 miles .long, traversing, with its
eastern connections, the entire breadth of
the continent, connecting the Atlantic and
Pacific oceans, and intended, in measure,
as a rival of the great trans continental :
lines within the boundaries of the United
States. This road is a Government enter
prise, in the main, and its estimated cost is
$125,0OO,OOO. Early in the present year
contract for its construction was made,
with syndicate of capitalists, which has
recently completed its financial arrangements
and the work of building the main line is to
be begun at once, and pushed, on both the
eastern and western sections, as rapidly as
| possible. The road is to run from lake Nj
pissing, in northwesterly direction around ]
the north shore Of Lake Superior, to Mani
toba, and beyond to the British Northwest.
Ten years is the time allowed for its COM
pletion, and it is announced that $50 miles
| OF railway west of Winnipeg will be in oper-
alton by the close of the present year. The
Canada Central Railroad, running from Of
tawa southerly to Brockyille, on the St.
Lawrence and northwesterly to Pembroke,
has just been absorbed by this great corpo-
ration; and the latter road will be pushed !,
from Its present western terminus to Laxe
Nipissing with all rapidity aud connect the
Canadian Pacific with the St. Lawrence and
the eastern network of railroads. The Ca
madam Pacific also has line from Selkirk i
in Manitoba, running south along the bank
of the Red River Of the North, and connect
ing at the boundary with the St. Paul and
Minneapolis road 1t is also proposed to
build branch from the main line to pene-
trate the rich coal fields of the Souris valley,
which lie just above the boundary line in
about the longitude of the dividing line be-
tween Dakota and Montana. 1t will thus
be seen that it is the design of the promoters
OF this enterprise to open an extensive and i
valuable mineral deposit and also develop
| so much of that grand whcat-growing re-
| gion embraced within the 45th and 50th par
allels of latitude and the Goth and 10Oth de-
grees of longitude as lies in the British pos
sessions. The Northern Pacific railroad,
| on the southern side of the international
boundary, runs directly through the centre
| OF this fertile region, to Duluth thence
| along the south shore of Lake Superior
across the upper part of the State of Michi-a
gan to Marquette, where it is to find con-
nection with the east by means of the Mich
igan Central. 1t is the purpose of Canadian
capitalists to connect with the Northern
Pacific by railroad from Lake Nipissing to
Sault Ste. Marie, a distance Of about 275
miles, charter for which was granted last
Winter by the Ontario Provincial Legisla-
ture; the connection to be made with the
Northern Pacific on the Michigan side of the
line by an American corporation which is
said to already possess the necessary char
ter; in fact, one link of the chain, in Michi-
gan, is already in operation; ani the pre-
liminary steps for practical work by the Ca
madam Company are being made; and it is
promised that operations are to be vigorous
ly pushed to completion.
! As far west as Sault Ste. Marie the Cana
dian Pacific scheme is of immediate and
| great Importance to us. Aftera pretty care
full examination of the condition of the sew
eral parts of this great line, one feels san
| guine that a large amount of business will
be traversing this thoroughfare within five
years, perhaps sooner. A glance at the map
will show that the course of the Northern
Pacific from the Red River to Ottawa via
Sault Ste. Marie is very nearly an air line.
The distance is about 100 miles. Portland
is the nearest Atlantic seaport, the distance
from the Red River to this city being about
300 miles less than the present route to
| New York via Detroit and Buffalo.
| The desire to connect Ottawa with New
England by an Independent route, has
caused the organization of the Canada and
Atlantic Railroad Company which is en-
gagged in building road to connect that
city with Alburgh, Vermont, by a direct
line of rail 122 miles in length, crossing the
st. Lawrence by a bridge at Coteau Land
| ing. A considerable amount of grading is
completed and about, 5000 tons of iron pur-
chased. 1t is intended to have this road in
| operation by the end of 1888.