Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1881-03-25

WHICH HoS. d. c. LINsLEY IS BUmDIYG
The Canada and Atlantic Railway, which
is now in process of construction under the
direction OF our townsman, Hon. D. c. Lins-
ley, runs from Ottawa So miles to Coteau
Landing on the st. Lawrence Here the
river is filled with half dozen islands, which
renders the building of the necessary bridge
an easy matter. From Valleyfield, on the
opposite shore, the road will run in a south
easterly direction TO Alburgh, distance of
forty miles. A profile of the country through
which the road is surveyed shows line de-
void of elevation or grades, and a surface
like Western prairie The country is rich
in agricultural resources, and is noted for its
prolific growth of hay and farm produce
Government and municipal subsidies have
recently been voted the new company, ap-
$780, 900 voted by Ottawa and it has ample
capital to construct the entire road. Mr.
Linsley has nearly 200 men at work, and as
soon as the weather permits Thousand men
will be set at work. Some thirty miles of
the roadbed at the Ottawa end have been al
ready graded.
As to the local advantages Of the new road
Forbes says in bis letter to the Boston
Journal
1t is estimated that fully %, 900 carloads of
lumber would annually seek this new short
route to New England points. | learn that a
large amount of pine lumber is being for
warded to Boston for export to Europe, and
that recent order covering some half a mil
lion feet was sent by rail to Montreal and
thence by the Central Vermont to Boston on
foreign order received by the Shepard and
Morse Lumber Company of Burlington. In
conversation with large wholesale lumber
dealers relative TO the projected Canada and
Atlantic Railway as factor in the lumber
transportation business, l found general
and deep interest manifested in the enter
prise. Heretofore the difficulty of communica-
ton BY rail between Ottawa aud New Eng
land points has been q serious obstacle to
full development of this traffic, but with the
construction of this air line railway it is pre-
dicted by leading lumber dealers that this
route will be utilized to a large extent for
lumber shipments. By the Canada and
Atlantic Railway Burlington will be placed
within 40 miles of the Ottawa lumber re-
gion, and its importance as distributing
point for New England must largely appre-
ciate.
THROUGH LINE TO THE NORTHWEST.
The Canada Pacific road is to run from
Lake Nipissing, in a northwesterly direction,
around the north shore of Lake Superior, to
Manitoba, thence on TO British Columbia. A
connection will be made at Lake NipissinS
with the Canada Central Railroad for
| Ottawa, which will practically be the eastern
terminus of the Canadian Pacific Railway,
for traffic purposes. Another powerful
syndicate of Canadian capitalists has just
| obtained charter from the Ontario Provin-
| cial Legislature for a railway to be called
| the 'Sault Ste. Marie" The project con-
templates connecting the Northern Pacific
Railroad with the Canadian Railway system
centIing in Ottawa, by the construction of a
railroad along the south shore of Lake
| Superior via the Sault Ste. Marie, The
Canada Central Railroad is now built from
Ottawa to Mackies, distance of 155
miles, and the work of construction is
being rapidly pushed toward Lake Nipissing,
which is 80 miles distant This section will
soon be completed. From Lake Nipissing
to the Canadian boundary at Sault
Ste. Marie is distance of 210 miles. The
company formed under the charter proposes
to Immediately build this road from the Can
ada Central terminus to the Sault Ste. Marie
On the American side the Northern Pacific
Railroad proposes In connection with conf
pany of American capitalists, who own the
necessary charter, to construct a railroad
| 10. Nnrtharu Pacific Iupnttnp n Min
nesota across Northern Wisconsin and the
Peninsula of Michigan to the Sault Ste.
| Marie. a distance of 1856 miles. Following
the constructed line of the Northern Pacific
Railroad to the West we come to Glyndon,
Minnesota, the centre of the great wheat pro-
ducing country. BY reference to the mapo
this section it will be seen that Glyndon and
Ottawa are situated exactly on the same
parallel line and that the Northern
Pacific and Canada Central with their
projected extensions, would make a direct
air line railway between these points via the
Sault Ste Marie, total distance of l, 1O2
miles. The construction of the unfinished
portions of this line is already assured, and
with the completion of the work Ottawa will
be the great distributing point for the vast
| grain fields of the Northwest. On the COM
pletion Of this system the Central Vermont
can reach out to the Northwest via the
'sSault Ste. Marie This connection, when
in operation, must prove OF very great value
to compete with more direct
routes upon somewhat even terms
for the traffic of the fertile regions
west of Lake Superior The fact, also, that
the new project will reach the St. Lawrence
in 321 miles from Boston gives the Central
Vermont connection again with the Lakes
and the Welland Canal, and supplies the
place of the Osdensburg and Lake Champlain
connection, which has now passed into the
control of the Portland and Ogdensburg in
terest. The loss of the through traffic for the
West via Ogdensburg will not amount to
much with the Central Vermont while that
from the local points upon the same road
will be quite an item.