Omaha daily bee., 1883-07-24
The Wonderful North west.

Mr.. d. Wishart, general passenger
agent of the Frisco line, returned yes
terday from Winnipeg, the capital of
Manitoba, where he spent a week or so.
He went up to the northwest on a sight
seeing expedition, and finds it to be a
great country. Winnipeg is a city now
with a population of some %, 900, and is
only about ten years old. 1t was form
erly known as Fort Garry, the headquar-
tiers of the Hudson Bay Fur Trading
company, being the Quitting and fur
nishing headquarters for the numerous
trading posts in the northwestern British
possessions. Mr.. Wishart went all
through the immense store of the Hud-
son Bay company, and says that it is an
establishment that would do credit to
any city.
They carry enormous stocks of all
kinds of goods, and do a business in
volving several million pounds sterling
annually. Boat loads of their goods are
sent many hundred miles through the
%navigable waters northwest of Winnepeg.
Manitoba has a tremendous immigration
boom, and Winnepeg has received great
benefits, as it has been the outftting
point for emigrants on their arrival by
rail in that country. Railroads are a
novel feature in that province. The Ca
madam Pacific railway company have but
recently built several lines divergingeast
west, north and south from Winnepeg.'
They nave several hundred miles of road
now completed and in operation, and are
fast
CLOSING THE GAP
between Montreal and the Pacific ocean.
The intention of the Canadian Pacific
Company is to have their line completed
between these two points, a distance of
1000 miles, inside of the next two years,
the company operating railways in the
the province of Manitoba at this time,
having received large subsidies and spe-
cial privileges from the government of
the Dominion.
Mr.. Wishart says the city of Winnipeg
is very substantially built, the buildings
being of modern architecture, and princi-
pally of stone and brick. He was point
ed out a very handsome residence in
Winnipeg which was built of st. Louis
pressed brick, each brick in this building
having cost the owner ten cents. This
is one of the handsomest residences in
Winnipeg. The price of property is
very high, figures ranging from $500 to
81, 300 per front foot in the business
center. Large fortunes have been made
there within the last two or three years.
Mr.. Wishart's cousin, whom he visited in
Winnipeg, has been one of the lucky
ones.
The thermometer was about 40 degrees
when Mr.. W. left Winnipeg on Monday
morning. 1t remains cool throughout
the summer. The winter begins the lat
ter part of October, and as a rule they
have good sleighing up to the middle of
March. Several times last winter the
mercury fell as low as
FORTY r BELOW ZERO.
The people, however, pride themselves
on the splenuId winter weather of the
country, the atmosphere being very dry
with but few severe storms. Another
remarkable thing is their twilight. One
can read a newspaper without any artifi,
clal light at $50 p. m, and in the morn,
ing at 2;3O, so clear is the twilight. OF
the curiosities they have there is what is
known as the Red river cart. There is
not a particle of iron about them. Oxen
are principally used to haul them. Tc
each cart one OK is hitched and works
single, harnessed like the horses here.
These carts are principally used by the
half breeds, who predominant in the
frontier country,
MIR. Wishart was told that it is no rare
thing to see trains of these Red river
carts, numbering twenty-five wagons to q
train, each having its OK, all being dashed
together and loaded with furs, often com
a distance Of 700 miles into Winnepee
for trading purposes. A train of this kind
can be handled by one man, the oxen be.