Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1883-07-24

hus, and driven about the city for two
hours or more, visiting the Hudson's bay
port, the old fort, and all the principal
points of interest, of which Winnipeg has
enough to occupy a sight seer for many
days. Winnipeg is now suffering brief
depression, but it cannot continue long.
with the influence of the Canadian Pacific
and the fertile country being opened by
that corporation to the west at its back. It
has several private residences the superior
OF any in st. Paukpalatial business blocks.
fine public buildings and an enterprising
population of $4,000 souls.
Rat PORTAGE.
Shortly after reaching Winnipeg, Assist
ant Superintendent Brown and Mr.. Har-
stone, who were doing the honors for the
canadian Pacific, extended very pressing
invitation for the association to be their
guests for trip to Rat Portage and the
Lake OF the Woods, one arm of which
forms the boundary between Minnesota
and Manitoba, and which is, without ex-
ception, with its upwards of 10000
islands, and its long arms
jutting out to all points of the
compass. extending more than eighty
miles in length from south to north. one
OF the most romantic inland sheets of
| water on the American continent. After
| consultation the invitation was accepted
and arrangements made to leave for Rat
Portage, or the lake, at 6 p. m. In the
meantime, however, Mr.. Geary, proprietor
Of the new Queens Opera house, dedica.
ted recently by the G. D. Hess opera com
pany, had extended an invitation for the
| visitors to attend the evening presentation
OF the daughter of the Regiment by
Katie Putnam and company, and the
| ofhclals above named, as further exhibi
ton of their desire to make the stay in
Manitoba one of as perfect enjoyment as
possible, at once changed their plans to
have the train leave at II, midnight, so
that all desiring might attend the theatre
a privilege that large number of the
I'party availed themselves of. Prompt
| ly at II, midnight, the special
train consisting of the three sleepers in
which the association had been travelling,
and Canadian Pacific sleeper bearing
Messrs. Brown and Harstone, J H. Hacket
of the passenger department, Chief of
| Police Murray, DR.. Ball, Mr.. G. F. Luxton,
editor of the Manitoba Free Press, Aid.
Geo. F. Ham, Mr.. Richards, correspondent
of the Chicago Times, and several other
citizens of Winnipeg, whose names cannot
now be recalled, pulled out for Rat Port
| age, which was reached at o'clock Sunday
morning without adventure of any kind
| After breakfast at the Queens and Rideout
hotels the party, accompanied by DIR. Bell,
government geologist, and the mayor and
| other leading citizens of Rat Portage, en-
| barked on the screw steamer AIgoma for a
| fri tho I,oly of tho Waole - L.
Winnipeg consolidated
GOLD AND SILVER MINES
These mines are situated up one of the
arms of the lake, running little eastof south
fourteen miles from Rat Portage. Work
| was commenced upon this about year
| ago, and In that time one of the most i'm
| proved crushing mills has been put in. a
| shaft sunk to the depth of 10 feet, from
which drift has been run eighty feet. out
of which considerable ore has been taken
| and run through the mill, the outcome
being quite promising. The mine has
not been in operation for two months past
but arrangements have been completed
for resuming work at once. Near by
| are several other mines, upon which
more OF less work of preparation has been
| done, it being estimated that fully $780,
600 has been expended in development W
| to this time.
While at the mine the visitors, after an
inspection of the works, busted them
selves in gathering up specimens of the
| ore, of which Major Newson estimated
| they carried away nearly a ton. On the
way back to Rat Portage, DR.. Bell, the
government geologist, and Major Newson
| entertained the party by brief explanations
| of the character of the ore, showing the
presence of gold, silver, copper, iron, lead
| and other minerals, with the first then
named largely predominating, and leaving
the impression upon the writer's mind,
that the only question to be solved was as
| to which had the mastery, and how the
same could be most successfully handled,
| but that eventually the problem
would be successfully solved and theLake of
| the Woods mines prove more profitable
| than even the Farther de Smet
mine in the Black Hills, the
stock of which is now away above par, not
withstanding declaration of 100000
dividends in the last few years.
Rat Portage has been known to history
as point for northwestern voyagers for
| the last hundred years, but it is only since
the construction of the Canadian Pacific
west from Thunder Bay, when it was made
| the headquarters of one of the divisions,
that it became of sufficient importance to
be called a town, and it was generally
supposed that with the completion of the
seven ton large screw propellers engaged
in towing the RATS of logs down the lake
to the mills, to be converted Into the mil
lions of feet of lumber which finds ready
market on the praries west of Winnipeg.
Following the tow boat, as a natural
sequence, came the passenger boat, which
is now playing between Rat Portage to
Fort Francis on Rainy Lake, at the head
of Rainy Lake river, requiring week
for round trip. Since the
boat has commenced running two
years there has been quite an immigration
into the Rainy Lake country, the new COM
ers mostly settling on the American side
which is well adapted to agricultural pur-
poses especially for root products, the po-
tatoes raised IN that section readily bring
ing twenty-five cents bushel more than
those raised in the fiat lands about Winni-
peg, on account of their superior soli6ity
and keeping qualities. A new steamer of
three times of the capacity of the one now
employed is being built at Rat Portage
60 IL - ho L.