Morris tribune., 1884-08-13
Hudson's Bay rs n Grain Route.

The Newfoundland scaling steam
ship Neptune-the same which two
years ago was sent in search of Lieut..
Greely-sailed from Halifax, n. s.,
July 90, in command of Lieut.. A. r.
Gordon, of the Canadian meteorologi-
cal service, for the purpose of establish
ing stations for scientific observations
in Hudson's Bay. The stations areto
be located in the following places, six
on the strait and on the west shore of
the bay:
No. at Cape Chudley, at the south
east entrance to Hudson strait. No. 2
on Resolution Island, at the northeast
entrance to the strait, and about As
| miles across from station one. No. 8
at Cape Hope, or on the south side of
about the center of the strait, and
| about 250 miles from stations one and
| two. This will be the chief point of
! observation. No. will be located di-
| rectly north of No. on the north bluff
! of one of the islands close by, accord
| ing to circumstances. No. Oh the
/ southeast end of Nottingham Island,
| about POO miles from station four. No.
! 6 on the north side of Mansfield Island
some 150mile from station five. OBJ
servations of the northern part of the
| bay will be made from this point.
| No. at Fort Churchill, at the mouth
| fthe Churchill River, on the west
shore of the bay and about 600 miles
| from station six.
| Atall ofthe stations the usual meteoro-
| logical observations will be made;
heavy tides will be measured, the drift
of water will be noticed, and the con-
ditions and state of the ice. Each
station party will consist of two men
and an Esquimau interpreter, besides
the officer in charge, and sufficient
provisions and fuel for fifteen months
will be supplied. The observatories
are made in sections, and will be taken
out by the steamer, and put up on the
sites selected by the commander as
the vessel progresses through the
strait. Next year these stations will
be revisited, and other parties left in
charge. The most important work the
parties will be called upon to perform
will he to carefully watch and note the
breaking up of the ice, the tides, and
all other characteristics pertinent to
navigation.
The sum of 1000 has been appro-
priated by the Canadian Government
to make these explorations, but the
immediate end in view is practical
rather than scientific. 1t is thought
that Notwithstanding all the unfavo-
rable reports so far received, it may be
) found that Hudson Strait is open a
sufficiently long period in the late
summer and early fall of each year to
make it profitable to ship grain by
that way to Liverpool from the Win
| nepeg Valley, which is directly con-
nected with the western shore of Hud.
sons Bay by the Nelson and Churchill
rivers. Lieut.. Gorringe investigated
f this question about three years ago, on
behalf ofthe Northern Pacific Railroad
| Company, but he reported that any
f successful trade in this way was i'm
> practicable, on account of the fogs as
7 we'll as the ice, which would hardly
leave an average period of six weeks
= for tolerably safe navigation, while
: even this period varied with the season
: and during such time navigation was
often interrupted. The Manitoban:
! are not yet convinced, however, ane
the recent rapid growth of that prov
. ince has induced the Dominion govern
! ment to send out this epedition t.
o make a thorough investigation
r, |-Scientific American.