St. Paul daily globe., 1884-09-15

worth much within easy reach, no manu-
featuring facilities, and nothing to manufac-
ture if there were. II will not be for the in
terest of the railroad company, after the
road is finished 10 encourage shipping
more than is absolutely necessary to or FROM
the place. When it is remembered that
for nearly q thousand miles east of Port
Arthur the road runs through country that
can never furnish a pound OF local freight
and that the company must depend exclu-
sively upon its through trade for business, it
viii be seen that they cannot afford to be
over anxious for the growth OF Port Arthur.
At present because of the road, there is
plenty of money in the town, but il is money
that is not going to be OF any permanent
benefit. Some men are making their ''piles, -
with which, when the collapse come, they
win bic themselves to pastures new,
but very little ot it is going into substantial
improvement. There are few planning
mills, an elevator with capacity OF 200, 600
bushels, house for immigrants, q brick
church {Cathoic) and a convent. several
other churches, Jail with insufficient
capacity, no first class hotel since the
Queens was burned, several private resi-
dences of good appearance, some handsome
stores or shops: IS you occasion ally hear on
that side of the border. and the rest is Of the
floating order like the bulk Of the population.
The best thing around Port Arthur are the
docks, which are wcl and substantially
built.
IMMIGRATION.
Through the courtesy Of the Canadian i'm
migration agent, j. N. McGovern, Esq,
learned that while the emigration to Mani
toba through Port Arthur is not as large as
in former years, the emigrants are of a
higher and more substantial class. lie say 5
they are mostly people with some capital
and experience as farmers, accustomed to
business and able to take care of themselves.
The facilities furnished by the Canadian Pa
cifc Railroad company for the transportation
Of immigrants from the cast direct TO Mani
toba, could scarcely be improved upon The
syndicate has built three magnificent iron
steamers to connect with the trains at Port
Arthur. These steamers are fitted up with
all the Improvements suggested by modern
taste and invention, are lighted by the cleo
trio light, furnished handsomely and sub
stantially, and are made as safe and reliable
as IS possible to science and skill. The i'm
migration quarters, on the lower deck, while
necessarily crowded, are perfectly clean and
comfortable, and apparently everything has
been done to lessen the troubles and vexa-
tions attendant upon emigration. Immi-
grants are rarely subjected to delay at Port
Arthur, but for their accommodation house.
the government has built a large and com
modious reception house.
THE TOWN PLOT.
A few miles below Port Arthur is the town
plot or old Fort William. 1t is situated about
seven miles above the mouth of the Kamin-
istiqua river, with broad and level plateau
back of it, and precipitious bluff frowning
down in front. There was time when the
inhabitants Of the town plot thought that the
Canadian Pacific railroad would make their
village its lake terminus, and there are some
who still entertain the hope. So far as site
is concerned, it has advantages which no
other place on the Canadian border Of the
lake can boast. On both sides Of the river,
from the mouth TO the town site, the country
stretches out level as a prairie, the soil is fer
tile, and, was told, for the raising of
garden truck could not be surpassed. Both
sides of the river could be utilized for docks,
thus giving fourteen miles of dock front.
The river is navigabie for vessels of the
largest draft, the only objection being a bar
at the mouth. It would not cost a mint OF
money to dredge a channel through this bar,
and once It is done, vesselmcn assure me, ii
would be an easy and cheap matter to keep
it clear. The railroad company have already
built coal docks, but that is the only i'm
provement they have made. / look upon this
as confrmatory of my impression that the
managers Of the Canadian Pacific railroad
will do just as little as possible to encourage
the building Of a port at the upper end OF
Lake Superior. They cannot afford to hold
out inducements for water competition.
BEYOND TIE PORT.
! As you leave Port Arthur and sail further
down the lake, the scenery becomes grandei
and milGer. AS 1 am not a scenic work
painter, and as my object was to observe
more the designs of man than the beauties
of Nature, l must be excused if l do no
''spread myself on a theme suitable only tC
poets and other cultivators of the imagina-
ton. But those who wish 10 take this triy
for the mere pleasure of it, will find neithei
| the sublime nor the beautiful lacking in th,
the towering bluffs, the multtudinous ranges
Of hills that roll back one Of the other, re
vealing glimpses of green vistas and peace
full coves nesting between them that ar,
beautiful in the extreme. I regret to sa,
] /.
hills and bluffs have nothing to commend
| them, but then there are some things in life
and Nature that are good even if they ar,
not-in the narrow sense of the word-use-
! full.
At Verte island there is brown ston,
| quarry that runs clear across from one side
! to the other, and yields stone Of unexcep
tional fncness of grain and in unlimited
quantity. The quarry is owned by Il Chica
90 company, and is under the management
of Gen. John Macarthur, of that city Tn,
stone is very hard, of pinkish tint. anc
is capable OF a high polish Tn,
manager assured me that experiments h
made proves II better able to resist fire thar
granite, and while hard to work is very dur
able -Four cargoes have already beer
shipped to Chicago this season, and wit,
enlarged facilities the company will be adj,
to meet the growing demands upon them.
mention this stone so that st. Paul builders
who are tired OF granite, may know where L
look for a change.
THE EASTERN EXTENSION OF THE c. p. r.
The Canadian Pacific road from Port ar
thur eastward for nearly 4 thousand miles /
one of the greatest undertakings Of the age
1t is a gigantic piece OF work. II it doesn'
| swamp the company and the country it Wi
not be Nature fault. II is almost LITERAL
true to say that there is not foot Of clay O
| nnrih ON 1he entire route. II is al rock an.