The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-01-13

AN IMPRACTICABLE ROUTE.
An Experience Showing that the HudsonS
Bay Line Will Be Entirely Useless.

New YORK, JAN IA Montreal special to
the Evening Post says news has just been re-
ceiyed which is considered by many railroad
men as demonstrating the impractieability of
the Hudson's bay route as outlet to the At
lantic for the products of the Northwest. The
head officer of the Hudsons Bay Company in this
city has received alarming intelligence concern
ing the safety of one of their finest vessels, the
Prince of Waies homeward bound, with cargo
of furs estimated at nearly half million dollars
The Prince of Wales, it appears, entered the
bay, bound from London to the Moose factory. at
James bay, the most southern point of Hudson's
bay, early in September, but owing to the heavy
pack ice did not make the Moose factory until
the end of the month. She lost no time in get
ting her cargo aboard, and set sail again. Dur
ing the first week of October she had ter
Tible passage across James bay, to
the entrance of Hudson's straits. Here
she encountered barrier Of solid polar ice,
which extended as far as the eye could see, of
immense thickness, and standing out of the wa
ter in some places as high as the main yards.
The vessel sailed along the edge of this ice two
days, looking for an outlet, without success.
The thermometer registered ten degrees below
Zero and from all appearances she would soon be
frozen in. The captain gave orders to put the
ship about and tried to make for the outer roads
at the Moose factory again, intending to win ter
there. After great difficulty, Charlton island,
twenty-five miles from the Moose factory, was
Teaeaed, whts. it was found impossible to make
further progress boat, manned by the mate
and four sailors, sent ashore to make ar
a long stay in the arctic region. The
voyage of the unfortunate men to
the mainland was terrible. Soon after they set
out a strong head wind sprang up, the thermome
ter fell rapidly. binding snow storm came
on, the boat was every moment in danger of
being cut to pieces by ice, and for three days
they were doubtful whether they would ever see
land again. On the fourth day they sighted
Moose river. All were badly frozen and in a
starving condition. Next day boat, manned
provisioned and supplied with axes sleds and
clothing for wintering the ship, was started for
the vessel The boat only made ten miles, when
it was frozen in and had to be cut out and drawn
back over the ice. Four Indians were next dis
patched across the ice in search CT the vessel.
They returned in FIVE days. with word that they
had sighted Charlton island, but could see
no traces of the Prince of Wales, and it was
surmlsed that she must have got jammed in the
foe, and carried eastward Great anxiety was
felt for her safety. as we'll as for the crew who
were not provided with the necessaries for win
tering Ia the ice. A letter received by the Office
here says: ''All we do now is to wait until
dogs and sleds are supplied from Albany and
Ruperts House, when an expedition will be
organized and an attempt made to locate the
ship anu haul provisions and clothing to her.
We trust to find her by January, but she is not
in pleasant position. She will now be short
of provisions, an1a will have to remain in the ice
till May or June"
Railroad men and others who have had expe-
rience in the Hudson's bay region are perfectly
satisfied that the money now being spent by the
government is being wasted, and will only dem
Onstrate that the difficulties TO be contended
with in navigating this arctic sea render it total
ly unfit an outlet to Europe, and that this last
experience viii give quietus to the oo-much-
talked-of Manitoba & Hudson Bay railroad,
connecting with line of ocean steamers to Eu-
rope and thereby shortening the distance by
nearly thousand miles