Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1885-12-04
T., FRIDAY, DECEMBER 4, 1885.
THINGs or CURRENT INTEREST.



The recent completion Of the Canadian Pa
ciic railway, after fourteen years hard work,
marks another chapter In the remarkable en-
gineering history for which America has be-
come famous. Surveys for the road began
in 1870, and a vast amount Of information re-
specting the transcontinental route was col
lected These we're not completed until 1873,
when ten million dollars had been expended.
The route thus laid out was considerably
north of the present line, and opened upa
larger area Of prairie country. With the ac-
cession of Sir John Mcdonald to power, the
shorter route, crossing the mountains at
Kicking Horse pass, was decided upon. The
road was at first a government undertaking,
aud by the end Of 1880 there had been con-
struoted 1872 miles Of track between Winni-
peg and Lake Superior, 2l3 miles up the
Frazer river in British Columbia, and some
other smaller portions. The management,
however, did not prove entirely satisfactory,
and in 1881 the enterprise was placed in the
hands of the present corporation, which re-
oeived the magnificent donation OF 7l0 miles
Of completed road and attached property,
$25, 600 600 in cash, 25, 600, 600 acres Of land,
exemption from taxation and customs on the
materials for construction, besides other priv
ileges, and gave in return pledge to con-
struct, equip, and operate q traDsoontinental
line north Of Lake Superior within ten years
marked jealousy Of American capital and
fear Of American control was manifested in
the very beginning Of the enterprise and It
was stipulated in the first charter that for six
years shares could only DO transferred with
the consent of the government. Under the
new corporation, however, q large amount Of
the work was done by American contractors,
and Mr. w. O. Van Horne, a resident of Nil
waukee, was made their general manager.
ha rrOcainU pf iha E.lkifk the n.
ond of the mountain barriers, considered the
most remarkable engineering work on the
line was accomplished ty an American Ma
jor Rogers.
Under this new impetus, the work pro.
gressed with unpre cedented rapidity. Forty
thousand meu at one time we're employ ed
along the line, and half that number we're al
most continuously at work. For days togeth
er, the average advance would amount to
three and three quarter miles, and between
Winnipeg and the Rocky mountains an aver
| age OF over two and q half miles was msin.
tanned. Old lines were purchased aud incor-
porated into the system. new line was
constructed between Montreal and Toronto,
and the commuL ication between Winnipeg
and the sea completed by the establishment
| of line of steamers ON the great lakes. On
other parts Of the line, the work was pro-
gressing scarcely less rapidly. In British
| Columbia, Chinese laborers were pushing
eastward, and in Ontario, the wild country
on the northern shore Of Lake Superior was
being penetrated by dint of hard and persist
ent labor. In May last, the different sections
east of the mountains we're connected, and q
continuous track extended from Quebec TO
the foot hills Of the Rockies-a grand stretch
| Of twenty Ave hundred miles. But gigRn-
tic undertaking in itself still remained before
| the two oceans were again connected. Three
| dIstinct mountain ranges had still 20 be cross
ed-the Rocky mountains proper, the Sell
kirk range, and the Gold range. Between
the Rockies and the Selkirk the great Oolum-
| bia river had TO be spGnned, and again be-
tween the Selkirk and Gold range, when its
volume was greatly augmented. But all these
d faculties and barriers were finally sur
| mounted, and on the 9th OF November the
| last connection was made at the Sushwap
lakes, on the Pacific division. completed
track of 3, 100 miles, or about one-eighth OF
the circumference Of the globe, stretches
from Quebec to Fort Moody, while 500
miles of tributary track adds power TO the
system.
The road has cost a quarter OF billion oi
| dollars. In 1884, the government made q
loan of 1922, 600, 600, and the last parliament
advanced $ll 600, 900 more, taking land at two
dollars an acre in payment. For some years
| a large revenue VIII De derived from tue SAFE
OF land and town sites, but the road cannot
probably pay expenses for q long time tC
come. 1t penetrates country which is moi
only uninhsbited for hundreds OF miles, bui
which was absolutely unknown until invaded
by the engineer and his gangs Of laborers. II
must create its own business by building UP
communities along the line, and opening uE
the unoccupied prairies to shepherd and far
mer. In Ottawa the road passes through I
country whose chief commodity is the pictur
esque, but further west the Red river ooun
try gives promise of large industries and per
msnent development Already the metTopo
lis OF this new interior, Winnipeg, contains
80, OOO people, and emulates the growth o.
ST. Paul aud Minneapolis. In the mountains
the arrival Of the railroad will bring new lif,
to the mining industries, and the farmer
will find constantly growing market TO
their products. 1t is possible that the rout
may serve England as a means Of communi
cation with her Indian empire. The admis
sion OF British Columbia into the Canadian
union has already given it political i'm
portAnce. Scientific American.