St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1888-08-23
THE CANADIAN PACIFIC ROAD.
The Longest Track i'm the World and
How It was Built.

THE CANADIAN PACIFIC ROAD.
The Longest Track i'm the World and
How 1t was Built.
A correspondent of the Springfield
Republican writing from Bauff Sulphur
Springs on that road gives some inter-
esting facts concerning the construc-
ton of the great transcontinental route
the Canadian Pacific railroad, which
connects the waters of the Gulf of St
Lawrence with Vancouver's sound.
To have been told few years ago
that the stupendOns undertaking OF
building continuous iron track Of
5000 miles from ocean to ocean, about
500 of which was to pass through and
over the widest part of the Rocky
mountains, would ever become an ac-
com plished fact, would have been con
sidered and looked upon as prophecy
worthy of the weird Imagination of the
author of Baron Munchausen's tales.
The road is on an average 800 miles
north of the Northern Pacific route. II
approaches nearer to the north pole
than any other road that has ever been
built, or perhaps that ever will be for
should there be another nearer the
Arctic seas than this? Whom would it
ever accommodate, whom benefit in the
long ages to Gomez
A well-informed Canadian informs
me that the building of the road, in
one sense, was a political and vital ne
cessity, which involved the life and flu
ture prosperity of the Dominion, even
/. Col
He claimed that the area of Canada,
which included all the vast territory
beyond the northern line of the United
States up to Hudson bay and the Arc
tic ocean, with the exception of the
small slice of Alaska, covers over
more square miles than the whole of
our 80 states and territories combined.
The province of Manitoba is over 400
miles west of Montreal. From Winni-
peg, the capital of Manitoba, to the
ters the magnificent scenery of the
Rockies, there is a vast stretch of
prairie of 900 miles, and from the COM
ver's sound-through rocky defiles and
over mountain passes, which had new
er been trod by the foot of man until
explored by the hardy engineers of the
Canadian Pacific, there is a distance
of 600 miles more. To have transport
ed troops from the military stations of
Quebec, Montreal, ETC., to put down a
rebellion in the northwest territory, or
British Columbia, or any of these
great western provinces, would have
required more than the genius of a
Napoleon. The province of Manitoba
with the territories and provinces west
have for years been endeavoring to
effect separation from the Dominion
government, and establish an indie
pendent government of their own on
the Pacific slope. The recent rebellion
in Manitoba, which was headed by the
half breed Reil, was an indication and
an Outcropping of the determination
of the people in the great West to es-
tablish an independent government.
The more conservative of the settlers
or Inhabitants of British Columbia,
Assiniboia, Winnipeg and others of
the Northwest provinces finally told
the Canadian government that with
out the two extremes of the Dominion
were connected with railway COM
munication they would be under the
necessity of etfecting separation. To
avoid this the home government at
last decided, if it we're possible, to
construct the road and surveys were
commenced to carry out an undertake
ing which would have appalled, the
richest empire of Europe. What is
the RESULT A continuous iron track
of 1850 miles-the longest track in the
wOrk-cOsting in the aggregate with
it's equipments over $500, O0n,0 900. The
population of Canada, including it's
provinces and territories, is less than
that of the state of New York, and it
has debt which, previous to the build
ing of the transcontinental railway,
was much larger per capita, than that
of the United States, yet with this
milestone hanging around it's neck, the
Canadian Parliament had the courage
to commence the work, and progressed
with it until they had made an outlay
of over $I00,O0O,00O. The construc-
ton and completion was then given
over to a private company which was
formed under the name of the Canadi
an. Pacific railway, and two years
ago the road was fully completed and
opened to traffic. The government re-
signed to the new company on its
formation the vast amount it had
already expended, with the stipulation
that the road should be completed in
a certain time, also giving it outright
$25, 100000 and grant of 25,O00,000
acres of agricultural land which is To-
Gated, the greater part, on the line of
the road which crosses the 900 miles
of prairies between Winnipeg and the
Rockies.
The capital stock of the company
has been simmered down until it rep
resents at present $65, 100000. "Will
it ever pay ~ Possibly the English
capitalists, who were induced to invest
largely in it, and without whose as
Stance the road could never have been
built, may be able to answer in years
to come. The company and those who
are endeavOring to boom its interests
claim that it pays already.
Tremendous Internal Fires.
A Cincinnati daspatch of AuOuat II of