Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1888-10-24
AN ARCTIC RAILWAY.
THE LAPFsS QUERY AS HIS REIN
DEER HOME IS INVADED.

DEER HOME IS INVADED.
A Great Feat of Locomotion Due to
English and Scotch Enterprise-A Noun
tain of ore-Picturesque scenery-Some
Curious Remarks.
A railway within the Arctic circle is now |
an accomplished fact, and to Englishmen and |
to Scotchmen is due this great feat of locomo-
tion which will connect the Gulf of Bothnia
with very high latitude on the Norwegian
coast, but with open water all the year round
on the North sea. Gellwara just now is the
center of great activity, for the Swedish and
Norwegian railway has brought the inex-
haustlble ores of its mountains to the shores Of
the Gulf of Bothnia, and small feet of En-
glish steamers daily await the morning and
evening trains at Lulea, which bring from 400
to 500 tons of ore, drawn by powerful engine
of North British manufacture, whilst 10, 900 or
1000 tons of northern coal stands piled upon
the railway quays. The Swedes in Norbotten
are not altogether friendly to this great un-
dertaking, but the Swedish government
wisely recognize the great results which En-
HlIsn dHu DTltiSu Cdpll1l nave
secured for what was practically an mac
cessible district, and where for over eighty
years the wealth of the mineral district has
been recognized, but there has been no mode
of conveyance which could bring it TO the
highways of commerce
The mountain itself is of some S00, 900 acres
in area, and wherever you turn on its face,
and even on its summit, traces Of the ore are
to be found, sometimes at the highest levels
protruding; or at the lower workings at
very few feet from the surface. The railway
company are themselves working the mines
or lodes, which are situated on different parts
of the mountains, and from which small
tramway lines descend to the line which for
five miles steadily ascends the mountains
from Gellwara, where even grand hotel is
being erected, and a new church is already
complete, in which all nationalities, includ-
ing the Lapps, meet for service. Although
the railway is not yet open for passenger
traffic, permission was accorded me to jour
ney to the mines by the courteous resident
director at Lulea, Mr.. Henry Millett, and al
| though Pullman cars have not yet been
| transported to these northern latitudes, a
| very laudable attempt had been made to
| transpose break van into a sleeping car,
where passed two nights on my journey up
and down.
| Starting from the town and port of Lulea,
which, like so many other Swedish towns,
has been half laid low by fire, the train
| skirts for miles the side of the Gulf Of Both
MIA and passes the remarkable old church of
Gamle Stadln, an edifice boasting eight cen
turies of antiquity, and with carved and
! gilded tryptich of such remarkable beauty
and deiicacy that s., 600 has been offered and
refused by the parish for the unique speci
men of Flemish carving was present al
the monthly communion of the parish, and
was much struck with the solemn demeanoI
of the peasants, as man and wife walked tt
the altar together and received the con
munion in both kinds in their mouth, but
without being allowed TO touch the element:
or handle the chalice The officiating priest
took the eastward position, and during tht
communion of the people the "Agnus Del
was sung by choir in the gallery. At Cell
wara there is an old but not very interesting
church, now abandoned, as it is full of hu
man remains and new and modern build
Ing stands about $50 yards from the railwa,
station
The road to this wonderful center of enter
prise and activity traverses district whicl
wonderfully reminds the traveller of tn
country between Port Arthur and Winnipeg
on the Canadian Pacific railway, but tn
view from Gellwara itself is much more in
teresting and mountainous than can be see
on the Canadian side of the Rocky noun
tains. The mountain itself from which tn
railway draws its ore is 1000 feet above tn
sea level, and the view from its summit di:
closes series of hills and mountains stretch
ing to the Norwegian frontier, towards whic
the track is being steadily laid A menbe
of the house of Cecil is one OF the railwa
directors, and Messrs. Wilkinson & Jarvis
of Victor in street, Westminster are th
energetic contractors to whose pluck and d.
termination, amid many discouragements {
. local disputants, this great work of crossin
the Artic Circle by railway has been accom-
plished When the line has been complete
to Ofoten it will be the recognized touri,
route by which tourists, who have ascende
the North Cape, can cross the Norwegis
mountain ranges and return southwark
, Stockholm by rail or water from Lulei
where the Swedish and Norwegian railwa
now terminates, but from which there wi
be connection with the Sundsvall route |
Stockholm at Boden
The mind of local editors and local pres
: men is proverbially small, and 1t is amusir
to read in the Norbotten journal Of the ''p
trioticn attempts to save Sweden from Il
n grasp of foreign intruders, but it is on
through English capital and British ente
prise that the great forests of the north
Sweden have been utilized for the Europes
market, and that this remarkable railws
Communication has been begun, continue
and will ere long, l believe, be successful
Q ended, not very far removed from the mo
y northern town in the world. One remarkab
fact l learnt at lode where eight Scot.
miners were at work, that at the same pri
for piece work as paid to the Swedes, tn
- had secured seven kroners per diem
716d), and the Swedes never got beyol
three. The most curious remarks are ma
: by the Lapps, who come down to see the e
gines draw in their loads of coal and dra
i out their loads of ore. SIS this power fro
heaven" is the first query of the Lapp
holder as he sees his reindeer home at last
yaned Cor London Post