Virginia free press. (Charlestown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1832-1916, 1888-10-11

ABOUT udrk (lHe tNlHBHI lasts lOhS
in those high latitudes) we crossed the
Red River on a long iron bridge and
entered Winnipeg. Before we left the
depot our baggage was inspected by the
officers of the Customs Department.
They were very polite, our detention by
them was very brief and we were soon
ratified along the streets in an omnibus to
the Leland Hotel. l may observe Incl
dentally that | have crossed many from
tiers and have never found the inspecting
officers otherwise than polite when they
saw had nothing to conceal and made
no objection to any inspection by them.
And have yet to offer or give a fee to
one of them.
retired early after writing two letters
of some length, one to Charlestown and
the other to my Office in Baltimore. 1t
had become considerably cooler, but this
was due to the higher latitude rather than
the altitude above the sea, for while Win
nipeg is about as far north as the upper
part of Newfoundland, it is only 700 feet
above the sea-level, which is not much
higher than Charlestown.
Ny friend and | decided to put on
thicker undercloihes, which we did next
morning and found them very comforta-
BILE. There was quite heavy frost in
the night After an early breakfast on
the 18th we walked around the town or
hours, taking the train westward at 10
a. m. ! secured some Canadian postal
cards and postage stamps so as to be able
to continue to send missives homeward
while in Canadian territory.
Winnipeg was formerly known as Fort
Garry and was a station of the famous
Hudson Bay Company, as indeed it still
is. We saw their buildings up near the
remains of the old Fort, which is situated
on the point of land where the Assini-
boine and Red rivers unite, as the Monon-
gahela and Allegheny do to form the
Ohio at Pittsburg, the site of Fort Pitt
under English rule and Fort Du Quesne
under that of France.
The population of the town has grown
from 100 in 1871 to $4,000 to-day. The
city is the capital of the Province Of
Manitoba, and is handsomely built, supe-
rior brick and stone being available. 1t
has, street railways, electric lights, fine
hospital, large Touring mills and grain
elevators, many notable public buildings,
good hotels, DC.
After examining the town with some
care agreed thoroughly with a writer
who had warned me that would hardly
abe prepared to find the frontier trading
fort of yesterday transformed into city
of $4,000 inhabitants, with miles Of i'm
posing structures, hotels, stores, banks
and theatres, with beautiful churches,
schools and colleges, with tasteful and
even splendid residences, with immense
mills and many manufactures, with
far-reaching trade and with all the Ell
dences of wealth, comfort and cultivation
to be found in cities Of a century's
growth.
Situated just where the forests end
and the vast prairies begin, with thou
sands of miles of navigation by river to
the north, south and west, and with rail
ways radiating in every direction like the
spokes of a wheel, Winnipeg has become,
what it will probably always be, a very
important commercial centre for the Ca
madam Northwest. Looking at the long
lines of warehouses filled with goods, and
the 20 miles or more Of railway tracks,
crowded with cars, one begins to realize
the greatness of the country about to be
entered in the journey westward. From
here the wants Of the people to the west
are supplied, and this way come the pro-
ducts of their fields, while from the far
north are brought furs in great variety
and number
The Canadian Pacific railway is pecu-
liar as being really the only one which
stretches across the whole Continent and
is under the same management through
out its length, from Montreal to Vancou-
yer, 1905 miles. There are, to be
sure, in the United States, several "trans-
continental lines" as We know, but they
consist, without exception, of systems or
combinations, of many parts, represent
inc widely Differing oWnerships and man.