St. Paul daily globe., 1889-06-30
A BIG PROPHECY.
Gigantic Railroad Develop
ments in the Canadian
Northwest.
The Northern Pacific to Build
a New Line to the Pa
cif1c
That Will Parallel the Canada
Pacific by the Mckenzie
Route
And Develop a Gigantic Tract
Of Country Tubulary to
st Paul.
The Northern Pacific Will
Not Drop It's Canadian
Interests.
Such Rumor Denied by Au-
thority of Cakes and Nc
Such Rumor Denied by Au.
thority Of Cakes and Nc
Naught.

Naught.
T. F. Oakes, president of the North
ern Pacific, was asked yesterday wheth-
er there was any truth in the report that
his road had signifed its intention OF
withdrawing from its Canadian rela-
tions, or had sold out its interests in the
dominion. He replied: absolutely
none. I wish you would deny the re-
port most enphatically, from me. Our
contract with the Manitoba government
precludes our doing anything of the
sort. Even if we desired to withdraw
we could not do so. We are building
new lines very rapidly all through
Manitoba, and regard that as one OF the
most valuable parts of our whole sys-
TEN. Manitoba and the surrounding ter
ritories form finer wheat-growing coun-
try than Dakota, and we have most
valuable piece of property. No, we have
not yet bought the Northwest Central
railway, but some negotiations looking
that way are going on. am glad the
GLOBE denied the rumors about our
withdrawal from Canada, as nothing is
further from our intentions. We are
spending pile of money there and
could not afford to withdraw. Besides,
look at the tremendous concessions the
Manitoba government has granted u.s."
Mr.. Oakes was told of the talk indulged
In by many people to the. effect that the
consolidation Of the Northern Pacific
and Wisconsin Central roads would
seriously injure the former through
making five or six enemies OF roads
which were formerly friendly. He
laughed, saying: 1.-THE Northern Pa
cigc is fully able to take care of itself.
We calculated on all the chances be-
fore we made the deal, and should not
have made it if we had not been certain
it would prove a paying speculation"
s'Did you see that article in the GLOBE
some months ago, in which affiliation
between the Northern Pacific and
Grand Trunk roads was predicted?''
was asked.
"You were perfectly right in your sur
mise. That was
THE GREAT INDUCEMENT
to buy the Wisconsin Central. BY that
road we got close connections at Chi.
cago with the Grand Trunk. We de-
sired closer relations with that road.
and have now got them. Where was
your Information on that subject OBJ
tained?"
80 From Geaa Sir H Henry Tyler president Of
R"Well. he ought to know. You see
by these connections we have road
straight across the continent from Port
land. Me-, Halifax, Nova Scotia and
Montreal on the st. Lawrence to the
Pacific coast. This gives US a powerful
| system of roads,"
Col. James Mcknight, counsel for the
Northern Pacific and president of the
| Northern Pacific & Manitoba, was asked
the same question about their with
drawal from Canada. Col. McNaught
ridiculed the idea IN much the same
terms that President Oakes had done,
saying: "Those reports are merely be-
ing spread to injure our business
They are absolutely false and without
foundation. The Manitoba govern
ment agreed to give us very
large bonus for building the road
they had projected, and one of the ex-
press terms of the agreement was that
we should not sell out, either to the
Canadian Pacific or to the Manitoba
road. Look at the thousands of tons Of
iron we are shipping to Manitoba, the
thousands of men we are employing
and the thousands of dollars we are
spending. That contract was not made
between the government and the North
ern Pacific, but between the goyern-
ment and Messrs. Henry Willard, 7. F.
Our interests are too great there to per-
NIT of our withdrawal. Instead of that
look out for further development"
A
The conversation of some of the most
prominent railroad men now in the city
combined with remarks let drop by Ot1l
ers who have been here within the past
few months, taken in connection with
facts, known perhaps to only few, but
facts nevertheless, point to the follow
ing developments, which are herein
predicted as certain to come to pass in
the immediate future. The Northern
Pacific will buy the Great Northwest
Central railroad. The history of this
latter road has been chequered. It hla
not been completed. owing partly to the
apparent responsibility of the parties
who were endeavoring to obtain the
land grant from the Dominion govern
ment, and partly to the determined op.
position of the Canadian Pacific
railroad. However, portions of 1t
nave Deen graOe0. ana now the
Northern Pacific and Manitoba road
is about to buy it. A safe prediction to
make is that they will own 1t inside ct
four weeks. This projected road runs
northwest from Manitoba, penetrating
the vast wheat fields of the Saskatche-
wan valley, the finest wheatgrowfng
district in the world, according to 'Ras
Wiman. Many hundred miles north
west it runs, passing Battleford and
terminating at Edmonton. When this
belongs to the Northern Pacific and
Manitoba, it will be extended at once to
the Pacific coast, which 1t will strike at
Skeena bay. This is the route the Ca
madam Pacific
OUGHT TO HAVE TAKEN.
and is that known as the .MacKenzie
route," which was advocated by Hon.
Alexander Mackenzie in the days when
he was premier of Canada, in and
around the year 1878. 1t is a muc;l
more feasible route than that taken by
the Canadian Pacific through the Kick
| g-HOrse Pass to Vancouver. The inn
portance of these developments to st.
Paul and to the Northern Pacific road,
| which Is essentially st. Paul r02d,
cannot be over-estimated. The great
! est wheat belt in the world lies around