, 1889-03-28
Another Continental Railroad.

1Ae-4eSlSlGtur6 OF bTlllSn IOEuM-
bia, now in session in the Parliament |
House, Victoria, are taking action
necessary to increase the railway
service, and by greater mail facilities
to induce immigration to the north
west coast OF the colony. On the Sth
inst, by :. unanimous vote, resoIu.
tioa was passed to request the Do
minion government TO have 2 SEM
monthly mail between Victoria and
Queen Charlotte Islands, by steamers
Laving accommodations for passcn~
gers. The Victoria Nanaimo railway
is to be extended to the Rupert dis
trict, at the north end of Vancouver
island, to afford rapid transit TO the
coal fields, the timber lands and the
canneries on the main land, and
bring Victoria many hours nearer to
Queen Charlotte Islands, where the
fisheries colonies, and the recent de-
vel )pment of vast deposits Of the
most valuable bituminOus coal on
the North Pacific coast arc begin
ing to make those islands objects OF
special interest to the far seeing
statesmen in the colonial parliament.
But more than all, and what III
terests US here in Port Townsend es-
pecially, is the fact that this exteu-
sion of the Island railway is por-
| ton of the system of continental rail =
road by which the Grand Trunk line
OF Canada will have a continuation
which will place Victoria in direct
communication with the great trans
continental system already existing,
making through route from Nicto-
ria to Portland, Maine. This pro
posed route is no new idea. 1t was
proposed by Marcus Smith, former
ly chief engineer of the Canadian
Pacific, as the route by which that
railroad should come to Victoria as
its terminal city. But what was
known as the 'battle of the routes"
a battle between the Fraser river and
Butte Inlet routes, resulted in the se-
lection of the present site OF VancOu.
yer as the terminus of the Canadian
Pacific railroad.
The contention between these
routes has long since passed away,
but neither the Imperial or the Fed
eral government has lost sight of the
value of the vast expanse of the
Peace River country. That portion
of the province has already been par,
TALLY explored, and sufficient data
have been gathered to afford unde-
niable evidence that before the lapse
of many years it will be appreciated
as one of the richest and most fertile
sections of the entire Dominion OF
Canada.
In 1872 engineers passed from Es-
quimalt to Nanaimo, thence to Sey-
mour Narrows and across to Valdez
island, to the head of Butte Inlet, up
the Homathco river, over the divide,
and along lake Latlacoh, and finally
emerged on the plains and plateaus OF
the Chilcoten country. Other sur
veys followed that of 1872, which
further demonstrated the value OF
the country as a grazing and farm
ing locality, and already far seeing
stock raisers and agriculturists have
secured valuable localities.
A company has already been in
corporated to extend the system OF
the Grand Trunk line from Alberta
westward, through the Peace river
country and by the route we have in
dicated across Seymour Narrows IL
Vancouver island, and thence to Vic
torIa. The company has plenty of
means and energetic men are IN It's
councils, who are determined to push
the road to completion at an early
day. One of the corporators of this
road informed a friend Of ours that
it is the intention of the company to
run a ferry between Victoria and
Port Townsend. There is now 4
daily boat" said he," but before long
there will be two, and when business
increases, which we anticipate Oh the
completion or tie line, it may be
necessary to have boat every hour.
We shall make orr conne ction with
Port Townsend and the Port Town
send Southern railroad, which will
be completed long before our road
can be constructed and will afford US
the speediest connection with the
route to California and with the sys-
TENS of railways now crossing the
continent in the United States"
The men connected with this new
enterprise are not the sort who go
about with pumpkin vine trombones
to make noise, but they are the sol.
id capitalists of England, of Canada
and or the United States, who for
many years have been cognizant of
the Importance of the Port Town
send peninsula. knowing that when
the Port Townsend Southern railway
is completed, the greatest city of the
northwest coast will be built on this
peninsula, and its proximity to Vic
toria, the capital of British Colum-
bla and de fdcto terminus of the
Canadian continental railroad. will
ensure the closest of business rela-
tions between them.
a story is related of one of the