The Dalles daily chronicle. [volume] (The Dalles, Or.) 1890-1948, 1892-08-03

which all American tishing scheoners
and vessels trading between Prince Ed
ward Island and the gulf ports on the
one side and ST. Iohn, Portland, Boston
and New York ON the other were obliged
to make
! The immense expense of this uuder-
taking rendered it impracticable, and
other mesns of transportation across the
neck of land between the gulf of st
Lawrence and the bay of Fundy had to
be sough The Ghignecto marine trans
port railway aims at solution of the
prob b5em and It lias reached stage of
progress which insures it's completion,
The foadbed is balIastcd and ready for
tracklaying and the docks at either end
are in progress of construction. The
steel for the track is the heaviest ever
made and weighs no pounds to the yard.
There viii be a double track, upon which
the cradle containing the vessel under
transportation will be placed. The loco
motives, two of which will be used in
drawing the vessel across the isthmus,
are built on the same principle as ordi-
nary engines, tnt Of much greater weight
and power.
The vessels 10 be transported will be
hoisted by hydraulic power from the
basin to the track, and it is estimated
| that it'll this power and the roadbed in
good condition a ship of ordinary capac-
ity will he taken from the bay of Fundy
and placed in the gulf of ST. Lawrence
! in two and half hours, though a speed
of ten miles an hour is obtained During
the coming year the Cbignecto marine
transport railway should be in active
operation, and a saving on each trip
will be effected of 900 miles. It would,
however, be more prudent to say that
the company viii be ready TO handle
whatever business offers, because it is d
matter of pure speculation as to the earn
ings of the enterprise.
The tariff for lifting and. hauling yes
sells over the railway will be fifty cents
per ton for cargo and twenty-five cents
per ton for hull, so that a vessel of / 600
tons would pay $3.50 for transportation.
The permanent success of the scheme is
looked upon as highly problematic, for
4
! trade at present are totally unable to
bear any fuch charges, and the prospects
| of traffic in ships between Lake Ontario,
st John and Boston, which some people
have alleged would accrue, are altogether
too visionary to warrant such an ex-
penditure.
The promoters, however, willnot be the
losers. In Canada the advocates of such
schemes form an Important part OF the
industrial community, and it has come
to be one ofithe. most important indus
tris-the erection of public works with
4 British capital, secured by the promise
Of Dominion subsidies. The country is
full of such,epterprises. In the province
of New Brunswick alone there are three
railways which have been thrown aside
when the s.promoters' had sucked the
profits dry. This marine railway COM
pany obtained Incorporation from par
lament in 1882, and the same year was
granted subsidy Of $3.50, 900 for twenty
five years in aid of the work. and the
proposal of so liberal subvention was
scarcely challenged in parliament, being
voted under theimpression that it would
never be demanded. Nothing was done
until 1885, when an order in council wat
passed authorizing entry into agreement
with the company, subject to the ap
proyaI of parliament, and such approya
was obtained in March, 1885,.
Under the terms the subsidy was to bs
$Iz0, 600 a year for twenty years, or sucf
I portion of it as would bring the ne
earnings up to per cent. on the author
ICED share and bond capital of the com
pany. Should the earnings exceed
per cent, one-half of such surplus is, tt
be paid the government until repayment
; of the subsidy is made. Surely this wa.
tempting enough to any capitalists
per cent. guaranteed Upon an ostensibl,
capital OF S., 500 900, though up to thi
: date no one has been able to learn tn,
exact or even proba blecost of the under
Z taking. .ss .-.