The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1893-06-04
A RAILROAD TO HUDSON BAY.

Our neighbors in British Colum bia are
excited over the prospect that they are
going to have another transportation route
20 Europe. 1t is not understood that the
projectors OF the Canadian Pacific ever
made anything out of it except what they
got from the Canadian Government, but
from that source they got so much that
Others have been stimulated to follow their
example. The new route-which has been
talked of for ten years-is to open virgin
country, in which there " Ill be no stint of
land grants.
1t will start from Victoria on Vancouver
Island, and will cross the strait on a
bridge specially built for its use. From
New Westminster it will folio" the line of
the Canadian Pacific across The Rocky
Mountains, and down their eastern slope
until the Saskatchewan Valley is reached /;
it will pursue the valley to the mouth of
the river in Lake Winnipeg; thence it will
strike across, pursuing a course slightly
east of north to its terminal at Fort
Churchill, on Hudson Bay. From Fort
Churchill. in the months OF July, August
and September, freight steamers will ply
to Liverpool. 1t is calculated that this
will be the shortest route from the Pacific
coast TO Liverpool.
Building railroads through snow des-
erts between points which are neither
distributing markets nor depots for mer-
camille products is not regarded in this
part of the world as sound enterprise
but the English seem to take different
view. for they are said to have subscribed
for a large issue of bonds of the Hudson
Bay Railway Company which Mr. Suther-
land, the president. has offered them.
There is some good land in the province of
British Columbia and in the territories
of Alberta, Assiniboia, Saskatchewan
and Kemattn. They are full OF fine tim
Der and there are indications of mineral.
But in that b0real region the year is d.
vided into a winter of nine m onths and a
summer of three. a country must be very
productive where three months labor will
supply twelve months subsistence. And
in regions so remote from the centers of
consumption it costs all that products are
worth TO get them to market. There are
no finer wheat countries in the world than
Manitoba and the border counties of
Dakota; forty bushels TO the acre is quite
common average; but it is very doubtful
whether in either ths wheat-grower can
L
goes to the carrier.
Whimsical as the Hudson Bay route
seems to US at the present time. 1t will be
remembered that not very long ago the
Canadian Pacific route appeared equally
visionary. 1t also runs through snow
desert, and from Sault ST. Marie to the
west slope of the Rocky Mountains 1t
traverses country which is largely unfit
even for agriculture. Yet the road is in
operation and is competing actively with
our roads for interoceanic traffic. So the
Siberian Railroad, which has got through
Eastern Turkestan, and is on the frontier
of Mongolia. 1t crosses a country which
appears utterly hopeless; yet the cars will
presently be running. and in the case of
another Russian famine, wheat may be
shipped from San Francisco to Vladivos-
took for consumption west of the Urals.
Whether anything comes of the Hudson
Bay scheme or not it is likely to stimulate
inquiry in to the possibility of railroading
in Alaska. In that territory there is fer
tile land. fine woods. gold and other min
erals. The best country in the Territory
is on the Upper Yukon, and at present the
only means of getting there is by stern
wheel steamer which makes two trips q
year up tho river from st. Michaels. A
short railroad from Chilcoot across the
range to the lakes which are the head
waters of the Yukon would place the
gold diggings and the valleys of the Por-
cupine and the Pelly within three weeks
of San Francisco. 1t is not easy to see
where such line could find traffic enough
to pay interest on its cost. But all the
gold in the continents of the Yukon has
not been found. The discovery of a new
FL Dorado in the Arctic regions is among
the possibilities of the future. At any
rate, if the English can afford to build a
railroad to Hudson Bay we ought to be
able to spare a few millions to furnish
our northern Territory with an outlet.