The Meeker herald., 1896-11-14
NEW ROUTE TO EUROPE.
Proposed Construction of Water.
way Through Hudson Bay.
1t Would Lessen the ID istanee from st
Paul 70 Liverpool $40 Miles and Be
of Immense Advantage to the
shipping Interests.


The distance of the great wheat fields
Of the northwest from the Atlantic sea-
baula. and the consequent eSpense of
uitng thc agricultural products of
ii,as great prairie country on the Eu-
.s.lean market, has long seemed to be
m unsurmountable difficulty. While
: ayiuation is open on the great lakes
- coy OF transportation is greatly
ssE-ncd. b,s eve.: with the advantage of
Is iuia: d waterway the outlay OF ship
lirg bushci of wheat 10 Liyeipool has
sesn. during the past few years, equal
o lie p.!ce paid for hushel u points
- paLota and Manitoba, which means
hat fer every husliel of wheat that the
gTnor puts on the European market
.e i.ust l;ave the value of another bush
,l3e gstit there.
The cause of this is that, whether by
lAas or rail, the wheat has to be carried
roIa the west to this city, distance
n sonse cases of l,000 miles.
These freight rates, which are not by
~ means high for the distance, make
tbe difference between profit and loss
10 the farmer.
This evil is to be overcome by what
q. called the new idea. II is not new,
Iv any means, for it has been used by
fre Hudson Bay company for ever 200
rclrs; it was the route that the early
sttlers on the Red river OF the north
loo, when they started the Red River
.oiaay in 1872, and as it has been. and
5 ttili, to certain extent, used TO this
lay, il is evidently not inpraciicable.
ror four months of winter ice prevents
aayigption, but il freezes up later in
he fnn and thaws earlier in the spring
han Lake Superior.
TGe route itself is from Port Nelson
% tha mouth of the Nelson river,
ohrough the Hudson straits, via Cape
iare,8 eli to the north coast oi Ireland,
and thence to Liverpool or Glasgow;
aud Por; Nelson is TO be connected With
..c wheat fields and cattle ranges by
means OF railway from Winnipeg. Man,
"a hich is less than 400 miles from the
aay.
II may be asked: ''Why was this not
al thought of before?" The answer is
s'fallle. Until the year 1870 the whole
fwha; Is now the Canadian province of
Manitoba and British northwest. TERRI
tories vas controlled by the Hudson
Day company, and as their sole object
.1cs to supply the world with fur, it
l,as distinctly to their interest TO ex-
..-rerate the dangers of the waters of
the Kay, and in fact do anything that
osculi retard immigration to their pre-
9rE.cs.
I3ut now things have changed. The
}IEdsoE Fay eompany's rights were pur-
-has,d ty the dominion government i'll
1870 for about s25.o0O,oc0 worth OF
land, End in 1850, ten years later char
ar Was GRANTED to the Nelson River
company, who are now building rail-
nay which will, in the course of a few
years, bring Winnipeg within 36 hours
railway journey to the sea.
BY this route ST. Paul and Minneapo-
l.s would be only $50 miles from the
cecar. What does this mean? A saw
iag Of nearly 75o miles as compared
,giah the distance to New York. This
1rpBes equally, of course. to points
tcat, ard esen more to points north and
northwest Of the twin cities. Further,
t,.c disirrce from Port Nelson 20 Liver
eooi IL .. % miles, while Il IS 500 from
Ne.e yos! 10 the same Place, showinS
i dtTer1ucs IN favor Of ;hc bay route of
int ni;l1s 50 that the difference OF TIE
iy.o routes from ST. Paul TO Liverpool,
as seS York, and via the Hudson BAY,
shows the latter to be shorter BY near
II s,7a mil g.
This great northern waterway is not,
However, without some drawbacks; for
;netance, during four months IT cannot
u ueal, bat owing to the fact that the
iH5' CO.'S not freeze until October The
ia farmer. with his early harvest,
ouiI get most Of his grain OF hls hands
ei.d sh;FytsI before that time, and
-uch of his produce Us he could not get
20 The seatoard in time would be held
IN slsyators at Port Nelson untii spring.
u len lSe would catch the inevitable rise
in tlse nlorlet in Europe in Nay.
Grain is hy no means the o1iir com
modify to be considered. THINK OF the
cattle during the long summer shipping
season. freed from the long trans
continental railway haul. they would
arrive in Europe in much better condi-
iicn than nowadays.
Then i,iere are hay, timber. logs. wool
and hundfea and one things that
.gould BE n profit TO the westesrer with
cheap freight to Europe. which are now
/; glut on the market Even horses
| might bc raised at a profit. N. y. Tel
egram.
The Bright Side.
Toolx;n' nn tba hrIv ,lf side