The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1897-09-26
AN ALLEGED C.P.PLAN
TO MAKE LAKE OF THE WOODS
HEAD OF LAKE NAVIGATION.
Details of n scheme That May Affect
the TrsnscontfnentalR oads-One
of Magnitude and Importance on
Paper - Engineering Difficulties.


SO far as concerns q maintenance OF
rates by any of the traffic associations
that have been supposed 10 hold transcon-
tinentai roads to an agreement. the Cana
dian Pacific has kept the other roads
guessing. There have been many charges
OF rate-cutting against the Canadian Pa
ctfie, and the most recent Is that in rela-
ton 10 fruit shipments from California,
other roads having practically stopped
soliciting fruit. wine and brandy for East
ern delivery.
The latest move on the part OF the Cana
dian that will furnish food for thought
and cause the lines having a lake and
rail route" TO wonder what will come
next. is the report that by a system of
locks and canals the Canadian will move
the head OF navigation from Lake Superior
10 Lake of the Woods. A recent copy
Of the Roseau County Times remarks upon
the presence in that vicinity OF a party of
railroad surveyors, who are locating a
line from Winnipeg to the Lake of the
Woods. and. further. that the line is not
that from Winnipeg to Duluth projected
by Premier Greenway. OF Manitoba, but
an enterprise of the Canadian Pacific
This statement Is confirmed in ST. Paul
by Winnipeg people there. who say that it
Is in line with the intentions Of the Cana
dian Pacific TO take Great Lake tonnage to
Lake of the Woods.
The scheme is one of great magnitude
and importance-on paper-and while il
may be feasible. il is 10 say the least,
curious that it has never been exploited
before If there is any substantial founda-
ton for il
1t is well known that Premier Greenway
IS now figuring with Col James Mcknight
and other capitalists In New York and
elsewhere for the construction of a So
called air line from Manitoba 10 Duluth
10 open short line for the transportation
OF the wheat of the province to the lakes
by the shortest possible route. IL is esti-
mated that the Canadian Pacific proposes
to head of this road by one OF its own 10
Lake of the Woods and Lake Superior.
Lake of the Woods and the Lake OF the
Woods country is d good deal of an III
TINA Thule" so far as the United States
Is concerned and few people who have
not actually visited the lake which forms
part OF the northern boundary of Min
neSota have any idea Of the possibilities
of development that there exist, nor OF
the more practical fact that already there
Is an immense water traffic going on over
the bosom of this immense sheet OF water
Lumber and fish form at present the
great volume of the traffic, but the Cana
dian Pacific has recently taken steps 10
improve its facilities on Lake of the
Woods 10 an extent that seems 10 promise
a development IN the near future far be-
yond what might ordinarily be expected
There are at present between eighty
and ninety steam vessels of one kind and
another plying upon the lake. OF these
the Monarch, Edna Bridges and Shamrock
are passenger steamers OF considerable ca
pacity. but recently the Canadian Pacific
has added a steel passenger boat OF its
own, keenora. This boat cost about s100. :
60 in its construction and equipment and
makes three round trips a week from Rat
Portage TO Fort Francis, on the Rainy
Lake river at the outlet of Rainy lake.
The Keenora has 200 staterooms and a ca
pacity of 500 passengers. and in her ap-
! pointments is said TO rival the best passen-
| ger boats on the Great Lakes. The Cana
| dian Pacific is also having constructed at
! Toronto. according TO the Winnipeg pa
/ pers, two steel barges of large carrying
| capacity for Lake Of the Woods.
At present there Is water comm,lnica-
| ton as far east as Fort Francis but at
this point a canal has been completed
about the falls. and when the locks are
| added the limit Of navigation viii be ex-
] tended TO the east end OF Rainy lake. Dur
! ing the past season considerable work has
| been done at Long Sault and Mani,ou rap
| ids on Rainy Lake river. OF course IL
| may be possible that the Canadian Pacific
| IS only preparing itself 10 handle the grad
| ually increasing business from the Rainy
| lake country. where settlement is rapidly
| going on and the gold fields and industry
| are increasing business as we'll as popula-
] ton, but 1t Is insisted that the ultimate
purpose is 10 complete deep water commu-
nicstion from Rainy lake TO Lake Superior.
There are tremendous engineering diff
culties in the way % such a project The
divide TO be overcome is OF great he{e.,t
aud IL is possible that the conditions could
NOS be overcome by any system OF locks.
Admitting the possibility OF the scheme
f for the sake OF the story, the next step in
B is development is that the wheat Of Mani
toba and the Red river valley are 70 be
carried hy rail- 70 the southwest corner Of
Lake ~ the Woods there - he loaded on
vessels for transshtpment direct 20 Buf-
falo. The Canadian Pacific now touches the
lake az Rat Portage. but q Is thirty miles
less. more or less from Wlnnineg 70 tho
+ southwest corner - the lake than TO Rat
Portage and the distance from that corner
20 the mouth Of Rainy Lake river Is ninety
or q hundred mites loss by water than
from Rat Portage. so that the constrtc-
+ don ~ an air lae from Winnipeg 10 the
War Read river y -uid shorten the distaucs
from 80 % 80 miles.
II is eviden, that the Canadian Pa-IN-
+ % contemplating something in the matter
~ more direct railroad com nauuicatfou
i With Lake OF me Woods and also that u
+ - preparing TO increase its facilities Tor
& commerce on the lake. Whether there s..
( I'm IT'S plans anything - startling as s
h.nte6 at or whether the rumoTed scheme
J is physically possible. time alone can
: da-unnst~ate-