The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1898-09-11

stretched it's 400 miles Of length and
fifty miles Of width, hedged in by the
Baikal mountains on it's western side
and the Saganskii range on it's south
ern and eastern side The lake was ac-
cessible at Irkutsk, but the mountains
on the south and east presented engi-
neering difficulties that would require
vast years Of constructive work to
overcome before the railway could be
driven around the southern extremity
of the lake. Mr.. Karel, a former resi-
dent of Kewaunee, was serving his
country as consul in Russia, and
through him the Russian minister of
railways learned of the success of the
car ferry in this country He sent an
engineer here to investigate the sys-
tenn, with the result that it was adopt
ed for use on Lake Baikal during the
summer months, the extreme thick
ness Of the ice formation preventing
its use in winter, when rails will be
laid upon the frozen surface of the
lake. ..- ......,,.
The victory of the car ferry made
possible the commercial wedding of st.
Paul with Manitow0c. Railway man
ayers, eager to meet the demand of
shippers for shorter routes, with their
lower rates and greater expedition,
were quick to utilize the new method.
Chicago has long "milked' Northwest
ern traffic with excessive local charges,
While the delays in shipments incident
+the transfer there to trunk lines
formed serious impediment to the
movement of products east and west.
The question of adequate harbors en-
the direct line from st. Paul East was
quickly solved. Manitowoc, on this side
Of the lake, and Ludington, on the
other, furnished ample facilities. A
sufficient depth Of water for the heav-
lest -freighters could be secured, while
the inner harbor gave ample dock
room. The Wisconsin CentraIs air line
from st. Paul east swerved at Neenah,
some thirty miles west of ManitOWOc
to the south for Chicago. The construc-
ton of this link would make it, in con-
nection with the car ferry and the
Flint & Pere Marquette line, in Michi-
gan, a route, almost as straight as the
crow flies, from the Twin Cities to the
cities on the North Atlantic coast. That
company secured a peninsula less than
half mile from the outer harbOr, con-
tanning several acres of ground around
which the river swept, and on it con-
structed it's deHOts, warehouses and
yards, with slip into which the car
ferry could back and take ON a freight
train. An elevator, with half million
bushels capacity, was built last year
and this year one Of a million bushels
is being built on the opposite side of
the river on the line Of the Northwest
ern. This latter company obtained pos
session of a large track of land on the
lake shore south of the harbor piers
inner end, where it has dredged out
slip for car ferry and where an ex-
tensiVe coal dock has been constructed.
AS it's line crosses the principal streets
connecting the north and south Sides
of the city, impeding and endangering
traffic, a belt line is being constructed
around the southern limits of the CITY
to the slim. The Central is supposed TO
be behind the purchasers of right OF
way about the northern part of the city
for a belt line down the lake front to
the harbOr. where another slip and coal
docks will be built. Already Man1toWoc
has become a depot for coal from Penn
sylyanfa and Ohio, and one Twin City
coal company gets it's supplies from
that point The day is rare one when
one or more great coal frelghters are
not lying at these docks dischargins
cargo.
That shippers appreciate this new
route is apparent to one who goes
through the warehouses and sees the
trains loaded with freight from the
West pass from the rails on land to
the rails in the Capacious hold OF the
Pere Marquette, the principal car ferry
boat, en- route to LudingtOn and thence
East. or sees the ferry bring back
trains loaded with Eastern products
for transport to the Northwest. There
is no break in transit and far less de-
lay than Is occasioned by shipments
through Chicago. It takes but four
hours to cover the sixty miles of water,
but little If any less than the average
rate of movement Of freight trains. At
present Pere Marquette is making but
one trip a day, owing to the falling or
in freights, but in busy seasons two
round trips are made daily. The pas
senger possibilities Of the route have
not vet been developed. although 1T is
not inconsiderable, the Pere Marquette
having good cabin accommodations and
the lake ride affording a break in the
monotony of the rail ride from or TO
the East that is reStful and refreshing
during the heated term. When develop
ed the gain in time of some twelve
hours and Of over a hundred miles in
distance will make this route popu-
lar one. It's effect on freight rates for
-four has already been felt by ship
pers But this new connection of ours
has higher ambitions. II can see no
reason why it cannot win a share OF
that greater traffic coming up the lakes
in the great modern trelghterS, carry
ing coal and merchandise UP and grain
back. IT is meeting the demand for
harbor depth to accommodate them by
dredging the inner harbor to keep pace
with the governmental work that aims
to put a twenty-one foot channel be-
tween the harbor piers. The inner har-
Dor has shore lire Of, some four miles
along deep water, more than fourth
of which is already locked.
Our "Aw connection. It Is th,-s s er.