Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1900-12-21
OUR FOREIGN LETTER
Dealing with Commercial and In
dustrial Conditions Abroad.
Building n Railway from the Great
Lakes to yudson Bny-The III
cycle Industry In Ger
many-Other Items.


mnny-Othrr Items.
Great Lalses-HudsoR Bay Railway.
The talk and plans ef decades have
finally taken form, and railway
connecting the great lakes with Hud-
son bay is now actually under con-
struction. The railway plunges hun
dreds of miles through an unbrol<en
wilderness, with no cities, towns, or
even villages to afford traffic. In fact,
only Indian guides and hunters have
ever attempted to penetrate the great
wilderness to the north. Neverthe-
less, the railroad, which is known as
the Algoma Central, is being built in
the most thorough manner possible,
with the best equipment available,
able to stand almost any strain upon
it andl capable of good service for
years to come. Eighty-fve pound
steel rails are used, and the loco
motives are of enormous size. weigh
ing 135 tons when equipped for traf
fic. The engines are so massive that
railway companies were afraid of the
strain on bridges, and they were de-
]ivered from Chicago to Sault Ste.
ries.
The new railway starts at Sault
Ste. Marie. Ground was broken less
than SO days ago, but already 25 miles
of road are completed and in use,
and the railway is pushing forward
at the rate of half mile day. 1t
is expected that it will require three
years to complete the road
The millions, of capital involved
came mostly from the United States,
but the builders have made careful
computations as to traffic and are
confident that the road will realize
all that ia promised as an investment.
1t had its origin in the necessity of
bringing supplies of pulp wood from
the far north TO the Sault mills. but
it opens up as well region that is
fabulously rich in minerals and tim
Der. The mineral wealth is said to
be practically ineXhaustible, con-
sisting of mountains of iron, copper
and other valuable ores. Among
other discoveries is that of solid
bed of gypsum eight miles in length.
In timber. the supplies are equally
! I
is claimed, the railway will run
through dense forests of big trees,
including birch. maple, hard elm, tam
arack, spruce, balsam. poplar and
white pine. Curly birch. which can
now be bought along the railway for
40 cents n cord, commands $40 a
thousand feet in the United States.
Elm wood that can he cut at ten cents
a cord sells at S25 :. thousand feet
Mt Minneapolis and otter points in
the northwest that are within easy
shipping distance.
The Ontario government is greatly
interested in the opening up of this
rich territory, and has aided in the
construction of the rail way by big
grant of land. At the end of the first
Is miles, the railway commenced to
haul heavy consignments of timber,
and traffic is following closely upon
construction.
II is announced that particular at
tention will be given to transit traf-
fic, and at every stopping-place a
first-class hotel will be built by the
railway. At Hudson bay. il is pro-
DoSti ~ tSluDlaSl StuSlut
hotel. Game is plentiful, and scores
of lakes and rivers that are teeming
with fish will be reached by the rail-
way. The scenery, bracing climate,
hunting and fishing are expected to
attract thousands of tourists. The
railway also intends to handle Hud-
son bay fish products on large scale.
III the plans of the officials are all
carried out the new railway to the
north, reaching as it does to the very
slopes of the Arctic ocean, will be one
of the most daring and picturesque
attempts to subjugate wilderness
known to railway annals.
Development of Zurich Trnmways.
Most of the street railways of
Zurich are owned by the municipality,
and it is only question of time when
the few private lines still holding
franchises will be under the control
of the city officials. Municipal own
ground greatly in Europe.
The fare in Zurich is to-day 1873
centimes (2.5 cents) when buying the
tickets in block books, but VIII with
in the course of a few years be low
cred to ten centimes e cents). 1t is
remarkable that the city can run the
street railways so cheaply, consider
ing the expensive and solid way in
which the tram lines are constructed
and the high price of SOFT coal, which
costs from 33 to 40 francs ($637 to
$772) per ton delivered at the power
station.
During the years 1s9s-19cO, the city
of Zurich has changed its horse car
lines into electric lines with the over
head trolley system, and also largely
extended the mileage. The total
length of track is now 40 kilometers
(25 miles) and the nuIaber of cars
$50, of which 40 are trailers. The
electric lines have all been construct