Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1906-05-05
Especial Correspondence of The Dcsc Necs by Frank CUtcne

something like 700 900 bushels, OF
wheat IL is not cXtraVagant TO believe
that the great grain belt OF the British
northwest viii produce as much at
sometime IN the future. Its Yield last
year was about hundred million bush
els and not one-fiftietb Of the land Is
under cultivation. II the wheat can
be transported by way Of Hudson bay
Il is said that the saving might be rs
much as 10 cents per bushel. and this
on hundred milliOn-bushel crop
would mean saving of $4,000 900 per
annum. Is II any wonder that the pos
slbllity OF the route Is seriously con-
sidered?
In addition 10 grain would be the
enormous supplies which will be needed
for the British northwest. This country
VIII eventually support about 20,0oO0o0
people. aud they will be among the best
customers of the globe. The port would
also take away freight from and supply
goods direct to the United States. II
would be especially valuable In the
shipping Of live stock, ms the climate Is
cool and the sea voyage short.
CAN HUDSON BAY BE NAvIGATED
There has IN the past been strong
opposition to all schemes for the utill-
zatlOn OF Hudson bay. a great secrecy
has been preserved about the bay and
strangers have been kept from explor..
ing IL. There have hecn two corpora
lions especially interested in this mat
tcr. one waa the Hudson Bay company
and the other the Canadian Pacific rail
way. The Hudson Bay company was
anxious to keep matters quiet because
they were getting n half million dollars
worth of rurs ont Of this region, which
they had monopolized for 200 years.
The Canadian Pacific people knew that
" wheat and other freight could be sent
via Hudson bay to England their long
freight line across the continent would
lack traffic And therefore. both were
Interested In keeping the conditions as
they were.
As 10 the possibilities Of navigation,
these can only be tested by experiment.
There Is no doubt hut that ships can
20 in and out Of this great inland wa
terway during part of the year. The
Hudson Boy company sailing vessels
have been doing 50 FOR ga years, In
that time they have had In operation
$50 vessels. ranging in size from 10 tons
10 small boats and so far they have
lost only two.
; HUDSON BAY NEVER FROZEN
The difficulty OF navigating Hudson
bay lies not In the bay itself, but In
Hudson strait, which leads into II. Hud-
son bay, as ! am told, Is never frozen.
II t. like a great ocean and some short
distance from the shore IL open all the
year round, II Is an enormous body
Of water. 1t Is 1900 miles long and 600
miles wide, and its area is one-sixth as
big as the whole United States II has
by fnr the largest drainage basin Of all
British America. Some Of it's waters
now to the Great Lakes and the Gulf
Of Mexico the basin includes about
three million square miles.
Hudson bay has icebergs and ice foes,
but It's waters are deep, and II has
some good harbors. One of the best
harbors Is Fort Churchill, and it has
been picked out as the port for the
probable railroads. II will be the best
place TO reach Winnipeg, the total dis
lance between the two points being
about as great as between New York
and Pittsburg. a railroad could easily
be- built along the route and II II said
that much of the land through which It
would go Is suitable for vegetable rails
ing and small farms.
THE HUDSON STRAIT BARRIER.
The greatest dangers OF the Hudson
bay route lie IN Hudson strait. which