The daily morning journal and courier., 1906-09-15
WASHINGTON OF THE NORTH.
Splendid Public Building and Natural
 Attractions of Ottawa.

'PiCHuld uDilc bullulnS anu Ndtufdl
 Attractions of Ottawa. When Ottawa-which likes to call it. self the Washington of the North was selected as the capital of Canada, vast pile of Government buildings was begun.
 There was no grandiose city design like that by which Washington has been lacked up in spite of itself to the level of a great capital, The street plan of Ottawa was drawn, says Col Hers, to suit the immediate needs of small provincial town. But the Parlia- ment buildings have stood year after year as an example and a stimulus to civic pride.
 Browning the boldest promontory that juts into the river, the great Gothic tower of the Library of Parlia- ment scars like mountain peak into the sparkling Canadian air. The Li- brary is the dominating feature of the Government buildings, which form three sides of quadrangle, its back to the river and it's front on terrac- ed court facing the city.
 In completeness of effect Ottawa is incomparably more fortunate than Albany The New York State capitol cost at least six times as much as the whole group of Government buildings at Ottawa; yet 1t Is so elbowed and jostled by mean houses that it looks cheap in comparison.
 When the Parliament buildings were designed practical men at Ottawa thought they were laid out on a scale of wanton extravagance, but now the Government has overtlowed its ac- commodations. It has had to build one new block outside of the original quad Irangle and it is paying so much rent for other quarters that it is prepar- ing to build more, which will double the extent and impressiveness of the civic centre.
 At the foot of Parliament Hlll are the locks of the Rideau Canal It is not often that a canal is one of the at fractions of city; but the Rideau's long flight of stone locks, running up the hill from the river like giants stairway is a decorative feature and source of endless entertainment. People stand for hours watching the boats lazily climb the stairs while the shippers wives nurse their babies on deck. It lies between two parks, an attraction for each and a permanent Irefutation of the theory that business and ugliness must necessarily go to- gether.
 In 1899 the Dominion established a permanent improvement commission and endowed it with a standing re- but enough to make showing when ljudiciously used,
 The Government Drive" along the Rideau Canal is the Improvement Commision's greatest exploit as yet. To build it without neglecting the other works on hand, including the acquisi tion of some necessary land, called for money than the commissioners had in lump, so they hit upon the ingen- ious idea of eapitalizing their expecta- tions.
 They issued bonds based upon their promised appropriations, and in that way raised enough to do at once what otherwise would have had to be spread over a number of years. The glory of Ottawa is it's wonder full variety and extent of water front ages, The Ottawa, here as wide as the Mississippi, there as narrow as the Harlem, flows with an infinite com plexity of rugged shore lines along the whole length of the city.
 The Rideau encircles the greater part of the town, leaping at last into into the Ottawa over a cliff forty feet high. The Rideau Canal parallels at a little distance the curve of it's river The Gatineau enters the Ottawa on the other side.
 At the other end one of the greatest natural attractions possessed by any city in the world has been given over entirely to bald commerciallsm. The Chaudiere Falls, which for volume of water and sublimity of effect second only to Niagara among the cataracts east of the Mississippi, remain outside of all Ottawa's plans of civic improv- ment.
 Like the Rideau Falls which ought to be another superb establishment of the city they have no other present purpose of existence than to run saw mills. Of course that purpose will have to be recognized
 The Chaudiere Falls represent 10000 | horsepower at low water and 3oo,00O at high water. That means too much
 to the commercial prosperity of Otta-
 wa to be thrown away.
 At present there is a great volume of water which is not used The falls are still magnificent spectacle from
 the old bridge, the only point from
 which they can be seen to advantage, ad there seems no reason why some attempt should not be made to beauti-