Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1907-08-28

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about two-thirds of them Roman
Catholics. French is the prevailing
language spoken, and in most parts of
the city the signs on the stores are
printed in French and English, the
streets are labelled on one side in
French and on the other in English,
while the street cars, waiting rooms
and all public places throughout the
city have notices, etc. printed in
French as we'll as English. The
visitor is at once impressed with the
large number of prosperous banking
institutions and many beautiful
churches. There are ninety seven
churches, and it seems that there is
scarcely block in the business center
without bank.
After securing accommodations at
the Hotel Windsor, we started out to
see what we could of the city, having
previously obtained information as to
the principal points Of interest The
first was st. Peters Cathedral on
Dominion Square. 1t is an exact
model of st. Peters at Rome, although
only about half the size. The height
TO the top of the dome is 25S feet,
which is surmounted by cross IS
feet high and weighing 1, 800 pounds.
The circumference of the dome is 240
feet.
Notre Dame Cathedral is the great
church of Canada and is the largest
ecclesiastical edifice on the American
continent, except the Cathedral of
Mexico. 1t is built after the model
of Notre Dame cathedral in Paris,
and seats 10. 600 people. 1t is 255x134
feet in size, and the two towers are
227 feet high. One of them contains
the largest bell in America, weighing
25, 600 pounds and costing $25, 900. 1t
is feet, inches in diameter, 6 feet
8 inches high, one foot thick. It's
clappers weigh $50 pounds. The church
has ten other bells. The church cost
over So, 600. 600, and has 10 double con-
fession boxes, where 38 priests can
hear as many confessions at one time.
1t has two galleries. one above the
other, and it's interior finish is in
hard wood, the architecture and
finishing being magnificent and cost
ly. The city has many other beauti-
full church edifices, which we are un-
able to mention for lack of space.
Passing Victoria Square, where is a
beautiful statue of the late queen, we
go through the fine government
buildings to the Admiral Nelson monu-
ment, and then to the Chateau de
Ramezay. near by. This quaint old
structure was built in 1908 after the
manner of the old Canadian manor
houses OF unhewn stone and boulders.
by Claude de Ramezay, who was ap-
pointed governor of Montreal 1t is
one of the oldest buildings in Mont
real and has much of historic interest.
Now it is occupied by the Numisma-
tic and Antiquarian Society, and is
filled with interesting and valuable
relics.
Next we went by trolley car to
Mount Royal. beautiful mountain
overlooking the city from the south
west, which has been made into
park. 1t rises over the city to
height of 700 feet. and the ascent is
made by a cog wheel railroad. From
its summit beautiful view of the
city and the country for many miles
about is seen. The city lies at the
foot and on three sides of the noun
tain. between it and the st. Lawrence
river, crossing which is the famous
Victoria Bridge, the longest in the
world at the time of its erection, two
miles long. erected in 1885, To the
east the Green Mountains and to the
southwest the Adirondack mountains
are plainly seen, and the view up and
down the st. Lawrence from the
mountain is beautiful. 1t far sur
passes the view from the "high
drive" of Duluth or anything of the
kind we have ever seen.
Among the many prosperous bank
ing institutions the most prominent is
the Bank of Montreal. established in
1917. 1t is the largest in the Domin-
ion and one of the largest on the con-
tinent. having assets of $l1S, 900. 600.
and capital and surplus of over $24.-
900, 600. II has seventy branch banks
throughout Canada.
There are many other points of in
terest throughout the city that we
cannot stop to mention. including
several nunneries and converts, one
of them being one of the largest on
the continent, numerous hospitals,
colleges, parks, etc. that are all ad-
juncts to a great metropolis.
We had intended to make the entire
trip from Montreal to Toronto by
water. and purchased our ticket that