Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-09-27
PLUCK MINUS CASH
Two Men Without Capital
Build Railway in Canada.
LINE CROSSES CONTINENT
Six Thousand Miles of Track and
Line of Steamers.
VANCOUVER OBJECTIVE POINT
Pair of Scotch-Canadians, Partners
From Boyhood, Succeed in Gil
gantic Undertaking.
LINE CROSSES CONTINENT
VANCOUVER OBJECTIVE POINT
ny WILLIAM f. CURTIS.
SnecIal Cores rondenre Of The Star and the
chicago Record Herald.

BY WILLIAM r. CURTIS.
SpecIal Corre<pondenre OF The Star and the
chicago Record Herald
WINNIPEG. September 10. 1911
Two men. without capital. have been
building a railway across the continent
in Canada in competition with the Cana
dian Pacific and the Grand Trunk. They
aIready have nearly 5000 miles of track.
and a line OF steamers from Montreal To
Bristol England. They own the Royal
Edward and the Royal George, new mod
arm ships of 1cWo tons. handsomely
equipped for passengers as well as for
handling freight.
These ambitious men, who have been
partners from boyhood, with a most
romantic experience. expect to complete
their railroad to Vancouver within the
next three years. and are planning to d.
vide the commerce OF that port with the
Canadian Pacific, which has monopolized
II up to date. They are building rapidly
westward over the Rocky mountains. at
the rate of several miles day, ana
their track runs through the richest
wheat fields of western canada. lhey
proposed to put on line OF steamers
from Vancouver to Bristol, England, ana
divide the harvest between the Paclnc
and Atlantic oceans at some point mid
way between Vancouver and winnipeg.
according to the laws of economy. w men
they determine the comparative cost or
carving a bushel of grain by way of
Vancouver and the Panama canal and
the cost of carrying it by way of the
great lakes and the st. Lawrence, they
will make their rates accordingly.
Follow Grand Trunk Tracks.
They have a line from Duluth to Win
nipeg: another from Fort William on
Lake Superior. to Winnipeg. and three
parallel lines about 100 miles apart across
the wheat fields from Winnipeg west. con-
yerginy near the city of Saskatoon. From
there they will have one line westward
TO Edmonton, and thence through the
YeIlowhead pass of the Rocky noun
tains to VancouveI. They are following
the track of the Grand Trunk Pacific for
several hundred miles. The two tracks
are often within stones throw OF each
other.
the benefit of the Grand Trunk surveys
and is using that road as an auxiliary
to haul its construction materlai at or
binary rates, and deliver ties and rams
where they are to be laid. This is
new and novel method of railway build
ing. and saves an enormous expense, as
we'll as the time and trouble OF hauling
IL by mules and oxen across the country
and along the muddy grades.
The Canadian Northern is using the
same pass that the Grand Trunk oocu
pies through the Rocky mountains The
two lines will lie so close together that
one would think them the double tracks
OF the Same road. The Grand Trunk
was practically finished before the noun
tain section of the Canadian Northern
was begun. but the minister of railways,
realizing that there would be little local
traffic to quarrel over in that territory,
permitted the Canadian Northern Com
pany to select its right of way adjoining
that of it's rival.
After emerging from the Yellowhead
pass through the Rocky mountains. the
goodbye. and breaks off at south
western angle for Vancouver.
The United States has no transconti-
mental railroad. When the one l have
been describing has been completed Can
ada will have three-from ocean to ocean
the Canadian Pacific. the Grand Trunk
and the Canadian Northern.
Scotch-Canadians the Builders.
The story of the Canadian Northern. as
! have already said, is romance. 1t is
being built by two Scotch-Canadians,
formerly known as Bill and Dan. later as
Mackenzie and Mann, and since many
honors were bestowed at the coronation
of King George, they Sir Will
liam Mackenzie and Sir Donald Mann
Both were born in Ontario, and their
boyhood homes are still in possession of
on farms until they were of age, and
both went out to the western provinces
to seek their fortunes about the same
time Sir Donald Mann says that his
richest heritage was poverty and country
air The richest legacy Mackenzie ever
received was the faculty of silence. He
seldom speaks, but keeps divil Of
known to most people. came west he could
swing an ak better than any man in any
gang he ever worked in: he could put
the shot further than any other Canadian
and was SO husky and strong that on one
occasion he literally lifted balky horse
into a box
In the beginning Mackenzie was a car
penter and bridge builder. Mann was
wood chopper. a timber cruiser and later
a tie contractor. Mackenzie was build
ing snow sheds in the Rockies for the
Canadian Pacific when the contracting
lied and began business. Mann discover
ed inland lake which led to the Co.
lumbia river. and established new water
route which saved a twenty-mile haul of
material and supplies. This was worth
S2JO,OO to the firm. Later Mackenzie
and Mann became contractors on the
Canadian Pacific in the northwest terri
tories. This line, upon which they were
engaged. as most travellers know, keeps
close TO the boundary, far to the south
10 clear what was formerly supposed to
be the frost line.
Mann woke one morning to find that
one OF his teams had strayed off during
the night, and Immediately after break
fast he started in pursuit on foot to find
it. The trail led due north, probably be-
cause a brisk breeze was blowing from
that direction. and the horses Travelled
that way because the wind blew the
black flies and mosquitoes away from
them. They walked while feeding and
fed as they walked On the second day
they We're discovered, belly deep, In wild
Grass and pea vines. Now il may be that
the horses knew of those rich pastures,
FOR nothing is more surprising than horse
Sense. At all events, his horses led Dan
Mann to these fertile fields Mann's habit
: silence, and he had no trouble to keep
ibis secret, by which he proited in later
Years.
Profit by Old Charter.
In the early '9os Mackenzie and Mann
secured an old railway charter that had
been abandoned and was kicking about.
and In 1896 built their first mile of rail-
way. from the little town of Gladstone.
Manitoba. A few years later they took
over the Manitoba government railway.
which gave them connections south at
the International boundary. The charter
they had acquired provided for a railway
via the Pas Mission to Hudson bay. but.
remembering the rich field of Assiniboia.