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//.

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M^/^^-^^ a^:,^

(Simtul ffiawada Wmmss (Bxttmim ^aptt

Toronto Provisionai- Committee Rooms,

lo King Street West.

THE FOLLOWING ADDRESS is published by thi,. League as a means
of promoting the object of its organization, which is to secure immedi-
ate continuous commercial transit between the navigable waterways of
the St. Lawrence, the Hudson the Mackenzie, and the Yukon Basins.

THE EFFECT OF THIS WILL BE to concentrate at points in
Ontario and near by Cities a large share of the immense outfitting trade now
enjoyed on the Pacific coast, and to open an outlet for the surplus products of
the vast Mackenzie Basin which cannot be profitably marketed except by the

Hudson Bay route.

To the text of the Address is appended the minutes of the meeting at which
it wa. deUvered as reported in the Toronto World, April 3rd, 1898.

The main hall of the Canadian Insti-
tute was well filled by a select "udienco
on Tuesday night to hear Mr. J.W.ryr-
rell's address, which is presented "i
these columns as one of the most im-
portant ever delivered to a Canadian
audience. ^ . , , ^,

Professor MoCallum, President of the
Institute, on taking the chair, ronmrkel
that the lecturer was one who had made
a record as an explorer, having spent
two seasons in meteorological observa-
tions north of Hudson Straits, besides
his most hazardous canoe voyage
through the great Telzoa River region
and OhestPTfield Inlet, to and along the
western coasr of Hudson Bay.to Ghnrch-
ill River, and thence to Manitoba, and
his observations of these regions would
be received in scientific and geographi-
cal circles as worthy of the entire con-

fidence which the well-known ability of
Mr. Tyrrell would inspire.

MR. TYBREI.L'S PAPER.

NaviKAble Waterway* of the Four Great

Interior Basins of Canada, and tlie

Economics of Utilising Them in

the Formation of a Joint Mid<

Continental Transit System.

The interior watei-ways of Canada
which can be utilized to any great ex-
tent may be classed as belonging to
four basins, namely: The St. Lawrence,
the Hudson Bay, the Mackenzie, and
the Yukon. It will be my aim to note
the outlines of these basins and their
main waterways, and tie points where

Oui Great Central Canadian Waterways Transit System.

thoy cuii bo most readily connected by
railways acruss their divides. Aext to
mention some of their most yrumineni
eeouomie resources, and the advantages
whieh CeiitraJ Canada may rtay t'rum
securing an early development of such
waterway system.

The term (JeutraJ Canada is intenJed
to includi? Montreal on the east and
Winnipeg on the west, and the districis
of which tliey are the commercial eeu-
trts, as well as Ontario in its entire
area.

ST. hAWUl'iNCb} liASlN.

The gi'ograi.hic.il cha: act. r. sties of
this lias. 11 are too Wiil known to require
extended iiotiee. 'J'he economie lessons
to be gathered from its commercial de-
veloimu'Mt are, however, woriliy of note.
One luindred years have not yi't elap.sed
since steam Iransit was liist seen upon
its waters, and half a ceiitury has not
passed since steam railways reached its
main ch:iiinels. lint to-day its marine
tonnai-'e exceeds that of the euiire wo.'ld
in the ISth century, and that passing
through the canals of one of its rive. s
(the St. Mary's) in seven months of
1897 was more than double that going
through the Suez Canal at the junctlt.a
of three continents in that entire year.
The lesson to be drawn from these re-
sults is that while land transit has made
marveions strides in exiiediting quick
conveyance of persons and propeny in
this basin, waterways more tlian hold
their own as the cheapest, for the most
bulky commodities, where long distances
are available for large-sized craft with-
out breaking bulk between terminals.

HUDSON BASIN.

Less than three hundred miles north
from the largest lake in this great
waterway occurs tidewater upon the
Hudson Basin. Although navigab'e
waters of its southern rivers reach to
within less than one hundred and fifty
miles of the main line of the Canada
Pacific Railway, yet there is not a
road, nor even a path, from one basin
to the other. Canoo, or boat transit
only is utilized up to this time. Although
commorco was esta:bli,shed in both these
basins more than two and one-quarter
centuries ago. no regular governmental
mail service exists between their main
water courses from any direction. This
is a very remarkable condition of af
fairs, and one not creditable to Canada.
The explanntlon generally accepted is
that, ns the trade of Hudson Bay re-
mains in the control of one corporation
known as the Hudson Bay Company,
and its interests are no doubt best siib-

sel'ved by keeping it as isolated au pos-
sible, a systematic repression of indus-
trial development and of improved trans-
sit facilities has been pursued witn ef-
fective results.

This company, by virtue of its charter
powers, under English laws iu past
years, exercised quasi-legal jurisdiction
over the three most northern basins, but
this was circumscribed when British
Columbia was organized as a province
in 1858, and in 180!) the company sur-
rendered its special privileges in oou-
sideration of the sum of £3UU,D0U, and a
grant of one-twentieth of the land ;n
what is known as the "fertile belt,"
mainly in the valley of the Saskatcbe
wan. In maps published as late as
180U, the company's p<rssessions were
shown as coniprLsing two-thirds of the
whole of Canada. Prior to 1858 the
proportions were (see Colton's Atlas),
Hudson Bay Company p.)ssession8 2,-
250,000 square miles, organized pro-
vinces 847,174 square miles. The com-
pany now has the status of a trading
corixj ration s(jlely, and others are .at
liberty to engage iu business operations
on Hudson Bay or elsewhere if so dis-
posed.

That commerce will develop rapidly
with easy transit to and from those
shores is certain, and also that the
Province of Ontario will hare greatly
extended commercial resources made
available upon the advent of a railway
to its northern sea coast.

Six thousand miles of inland sea shore
lines will become commercially tributary
to it with vast stores of diversified
wealth.

Hudson Bay and its estuaries have
a superficial area of over 500,000 square
miles, or more than five times that of
the Great Lakes added together. It is
fed by six Of the largest rivers on the
continent, the Nelson and itributaries
ranking next to the Mississippi, Mac-
kenzie and yukon. One unfortunate
peculiarity of the bay is the shallow-
ness of the coast of the southern portion,
and the scarcity of natural harbors, of
which not one exists ou the west sho'e
betw^een the iMoose and Churchill Rivers,
a coast line distance of over 1000 mms.
Tide water extends south on the Moose
Iliver for about twenty miles. The
entrance is obstructed by a sand bar,
upon which there is five feet of water
at low tide, and about fourteen feet at
high. To secure a good harbor here
will be an expensive though not an im-
practicable undertaking.

None of the rivers emptying into Hnd
Bon Bay present specially favorable
features as commercially vaJuabl>^
waterways, but in scanning a map of

Our Credt Central Canadian iVaterways transit System.

that sea coast the eye is at oute attract-
ed to the position of the estuary ku'jwn
as Chesterlield Inlet. Extending wcibtt-r-
ly from the northwest corner of the bay,
It seems lil^e an arm stretched out to
grasp one from the Mackenzie basin
projecting eastward to meet it in the
contours of Great Shive and Clinton
Golden Lakes with a large river known
as the Telzoa winding between them.

Chesterfield Inlet proper is a deep liord
like those of Norway, with a width of
from 2 to 10 miles, and extends west-
ward about 140 miles to where an
island divides the snime into two d'Jep
but narrow channels, which connect
with another expanse caller Baker Lako,
extending 70 miles furthi^r to the west,
and ranging from 20 to 30 miles in
width. Baker Lake is not affected by
tides like the inlet, and its water is
fresh, being fed by several great rivers,
of which one known as the Telzoa it
has been my lot to explore for a distance
of over GOO miles.

Ascending this river from Baker Lake,
into which it flows thmugh ii broad, shal-
low delta, there is found an unobstruc-
ed deep river channel for a distance of
30 miles, at which point two slight
rapids occur. Passing these, there ex-
ists a further distance — 120 miles — of
unobstrncted river navigation, which
takes us to the confluence of the west
branch of the Telzoa, a stream that
is destined to become an important fac-
tor in the establishment of a through
ro^vte from M'idson Bay to the Mac-
kenzie River, inasmuch as it not only
tends to form a water connection be-
tween the two great systems, but its
valley affords an inestimable boon for
that district, in the shape of a timber
supply.

This was clearly oroven to mo by the
quantities of well preserved drift timbo ■,
none of which had come down the south
branch.

The exact locality of this large and
interesting river is unknown, since its
course has never been explored, but be-
cause of the two confining adjacent river
valleys the course of the west branch
must be about sotithwest as shown upon
the map in dotted lines— and hence must
have its source somewhere in the direc-
tio nof Cliuton Golden or Great Slave
Lakes.

To what extent this river may afford
navigable facilities it is impossible to
state, but judging from the well-pro-
s( rved condition of bark on its drift wood,
it is pretty certain that few, if any,
rapids occur between the forks and the
forest area. At any rate, the distance
in an air lino from the forks of Telzoa,

to the waters of Clinton Golden Luko
cannot be more than about ItiO miles.

Leaving the question of the width of
the divide to be settled by future «'x-
amination, let us consider what are the
adjacent water-courses on the i.ther
side.

MACKENZIE BASIN.

At the eastern end of Urea' Slave
Lake we will find oni-selves at the apex of
a system of waterways, the equal of
which does not exist on the globe.

The lake itself, which is about 400
miles in length, you will notice on the
map, has a very peculiar area, being
much broken by long islands and penin-
sulas and having a narri>'-' arm of over
100 miles long, extending north almost
at right angles to its general course. "Us
waters are pure and deep, having been
sounded in places with an 80 fathom
line without touching bottom. Its nar-
rowness and curved outlines preclude the
liability of navigation being impeded li.v
wind and waves as severely as on the
great lakes of the St. Lawrence bas'n,
and render it peculiarly favorable to
the employment of freight barges sucn
ac are at present employed upon similar
waterways in more southern latitudes.

Proceeding westward three grand
trunk waterways are presented, name-
ly: Via the Mackenzie River, north-
ward; via the Liard River westward;
via the Slave River southward.

We can at the western end of the lake
proceed northward for 1100 miles on thf>
second Ira'gest river on the continent,
until we reach the Arctic Ocean, whence
in a short summer season ships can pro-
ceed into the Pacific Ocean through the
Behring Straits. As many as 30 have
made the passage in a single season in
pursuing the whaling trade, which in
one year yielded nearly two millions of
dollars of value in whalebone when that
route was first exploited. We shall then
have gone 1500 miles from our starting
point, and will have found no obstruc-
tion to the passage of a large steamer.
By changing our course at the Macken-
zie delta and entering the Peel River
we can reach the shortest divide from
navigable waters in the next, the

YUKON BASIN.

This contains the third longest river-
way on the continent, upon which and
its navigable branches a steamer can
convey us for 3000 miles, of which
branches the Porcupine is the most im-
portant, being navigable from the point
nearest to the Peel River. This basin
we need not take space to describe at
length, since its characteristics have
been so fully made known of late by

4 Our Great Central Canadian Waterways Transit System.

Mr. Ogilvit>'s book uiid by multiUidiu'His
pit'ss notices of explorutioiis by goM
huiitera and otlnTs ol' leoent date. Sulliio
iltosiiy that the divide for railway pUf-
l>o.se« does not exceed UU miles.

Rpturuing to the Mackenzie basin
and our starting point at Great Slave
Lake, v.e can follow tlit Mackeuzie
lliver for a couple of hundred miles
westerly from the lake, and theu enter
the magnificent Liard Uiver bearing to
the south and west, and tind, as Mr.
McCounell r ports, an uninterrupted
navigable channel (except that for ten
miles near the continence with the Mac-
kenzie some special aid for steamboat
tiansit may lie reciuiredl, for 'I'li) miles
to the mouth of the Nelson branch,
which is also navigable for over 100
miles south to a Hudson Bay Company
pr)st, and was, as he mentions, reported
by u mining exploring party to be of
the same character for a long extension
southward.

From that branch the Liard cont'nues
navigable for about t>0 miles west, when
canyons and i>ortages occur at intervals,
which Mr.McConnell found to aggregite
about 7 1-2 nriles in length,but some of
which he conehules might be avoided on
closer examination. With these excep-
tions, the river is navigable to the forks
at the mouth of Dease River, KiO miles
westward. At this point three routes
diverge, which are worthy of si>ecial no-
tice.

The first, or southern line, is via
Dense River, 140 miles to Dease Lake,
the river being reported by Professor
I)awson as navigable for large boats,
and on the lake, which is 26 miles long,
steamers are already in use. Thence a
railway route has been chartered to
reach Glonora on the Stikine River, an
air line distance of 60 miles, from
whence 150 miles of river navigation
reaches Fort Wrangel on the I'acific
coast. Yon will see that on this rotite
the width of the "divide" between the
navigable waters of the Pacific and
Mackenzie basins is but three score
miles, or less than two hours of railway
transit time.

The next, or western route, is from the
Liard Forks to the eastern end of Tes-
lin Lake whore the MeKenzie and
Mann line of railway is to have its
northern terminus. The air line distance
across the "divide" is.as shown on large
map, 104 miles.

The third, or northern route, is to fol-
low up the Liard River to the series of
lakes near its source, and which to-
gether present a watercourse of 170
miles, a large portion of which is cap-
able of steamer navigation. From tiip

western extremity of Lake Fiulayson
to a navigable section of tiie I'elly
branch of the Yukon is sho vn on lUe
large map to be only about 20 miles,
while for canoes it is nuah shorter,
I'rof. Dawson went ovi-r this route 'H
1SS7, by following up the Paeitic coast
to the Stikine River, thence to Tele-
graph Greek, crossing the portage to
Dease Lake, then down the Dease River
to tne Forks, thence up the Liard to
lyake Frances and across to the Pelly,
theuc- down the Yukon and back by
the Ghilkat Pass to the IVicilic. He
gives the width of the Liard above the
forks of the Dease as S40 feet, a cha li-
ne! depth of seven I'eet, and the rate of
the current is 4 1-2 miles per iiour.

The aggregate (jf the sections of the
Liard and branches and connecting
lakes, which can be navigated by steam-
ers of various s.zes.can be ( stiniuea at
3(K» miles west of the Forks and .".20
miles east of the same, iuclu ling lOO
miles upon the Nelson branch. To what
extent continuous navigation may be
established by overcoming obstructions
between tlie levels can only be determin-
ed by more accurate surveys.

The forks of the liiard are about 1100
miles from the east end of Siave Lake,
and this may be designated as the
western route.

Returning to our eastern starring
point in (Jreat Slave Lake, we can ex-
amine the more southern routes, by
s<>eking the entrance of the Great Slave
River, 200 m les distant, and passing
up its broad and deej) channel by steam-
er without obstructitui KiU miles to its
midway rapids. Here its waters de-
scend 242 feet in a distance of 15 miles,
around which portage the Hudson Bay
Company has a roadway for the trans-
fer of passengers and freight from its
steamer plying below the rapids t»» one
above the same, employed in the Atha-
basca River trade.

Once beyond this portage we can pass
up the Slave River for about 70 mili?s
to the month of the waterway known as
the Peace River. Along this a steamer
can proceed with but one slight obstruc-
tion at Vermillion Falls to the foot
hills of the Rocky Mountains, 750 miles
distant. Then intervenes 12 miles of
rapid;, wherein the river fulls over
1000 feet. This portage passed, another
navigable section of the river 150 miles
long awaits us.where is a channel ample
for large steamers to pass to the south-
ern end of McT^eod Lake in deep, placid
waters embosomed on the Rockies wh»on
rise in domes on either side a mile or
more in height, and affording some ai
the grandest scenery on this continent.
Thus we have in one river 900 mile.s

Out Great Central Canadian IVatettuays Transit System.

miles to
miles ill nil.

There is another route still further
south, to follow which wf leave the
mouth of IVace Itivor ami pass south
ou the Slave llivor 20 miles to an arm
of Athabasca Lake, but iustend of
entering the lake, ascend the Atha-
basca River southerly and westerly to
Fort Mc.Mnrra.v,l(j'> miles; thence to the
head of the (irand Uapids is about 87
miles, and within this distance 11 sepa-

the Slave River route, making the total
waterway distance via Slave River 1830
miles. To this we minht add l(K> miles
probably navigable on the Williams and
Hay Rivers, and ."{() miles on 01«'arwater
River, together with 210 miles ou Lake
Athabasca, making a total of 2170 miles
of navigable waterways on the most
southern routes. The aggregate lengths
of the waterways of the Mackenzie
basin are as follows:

Mackenzie River 1100 miles

I^iard, including Nelson and

Deaso branches 820 miles

Slave River ' 250 miles

rUOTO OF ATHABASCA RIVER, TAKEN AT THE LANDINO, 90 MILES NORTH

FROM THF. C.P.R., AT KUMONTON, 1898.

rate rapids, aggregating probably as IVace River 900 miles

many miles of more or less formidable Athabasca River 500 miles

character occur, the greatest being the Williams, Hay and Clearwater

(Jrand Rapid at the head of the series. Rivers, say 180 miles

where the Hudson Bay Company employs Great Slave and Golden

a tramway for the transportation of Lakes 400 miles

goods, which are carried over the re- Athabasca Lake 200 miles

niainder of the river in lO-ton scows. Total in Mackenzie basin. .4300 miles

From (xrand Ri'pids to Athabasca Yukon River and tributaries. 3000 miles

Landing the distance is 165 miles, whence

a road leads to Edmonton, a terminus Total for two western ba-

of the n.r.R.. 90 miles distant. Bnt by sins 7300 miles

continuing up the river 100 miles lo

Little Slave Lake and adding its 75 The portages occurring within and

miles, now traversed by steamers, we connecting these basins via the Peel

have 500 miles to add as a branch to River route aggregate about 150 miles.

Our Great Central Canadian Waterways Transit System.

CroHsiiiK the porta jfp of say 1(50 niilcH,
to niiviKiihle waters in the Hudson busiji
we shall have Hteainer conveyance to
Moose Kiver, a distance ol' about l.'?iH)
mill's, anil ui> the river 10) miles, mak-
ini; a total in Hudson basiu of 1400.

I-'i'oni the head of navigation on Mooae
Illver to thf ('.P.U. at or near Missaua-
l»i(', is by :iir lini- route of 122 miles, or
from tide water "l'M\ miles. Thence the
V. V. \\ is available to Heron Bay on
T>ake Superior, where ample shipp'ujf
facilities are already provided. Thence
an uninterrupted waterway exists
through five lakes, two rivers and twj
canals to the docks at Toronto, 1000
southeastward.

'•■lie Krand total is therefore as follows;

In St. I.iiwrence basin, lleron ay
to Montreal, waterway 1M50 miJes, 122
miles new section divide portage rail-
way, via Missanabip to Moose River,
Hudson basin, waterway, 1400 miles;
100 miles new divide portape railway
to Mackenzie basin; Mackenzie basin,
waterways. 4300 miles; 83 miles portages
■ai^onnd /obstructions in watei-conrses;
Yukon basin, waterways 300(»m'Ies; 00
new divide portage railwavs; to'al new
railways 42.5; total waterways lO.O.'iO
mih'S.

•Ml this exists in Oanad'aii territory
inelndinK the Canadian "S'o" and the
AVelland Oanals, except about 1000
miles of the Yukon and its Porcupine
branch, the free naviL'ation of which,
however, is secured to Canada by treaty
with the TTn'ted States.

With the exception of Russia and pos-
sibly the United States, no other nation
on the globe can rival the rich inherit-
ance which nature has bestowed upon
Canada in her vast interior waterways,
which I have not attempted to exhii)it
in their full measure, but have omitted
the eastern section of the St. Lawrence
basin, and also part of the Hudson
ba".in, including Winnipeg and sister
lakes, the Albany. Saskatchewan. As-
siniboia. Red. .Nelson and other rivers
more or less navigable.

Havinir thus glanced at the extent of
the navigable waterways system the
next feature to be considered is:

STWAM NAVTOATTON IN THR
HTTT>SON BASIN.

Htidson basin has no commercial
steamer service other than that of the
Hudson Bay Company for its own busi-
ness exclusively. The Dontinion Cov-
ernment, with an appropriation of $100,-
000. sent three annual ex?peditions by
chartered steamers nnd^r the commaiid
' of Lient. Cordon. R.N.. during the sea-
sons of 1884-85-86. which were mainlv

engaged in making examinatioug of Hud-
sou tStraits to determine the length of
the season of navigation theie. In this
work I was engaged during the years
1885-80, being stationed at Ashe Inlet
through the winter season.

During the year 1897, JfSO.OOO was
expended by the Dominion Uovernmeut
lor the same purpose,and a voyage of the
steamer Diana was made, with what re-
sults we have not yet been officially in-
formed. The conclusions of Commander
Gordon were that fnnn three to four
months of sate navigation tbrougn the
straits were all tliat could be relied upon.
I<'rom my two years' personal observa-
tions at Ashe Inlet, I am of opinion that
the straits are navigable for about tive
months, viz., from July 1 to December
1. In Hudson Bay itseli more favorable
conditions prevail. Navigation in the
Moose. River opens about May 1, and
does not close until about Nov. 20.

The average maximum temperature nt
Fort York for 10 years preceding 18SI
was as follows: May 73.5, June 03jJuly
98.5, August 85.1, September 68.4, Octo-
ber 45, November 34.3.

The average 2 p.m. mean temperature
for the corresponding months of the
same period was as follows: May 34.17,
June 50.67, July 61.99, August 57.68,
September 45.55, October 30.30, Novem-
ver 11.69.

Lieut Gordon found the temperature
of Hudson Bay in the latitude of
Churchill River to average over 40 de-
grees, while in the straits it was 32, or
8 degrees colder. He says in his report
for 1884. page 200:

"Hudson Bay may, therefore, be re-
garded as a vast basin of comparatively
warm water, the effect of which aiust
be to considerably ameliorate the winter
climate to the south and east of it. The
resident factor at Churchill informs me
that the bay never freezes over so far
out from shore that clear water cannot
be seen, and the temperature of the
water must be above 29.08 Paht., the
freezing point of salt water, where at
the same time the temperature on shore
is below zero."

The average depth of the bay ascer-
tained by soundings made across it
opiKtsite Port Churchill is 94 fathoms, or
564 feet.

Gordon's report of 1S*!6 also contains
a table showing the relative prevalence
of fogs on the bay and straits compared
v.'ith the Straits of Bell^ Isle, through
which the Montreal and Quebec steamers
pass to cross the ocean.

In .July. 1886, at Belle Isle Straits
there were 368 hours of fog. In July,
1886. at Ashe Inlet, H S., there were

Our Great Central Canadian Watenvays Tiausit System.

92 hours of fog. lu > tigust. 1886, at
Belle Isle Straits there were 104 hours
of fog. lu August, l.S8(i, al Huddou
Straits there were 88 hours of fog. In
«ept<-uiber, 188r., at iifeUe Isle Straits
there were 13U hours of fog. In Septem-
ber, 1886, at Hudson Hay and Straits
there were 20 hours of fog.

Thus disproving the general impres-
sion t'-.at Hudson Bay and Straits have
an ciiiusually fogKy atmosphere.

To sum up the status of steam naviga-
tion in the Hudson basin, it can safely
be Btatefl that while there is not a singh!
steamer winterinK there or employed
coastwise thereon, navigation can be
maintained for nearly as long a season
as on the Great Lakes, except perhaps
at Ohesterlield Inlet, where the date of
the opening of navigation has not been
determined.though it w».uld doubtless be
several weeks later than at Moose.

My brother and I were greatly Im-
pressed when exploring f'lhesterfleld In-
let with the navigable advantages pre-
sented by it. Also with the lakes and
river connections beyond it, on the west,
through which we passed on our way to
the sea coast.

Since then the "Harvey route" has
been projected to utilize these in connec-
tion with the Mackeiizie basin water
courses, by means of a railway across
the divide, and I regard this as a magni-
ficent enterprise.

In the Mackenzie basin steamers in
the service of the Hudson Bay Company
have made annual trlr>s from the rapids
of the Slave River to the Arctic Ocean,
also al>ove the rapids of the Slave to
rapids of the Athalmsca, and also abov^
the latter to Little Slave Luke. Other
steamers are expected to be placed on
these reaches this season.

Reliable data show thi»t all the ifreat
rivers in the Mackenzie basin commence
a break up of the ice at their sources in
the mountains abont ATay 1, and dur-
ing that month the process is completed
on the great Mackenzie to the Arctic
Ocean.

The Dominion Senate Ooinndttee re-
port, page 10. contains the following:
"Latitude has no direct relation to
summer isothermnls.tbe spring flow-
ers and buds of deciriuoiis trees ap-
pearing a" early north of Ureat
Slave Lnke as at Winnipog. St.
Paul and Minneapolis, Kingston or
Ottawa. and earlier along th" Peace,
L'ard.and some minor westerii afflu-
ents of the great Mackenzie River,
where the climate resembles that of
Western Ontario."

Mr. McConnell of the Dominion Geo-
logical Survey, in bis report of 1891.
pages 86, 87, and 88, graphically de-

scribes the process of spring ice breaking
which he sjiw at Fort Simpson at thv!
junction of the Liard and .Niackeuzie ou
May 18, 1888. He says:

"Northward flowing rivers like the
Liard relieve themselves of their
winter fetters in a stimewluit pecu-
liar, but forcible manner. The in-
tluence of advancing spring is tirst
felt at their sonnes, and as they
break up there tiie fragments of ice
tloat down until they come in contact
with the firm ice, where dauis are
formed behind which the water ac-
cumulates until it acquires suflBiieul
power to burst the icy barriers and
in the on-rush i>r the escaping flood
the river is cleared for aonie miles
below. Another ice ilam is then
formed and broken in turn, and the
same operation is repeated at inter-
vals all the way to the sea.

"The breaking up of the ice at
the junction of the Liard and the
Mackenzie is well worth witnessing.
The first shove occurred at noon and
was announced by a dull roar coming
from the direction ol' the 'Gros
Oap.' On hurrying out, we found
that the Liard ice which a few min-
utes before had formed an unbroken
sheet, was now ciushing into frag-
ments and was moving slowly for-
ward. Huge cakes of ice under thft
enormous pressure were constantly
raising themselves on end and falling
and the whole mass urged forward
by the terrible energy of the piled
up waters behind was battering a
way across the Mackenzie. The iee
of the latter fully fiv( feet thick,
firm and eolld as in midwinter, was
cut through like cardboanl, and in
a few moments two lanes were cut
across its entire width (nearly two
miles), before the force of the rush
was exhausted and the movement
ceased. In the afternf)0Q the crash-
ing of trees was distinctly heard,
At midnight the dam at the mouth
of the Liard gave way.and the mas-
sive crystal structure was hurled by
the liquid energy behind it <with
such force that the whole sheet for
some miles below the fort was
crushed into fragments by the im-
petuosity of the assault. The velo-
city of the stream gradually diminish-
ed as the river became chf)ked below
by cakes of iee and soon ceased alto-
gether. The situation on the island
(upon which the fort was located)
was now somewhat critical, as on
the strength, or, rather, weakness,
of the newly-formed dam denended
our safety. If it was possible to
withstand a pressure of a 40 feet

Our Great Centra/ Canaiiiau IVateni'ays Transit System.

ice-
tlie

dUS-

tbo
tho

lifud of wattM- -u lio unttMiiuKin fvenl
—the islaud. Iroiii which iJiere was
no eufiiije, w »ul(i l« HiibuioiKt'"!.

"Slowly but Hleftdily the wuter
with its icy boumls, crtpi up tho
alopca until the crests ol' the
bi'iKs yctTi'il oiuiuously over
banks. An instant of uuxious
UL'Uso followed, during which
water rose to within a fool ot
level of the fort, and then, to our
intense relief, the dam below was
brokeu. After the 'shove' the water
fell quicklv aud all dauger of a tlood
was over, ' . • .

This process cleared the river lo
Kort Wrigley, l:'.:{ luilcs uorlh. by the
18h; to Fort Normau. 184 unles. ou
the (yth, to Fort Uood Hope. 174 miles,
en the lilst, and to the Arctic Ocean,
'S-m miles, a few days later.

By this majestic display ot the forces
of nature let loose by the summer sun.
the rivers of that basin are i;endero.l
navigable from year to year, ihe lake
ice is, however, not subject to this up-
heaving' force, but is displaced later by
continued solar heat, wind and wave
forces. (Jreat Sli. c Lake, beu.K "'"•-
row in its e.isiern section, gives little
opportunity for wave force aud hence k
the last to oi)en.

Mr. McConnell says that the disrup-
tion of the ice there takes place about
.July 1. but sometimes occurs as early
as June 20, aud as late as July 10. The
lake is usually Icc-bound by Nov. 15.

This. how(>ver, is measured by canoe
navigation, to which thin ice is as ef-
fectual a barrier as thicker. But when
heavy steam craft are employed sev-
eral weeks will be added to the navig-
able season, which may thus continue
from Juno 1 to Nov. 20, or over
five mouths, and the rivers from May
20 to Dec. 1. or fully six months.

The next features lo be considered
are the available p linits of connection
between the waterways of the Mac-
kenzie with those of the Yukon basn.
There are at least three possible por;-
ajres for steam transit. One is across
the "divide"' betwe(<n tho Peel liivsr
branch of the Mackenzie and the Por-
cupine branch of tho Yukon. For
canoes the "divide"' is but a very few
miles wide; but for railway purposes
about 00 miles, as shown on tho map.
Mr.Ogilvie, in passing over this W)ute,
ostimatod its altitude at 1200 feet
above the water, and states that an
average grade of 55 feet to tho mtle in
obtainable.

Tho Porcupine is itself n nohlo river
of about 400 miles in length, and its
sources aro within 30 miles of branches
of tho Yukon inside the boundaries of

Canada. It is probable tlial a conveui-
ent point of overland trail route from
il to the Klondike may be found iu the
course of furthi'r explorations.

Tile other port;ig«>s, OOil miles further
south, have already been ni'iiiioned,
namely, via Lake Teslin down the Iloot-
aliiKiua branch of Ihe Yukon and also
via Lakes Frances aud l'Mnlayson,when!
is the narrowest divide between tho tw >
liasins, by connection with the Pelly
l)ranch of the Yukon. Dr. Dawson re-
ports the latter to have in that vicinity
a width of over 300 feet, with a depth
of four feet and a moderate current.
Some shallow rapids were noted, which
would more or less lnii)air steam naviga-
tion on the upper seition, but the main
part of the water course as being favor-
able therefor.

Thus we (ind that the groat Interior
waterway system of Northwestern Can-
ada extends on the east to within a few
score miles of Hudson Bay and a clear
waterway via th(> Straits to the Atlan-
tic. On the north it exteiuls to the
Arctic Ocean. On the northwest by a
(i(> mile portage lo th(> Yukon basin anu
Hehring Sia. On the west to th(> Yukon
by two routes, and with the Pacific by
a portage route by Stikine Uiver.

Thus three oceans and two seas, in-
cluding Hudson Bay as one, can be
brought into touch by, say, 300 miles
of portage railways, and the whole of
this vast system may be coniuHJted with
the St. LawnMico waterways, with its
five groat lakes and a coastline of 7000
miles, culminating at the confluence of
tho St. Lawrence waters with those of
tho Atlantic Ocean, by the constriictioJi
of one remaining link, i.e., a railway
from some iioint on the Canadian Paci-
fic to Moose Factory, wh'ch road need
not bo more than 250 miles in length.

Meanwhile a temporary connection ean
be made as lu-eviously shown via Heron
Bay on Lake Superior over tho CP.R.
to Missanabie, 128 miles by a •aihv.ay
already pn)vidod. Thence in a lino of 122
miles of new railway on an air line is
only required to roach a oaviiCiibV sec-
tion of the west branch of tho Moose
Bivor, connecting with tid(> water, as
set forth in tho report of W. A. Charl-
ton, Provincial Commisslonor, published
Ontario (lovornniont tho pr •.s<'nt

the
year.
The grt
terwavs

ul divisions of Canada's
and their divide connections
may bo summarized as follows:

St. Tiaworenco basin, navigable coast
lino distance 7000 miles; Hudson basin
navignhlo coast lino distance 0000 ndles;
^fackenzio basin, navigable lake and livfr
distance 4000 miles; Yukon basin, ,iavig-
able rivtr distance .3000 miles; total

Our Grcnt Central Canadian IVatenvays Transit System. 9

2U,(MN) iiiiloH. lHvidc rotiiiipclionH ttc
Iwcoii St. riiiwit'iKi' 1111(1 lliidnon liiisiii
UriO miles; hotwci'ii lliulsoii iiiid .M.ic-
konzic luisiii, 10() miles, between Mac-
kt ii/ji> ntid YiilxDii linsiii, (to iiiih-H; total
470 inilca.

Of the pniiiiiiit'iit iiidiiHtriiil lud i-oin-
iiuTcial rosoiircCH d»iM>ii(hMit upon tiiis
wiitorway syslein for dovi'loimicnt I vill
iiu'iition l)iit u part niul very briotly, i\8
folio wh:

FIIIKT, tourist piitrounno. LarKt' rc-

v<nu(>H will lie realized l-y well-()rKiiiii;;od

and ctiuipped passtMiKi'r traiisp<.;*tation

liiiOH on lliew waterways, when the

■great puninier touring elass l)eO')ine

No other ronteft ''un rinjpnre with thc8«>
in that reHpeot. Some fcatnieM I eaii
rt'lat:<> from [tersonal oliHerMilion.

The "Hnrron Lands" south of <'he«*er-
tield Inlet are frequented by huudivdrt of
Ihonnands of reindeer. I have Het*n at
least 10,U<K) in one drove. They mignite
tar to the north <if Hudson Bay in
countless numberH where the CMisk or Ih
also to be fouiul in greattv nundter than
in any other district. In th(> Liard
Iliver region moose are reported to be
more plentiful than in any othtr section
of the continent.

Twienty-seven i pedes of fur-bearing
animals exist in Northern Canada. The
Stellate Committee of ISRS rejjort the fiii
offered for sale in 1SS7 by the lliulrion

•■^;3f ''^>'H%*'?:ff?i4§.

-...;■«.'■'■*

CANADIAN HERD OF RKIMDSKK.

I'hoto by Tyrrell, taken in " Barren Lands." July 30, 1893. '

aware of tlieir attraetions both for Bay Company from these regions as in-

soenery and for sporting privileges. eluding the following:

Tlio trip throgh the Tiiard Valley and

connecting with the Toslin Lake or Pelly Otter 14,4:>9

branch routes along the Yukon must Bear 15,942

hi conu' in diu' tinu> one of the most at- Beaver 104,1179

tractive on the continent. The scenery Fox skins (all kinds) 1.37,r>SS

near thie divide between tht? head waters Mink 370,22.^

of the Liaid and Telly iMvers Dr. Daw- Skunk 6.'i2.794

son refers to in his testimony before the Muskrat 2,485,'>68

Senate Committee as follows:

"Pew lakes which I have seen sir.'- .Vdding all other merchantable pelts ox-
pass Prances Lake in natural beauty, ported shows a total of 3,983,072. Cer-
nnd the scenery on the east arm botmd- tainly no one will dispute the pre-
ed on the east by rugged masses of the eminen<.'e claimed for the game prese/ve
Tooisho range are very varied in form with such returns.

r.u.1 a number of points surpass 7000

fe< in height, while one was foumi) to SECOND, fisheries superior to any

a,. ..in an elevation of about 9000 feet." other on inland waters on the

Allied to attractions of scenery are continent: These would be easily

those of wild game which sportsmen de- proven to exist if only the

light to seek in their native haunts. fisheries of Hudson Bay were con-

Our Great Central Canadian Waterways Transit System.

sidcred, but there are 8cor3B of adjacent
lakes which mHj aggregate still greater
product. Great Slave Lbke is an ex-
ample, where in addition >.'> white fish
and troat, in vhe greatest abundance,
its waters at certain fieasons are fairly
ulive with Arctic Ocean salmon, whioh
seek spawning ground there.

The following may be taken aii a list
ot the more important fisheries of the
Hnr'son Bay and tributary waters:

I., Right of bo\"-head whale. These
enormous creatures are frequently found
in the northt»rn waters of Hudson Bay
and adjacent channels. The value of
bone obtained from a single whale is
commonly about $8000. The oil product
which was formerly of about equal
value with the bone, but now con-
siderably depreciated, Js also a desirable
article of commerce. I ha»re myself seen
the skeleton of one of these monsters
of the deep cast ashore on the coast of
the bay from which the bone of com-
merce had been removed by its captors,
presumably New England whalers, who
only prosecute whale fishing in these
waters.

11., Walrus, iii-, seals (of at leant six
different species); iv., white whale; v.,
narwal; vi., sturgieon; vii., salmon (com-
mon seal); viii., Heame's salmon; Ix.,
cod; x. halibut; xi., Great Lake trout;
xii., whitefish; xiii., herring, capling, e^c
etc.

The leading qu<>stion in regard to the
fisheries will be where to market their
product to the best advantage, auu this
should largely determine the selection of
the first railway line to the bay whioh
must rely on that industry for a large
share of its traffic.

The aforesaid fisheries .ire now run-
nincr almost entirely to waste.

THIRD, immense markets for the
mnnufncturers of Central Oanad.i.

T< is a \7e(ll-establishefl fact that com-
mnce will follow the lines Oi' cheapest
freicrht transit, othier conditions being
equnl, time and distance being second u'y
to cost. Thus the salmon fisheries of
British Columbia iind the meat export?
of Australia find their main market in
Rncland, althouch the distance in the
first ins+an.'e is IS.OOO miles. Chfap
cccnn f eights are the life of that tr.-'de.

The combined watertvav system of the
Mackenzie and Hudson Bay basins will
i'nnble n manufacturer in Toronto to de-
liver his products over the «*ame to
Athabasca Landing at a materially leas
rntr ihnn the samo can be taken by an
all-rail route.and this difference wijl be
increased where more northern frelght-
mg points are concerned.

This means that we can command a
large portion of the trade of all the vast
territory north of the Saskatchewan V.U-
ley, and east ofw the Ro:;ky Mountains
under present conditions, if the said
waterways and portage railways were
opened for business-

The Mackenzie basin is one of the
richest wheat districts on the continent,
the section between and including Atha-
basca, Peace and the Liard Valleys,
being a major part of it.

It may surprise you to know that the
Upper Peace River Valley has a climate
niilder than that ot Manitoba and com-
paring favorably with that or Ontario.

Mexican cactus grows wild on the
Ei.fitern Rocky Mountain slopes. Wild
flowers bloom before they do about To-
ronto. This phenomienon has attracted
the attention of scientific men, and per-
haps the best explanation has been made
by Prof, Macoun before the Senate Oom-
mittee, in which he ascribed it to the
"Chinook winds" which are heated on
the arid plains of New Mexico and th-^n
pass along the eastern slope of the
Rocky Mountains, not dissipating their
heat entirely until they reach the Arctio
circle near the delta of the Ma'!ken<ie
River. From this caus'^ the isothermal
lines marking the limit of cereal cultiva-
tion are as near to the Arctic Ocean in
the Mackenzie River Valley as to tJie
Gulf of St. Lawrence. This renders the
Peace and Liard Valleys better suited
for wheat raiang than Manitoba, so far
as climate is concerned. Another fact is
that the heads of whejit on each stalk
are larger the higher tho latitude in
which they grow.

Professoi- Macoun being under ex-
amination before the Senate Committee,
the question was asked him:

"You have stated in regard to
plant life that northward up to tlie
limit of its possible cultivation, it
ircdnoed more seed tht-n fiirthc-
^outh?"

\nswer: "Yes, and I car prove it
in two minutes. I have now in my
hand heads of wheat and barlev
grown at Dunvegan in latitude T^<S.
brought here by Dr. Dawson in
IfiTf). .\ny one (examining Ihe^^e
heads will see that the fa«ci'?les
cortain from 4 to 5 grains — an aver-
age of 4 1-2 erains to the fascicle.
Had I heads of wheat giown at Ot-
tawa T would show you that the
fascicles contain 2 and 3 jrniins.
When I Wiis on the Peace River in
1S75. I got wheat at Lake Atha-
basca that contained five or six
trains to the fascicle. If the farm-
ers of Ontario, with their 2 and ^

Our Great Central Canadian Watenuays Transit System.

zruins to the fascicle, can produ 'e
25 bushels tx) the acre, under the
fam<» conditions the men of Mani-
toba will produce 35 to 40 bushels to
the acre and those of Peace River
will run up to above 40, and those
further to the north still more,
granted that the same acrt'age pro-
duce the same number of stalks.

"When I passed down the Atha-
basca to the Mission I found grow-
ing on soil that would be of no value
here whatever — sand, muck and cold
swanij) — wheat which th'^y had plant-
ed on the 5th of May. I found it in
stock on the 26th of August, and
brought away grain that took the
prize at the Centennial. A quantity
of it was shelled and found to weii?h
68 pounds to the bushel (standard
weright 60 pounds)."
Professor Dawson, being also ex»imin-
ed by the committee, testified that Ihe
greater length or the summer days (18
hr.ura of sunlight) largely explained the
exuberance of vegetation in the Mac-
kenzie basin.

These are significant facts and ihe
report of the comrait+<?e is that in the
Miickoiizie basin, , which includes the
Athabasca, Peace and Liard Rivi-r Val-
leys, there are 316,0(K) sn.iare miles suit-
alle for wheat. This equals 202,*240,-
000 acres, or nearly twice the tot-il ir'>a
of Ontario, large as we consider our
province to be.

If but one-tenth of this was under
cultivation and producing 40 bushels to
the acre, the weight would equal 24,-
268.S00 tons, and the value at 40c per
bushel exceeds 323 millions of dollars
for one year's crop.

We may reduce these figures bv as
large a percentage as \\^ may de-m
r('i sonnble but when we have done that,
does not the roraainrler give us f*ause to
bluF.h that we are making so little effort
to benefit ourselves and our fair Innd
through the possession of such vast re-
st urtes? Let us hope that our fate may
not bo like thn.t of the unfaithful stew-
ard, who hid his unused talent in Ihe
earth-

Thei"e is anothier elment of .-oinmercial
importance which is well worthy of :noi!-
t;r>n (Quoting from Senate romniission
rei.ori): "Indications of petroleum exist
over a lareo area so ext('nsi^'1e as to
justify the belief that erenfuallv it will
su))ply the largtr part of \\\\. continent
and be shipped from OhUi*chill or some
more northr^-n Hudson Bay post to
England."

Also the extent and qnality of the coal
measures, whioh are not as yet well de-
nned by e>:plorntion, are likely to be

such as to form great sources of wealth.

Extensive deposits of iron ore exist on
tlie east side cf Hudson Bay, and coal
is said to crop out at various points
along the coast. Other minerals, includ-
ing silver and lead, are to be found
along the East Main shore, but whether
in paying quantities is yet to be de-
tprmined.

Your attention m especially called to
the fact that in the finritory adjoining
Hudson Bay in the vicinity of Chester-
field Inlet are areas tne geological for-
mations of which resemble closely those
of other rich gold mining regions, and it
is not improbable that we may lind
mineral wealth exists on the shores of
our vast Canadian seas.

FOURTH, these waterways can le
utilized as the most centrf<l "all-Cana-
dian route" to the geld tields of North-
western Canada; to d'emonstrate which
1 need only r.?fer you to the enlarged
map, on which the gold district is shown
as extending from the junction of the
Porcupine and Yukon as far south in
British Colnmbia as the map permits,
but which leiives 5.50 miles of the pro-
vince not displayed, on the extreme
south of which th'' groiii) of Rosslnnd
mines are situated.

The scale of the map — 8 miles in the
inch— is fixed by the Government shf*(»ts
which form a part of it, and which ex-
tend from Lake Athabasca to the delta
of the Mackenzie River, the remainJo-
having been added by a private draiu.i.s-
mai).

The 'gold district limits indicited upon
it are copied from the oflBcial map pub-
lished by the Dominion Senate Oom-
miUee in ISRS, and extend to th> silver
line you will see thereon. Bevond that
is the territory since proven to be auri-
ferous by subseqiu'nt explorations, in-
cluding the famous Klondike distri'-r.
The Senate Comn)ittee report the gold
district in the ^lackenzio basin to n-ob-
al'Iy comprise 200,000 square miles.
When to this we add the Yukon and
Ror-ky Mountain districts, the whole area
is not less than 700.000 square miles, or
more than three times the area of O'l-
tario.

Probably no other auriferous territory
can compare with this either in size or
in the richness of its placer or vein
mining, at the most favored Ioealitir>s.
Thiii. exploration has onlv commenced
is quite evident, and that the attention
of thip world is turned toward it is well
known to us all. Yon will s(>e that the
I-iard River is situated about niid-..'ay
in ihe crold district of Can! "!h, b.^ing
about 750 miles from the northerTi

Our Great Centtal Canadian Waterzuays Transit System.

boundary, and 850 miles from tho south-
erly onts measuriug from Ihie mouth of
Nelsou iiiver. At the head waters of
this river you will notice an area inark-
ed Ca>^siar distriot

Gold was discovered in a smaJl creek
emptying into Dease l^ake in 1872, by a
Scotchman named McCullough and a
Frenchman n-imed Thibert, Avho went
as partners to fish in the lake, in which
as well as in the bods of some small
streams washings are obtained as high
as $100 a day. At the mouth of one
of these creeks from six to eight men
took out 300 ounces of gold in one we?k,
and the year's output of 1874 is stated
at $1;000,00(). The ppulation about the
lake was estimated in 1876 at 2000, but
the annual average yield thereafter de-
creased to such an extent that nearly tU
the miners left foi- other localities, and
but a small number remain thore now.

The tofial output of gold up to 1887
is reported by Dr. Dawson to have been
$4,88(5,000 in the Cassiar District alone.

Gold is also found in the Doase and
L.iard Rivea- bottoi.s, and it is statO'l
tliat from $(! to $S per day can yet be
made by hand-washing along their siind-
bars. Taking into account tiie length of
small auxiliary cioeka and rivers, it
■<ecms certain that then? must be hun-
dreds of miles of sucn watei courses
where many miners can find employment
in the main valley of the Diard and its
tributaries.

The reason why mininj; binguished ii'
1870 was largely liecause of excessive
cost of freight, the rate being 9 1-2 ceutiL'
a pound, (U* $19r» a tun from Fort
Wrangt\'. But lower down the river the
situation was much worse where miners
wei^e mo.o isolated than at the Klondike.

Dr. Dawson reported in 1S87 that
sspeHmens of galena taken fmm the
Dease Lake viciuit.v were assayed at
Ottaw.t and found to yield "75 ounces
of sih'er to the ton, and further that
thee is every reasun to believe that
befon many years elapse British
Oolumbl'i will take its place as one of
the great silver-producing regions of the
world."

In verification of this pi-ediotion rhe
returns of the Mining Bureau of that
province give the value of the silver out-
put for 1Sn7 at $:{.272,000, being $626,-
000 in excess of the geld product of the
same year.

I also have to note statements made
by fT)n. .7. F. Betts. «5i)eaker of the
\orthwest Territories .\ssemblv as pub-
lished in the Toronto papers during the
past week that large quantities of gold

have been recently discovered on Hay
liivcr, not far from Great Slave Lake,
which I have located on this map.

He stated that 27 prospectors wer^-
now camping there and the truth of
such (fiscoveries wa,s amply verified.
He advocated the Liard River Toute via
I'elly branch as the best to reach the
Yukon, and quotes the oipinion of an old
Hudson Bay Company empiloyes Mr.
ITiomas Scott, who says: "In my judg-
ment, by far the easier and quicker is
to ascend the Liard lliver from Fort
Simpson, the head fort of the district,
to the 'head waters of the I^ard, thence
a porta",'e to Felly River, whence you
can descend with good water to .luy
place on the Yukon you may desire The
advantages of this route are: Prom the
moment you strike the Liard River you
are in a gold-bearing country, and con-
tinue in the same through the whole
time of ascending this river. 1 am con-
vinced that as rich diggings will be
found on the Lnard and its tributaries as
have been discovered on the Yukon."

The announcement by Mr. Betts of the
Tlay River discoveries brings the "placer
mining" about 1000 mi es nearer thin
the Klondike to Ontario, with but <ne
"divide portage" from its shores. Aside
from that the two connected waterways
from Moose to Hay Rivers could be
easily traversed in less than a week . I
shall, however, leave it to others to esti-
mate the advantages to accrue to Cen-
tral Canada by the opening of direct
communication to this golden west, and
the cost and time of transit in com-
parison with other routes, but submit
it as a self-evident proposition that the
interesits of Canada require that a sur-
vey of the divide between these two
great basins be made as sO(m as prac-
ticabie.

Also, that the establishing of a m lil
.service on this route in advance of ulti-
mate railway transit across the divides
would be of immense advantage to the
Dominion in encouraging the advent of
pioneer exploration and settlement in
those hitherto isolated regions.

In conclusion, when we consider the
limitless resources of our great noith-
ern territory and the ma.gn ucent laciJi-
ties which nature's great architect has
entrusted to us for their developmen
surely it becomes every ioyal Canadian
citizen, as well as every true statesniiin,
to use his influence for their utllJzation
and improvement as speedily as possible.
Certainly oi o of the greatest glories of
Canada is ber Cod-given waterways
T. W. TYRRBLL. C.E.

March 29, 1898

Out Great Central Canadian Watenvays Transit System. 13

PHOTO TAKEN OF J. W, TVRKELL IN ESKIMO COSTUME.

Copied l>y permission from " SuIj-A ctics of Canada " by J. W. Tyrrell, a most

interesting volume of 2B0 pases published by William Uriggs, Wesley

IJuildingi, 'I'oronto, 1898, Price $1.50,

Our Great Central Canadian Waterwaj/s Transit System.

]

At the coDclusica of liis address Mr.
Arthur hlarvey, one of the leading mem-
bers of the lusUtute, moved a vuto of
thanks, and cuiiipiimeuted tne speakei'
upou being able to cumpress so mm h
boiid information into the Imiits of an
hour's address He made the euquiiy
whether the rtindeer which he saw iu
such vast numbers on the barren laiids
were of the same apecies as those used
for domestic puri)oses in Finiand. To
this the lecturer replied iu the afiLrma-
tive.

Mr. Bain, City liibraiion, seconded the
motion, which was carried with applause.

The president announced that rema'."ks
upon the subject were in order.

Mr. Robert Jaffray said that he hearti-
ly endorsed the suggestions made in tl e
address that steps should be at once
taken to open up a prospector's rout<'
over the divide between the gieat basins,
upon the lines indicated by Mr. Tyrrell,
and he thought, if an organized ef-
fort were made to promote the aanie,
that both the Provincial and Dominion
Governments would co-operate in time
to utilize the present season in measures
to that end. He noticed tha-t the lec-
turer referred to the "Harvey Koute"
as probably the best one to reach the
Mackenzie basin Ifrom this direction,
in which opdndon he concurred,and would
say that he thought the people of Onta-
rio weif greatly indebted to that dis-
tiDguished engineer for pointing out the
advantages of that idea, of which ho
was undoubtedly the originator and he
hoped would become the successlul prj-
liiotor. We want, said Mr. J affray, such
abilities interested in the development of
our boundless resources, and should en-
courage them.

Ex-Alderman Scott considered the ad-
dress of Mr. Tyrrell as containing the
most important commercial suggestions
ever presented in that form in this com-
munity. He could, as a business mnu,
endorse the proposition as stated, that
commerce would follow the line of
cheapest freights to the best markets.
By the application of this rule he be-
lieved that it could be shown that On-
tario could supply the major part of the
great gold producing area of Canada
with manufactures of all kinds cheaper
than from the Pacific coast, and that the
business would commence as soon as a
fairly passable trail was opened across
the divides on the Harvey route, and a
steamer service commenced on the eey-
eral waterways. He was himself presi-
dent of a steamship line establighwd to
afford communication between the points
on the southern coasts of Ontario, from
Georgian Bay to Fort William, in con-
neetiion with the railways from Toronto

to the Bay, and as soon as a trail was
opened from Missauabie to the navig-
able waters of the Moose Kiver, the
steamers of his line would make regubix
connection at Heron B»iy with that
Toute, which might be available for To-
ronto trattic the present season if proper
steps were promptly taken. He said
that although not of the same political
faith as the Provincial I'remder, he felt
that the thanks of all citizens of Onta-
rio were due to Mr. Hardy for hav ug
taken the tir&t practicoJ step iu this di-
rection, by the appointment of Mr.
Charlton as a Special Commissioner to
investigate the subject of the most prac-
ticable route, aaid the report of the iaf-
ter was a very valuable coutrlbuiiwu of
infoi'matiou on that important question,
which he would advise all our business
men to obtain and study wdth special
Interest.

Kev. Dr. Parsons said that he had just
returned from a trip down the great
Mississippi Valley to New Orleans, and
be was greatly impressed by what hi?
flaw of the enormous amount of com-
merce moved along that river on steam
barge lines. Canada, having the next
largest river on the continent, for such
a long distance within her borders,
shoidd study the object lesson thus af-
forded, with a view of its early applica-
tion upon the new routes so ably consid-
ered in Mr. Tyrrell's address.

Mr. George H. Kilmer spoke in favor
of having the lecture repeated in a
larger hall and wdth more notice to busi-
ness men of the city, to secure their at-
tendance. The prevailing iguoranoe of
the resources of Ontario as connected
with lits northern section and seacoist
was appalling, and should be removed
as fast as possible. He was able to
state that he knew of English capitalists
who were looking favorably upon the
capabilities of the new system of in-
terior waterway communication in Can-
ada, advocated by Mr. Tyrrell, and that
with proper encouragement from Govern-
ment he believed the necessary capital
to develop the same could be obtained.
He would suggest that, after the ad-
journment of the meeting held under
Institute auspices, a committee be au-
thorized by those present who favored
an organization for further action to
take necessary steps to that end.

After remairks by. Mr. O. A. iHowland,
a number of business men met and con-
stituted a committee to promote the utili-
zation of the main waterways connt c-
tion In the great buias of Canada, Mr.
Kilmer was named as chairman and Mr.
i^ank W. Maclean, secretary of the
Toronto Provisional Committee, to
which was referred the adoption of a
nrme, and rules of procedure, to accom-
pliPh the objects aforesaid.

Our Great Central Canadian Waterways Transit System. 15

At a subsequent meeting of the Provisional Committee, the name of
THE CENTRAL CANADA BUSINESS EXTENSION LEAGUE

was adopted.

Also rules of procedure which included the formation of a General
Committee of not exceeding fifteen members to be selected from residents of
Central Canada, representing manufacturing, mercantile, agricultural and finan-
cial interests therein, and of local Committees at those business centres most
directly interested in opening the proposed line of access to the great Canadian
North West.

Temporary headquarters were provided at No. lo.King St. West.

All communications to be addressed to ihe Secretary, Room 22, No. 23
Adelaide Street, Toronto.

FRANK W. MACLEAN,

Secretary, Provisional Committee.