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Tous les autres exemplaires originaux sont filmds en commenpant par la premidre page qui comporte une empreinte d'impression ou d'illustration et en terminant par la dernidre page qui comporte une telle empreinte. Un des symboles suivants apparaitra sur la dernidre image de cheque microfiche, selon le cas: le symbole — »>signifie "A SUIVRE", le symbole V signifie "FIN". Les cartes, planches, tableaux, etc., peuvent dtre film6s d des taux de reduction diff^rents. Lorsque le document est trop grand pour dtre reproduit en un seul clich6, il est film6 d partir de Tangle sup6rieur gauche, de gauche d droite, et de haut en bas, en prenant le nombre d'images n6cessaire. Les diagrammes suivants illustrent la mdthode. 1 2 3 1 2 3 4 5 6 h //. n .^ 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 2 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^ 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. 6 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 i Our Great Central Canadian Watenvays Tiausit System. I h I 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 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(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 by the year. The grt terwavs w 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 I 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- vH 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 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 I •■^;3f ''^>'H%*'?:ff?i4§. 't -...;■«.'■'■* J 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- 10 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'!kena 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 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 m 12 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 ■ 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, ^^ H 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. 1 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. i,