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Lorsqus Is document est trop grand pour dtre reproduit en un seul cliche, il est filmi d partir da Tangle sup6rieur gauche, de gauche h droite, et de haut en bas, en prenant le nombre d'imeges nicessaire. Les diagrammes suivants illuatrent la mithode. 1 2 3 1 2 3 4 5 6 Ontario fttib ^tiron %onh. REPORT \. OF THE WINDSOR AND STURGEOiN BAY ROAD COMMITTEE. TORONTO: PRINTED BY GEORGE BROWN. 1845. ( REPORT. i To the Inhabitants of the Townships of JVhitby, Pickering^ Meach, Bracks Tftoray Mara, O/ima, and the adjacent Townships and Public generally. The Committeo appointed, at a numerously attended ^ Public Meetinjj held at Windsor, in tho Township of ; VVJiitl)y, on »Salurday the 10th day of May last, for the "^^ purpose of (aking into consideration the important subject of construcling a Plank or Rail-Road, or both, from Windsor Harbour in Whitby, to Gloucester Bay on the Great Gcoigliui Bay, a part of Lake Huron, by way of tho Narrows of Luke Simcoo, at which the following' Resolutions wore submitted and unanimously adopted :— '^ 1. llesohcil^ That it being now fully conceded by all parlfrs, that Canada, from her natural situation, possesses tho power cf .si'curing, by the construction of a Plank or Rath'oad communication, or both, between the two great Lakcj, Ontario and Huron, not only the entire carryino-- tvade to and tVoiu the southern shores of Lake Huron, and tho produce of its extensive Fisheries, but also a laro-e portion ofthi' traffic, and all tho travel to and from the l^r West, which power, if wisely and judiciously exercised, cannot fail to add vastly to her importance, wealth, and prosperity, in every point of view. This Meeting rejoices to tind that this great undertaking has at leno-th eno-ao-ed public attention, and sincerely hope it will never \^VAn be lost sight of till finally accomplished, "^ % Resolved, That it is abundantly evident and clear. A 2 ^ from a view of tho great Maps of Ameiica, that the Route for a Plank or Kail-Koad, or both, from Windsor Har!)Our on Luke Ontario, to Sturgeon or Gloucester Hay, an Inlet of the Great Georgian liay, a part of Lako Huron by way of the Narrow:* of Lake Simcoe, possesses very many decideJ and imporlunt advantages over any olhor tliat can he found between the two great waters, for allowing the Harbours at either end of the Koulc to bo c«jual in safety and convenience to any others that can be named on those Lakes, it will have tlic inii)ortant advantairo of being on the most direct line from Cswcgo to tho straits of Michlli- mackiniic, inakin;^ a saving over the present Route, via Lake Erie, of about six hundred miles-, while the distance from water to water (not being over fiom seventy to eighty miles) is about forty milc.>i shorter tluin any other route, and fully one liundred miles Ie.js than some that have been named and highly Sj;)oken of, whieh saving of distance nuistgive it a decided advantage ; for, it is to be recollected, that the cost of constructing a Plank or Rail- Road in the first instance, and keeping it in repair, and the transporting goods or passengers over it in all time to come, will be in exi^ct proportion to its leng:h. Taking this fact, therefore, in connexion with its peculiar locality, it is quite obvious, that, in the event of a war with our neighbours, (which may the allwise Disposer of Events in his goodness and mercy for ever avert) it wculd afford the Governniv^nt the safest and shortest, and, cor.sequently, the most expeditious means of transporting Stores, Troops, &c. the Narrows of Lake Simcoe, say sixteen miles with a suitable Bridge over the said Narrows. S. Resolved^ That, while this Meeting at once and forever disclaim all and any the least hostility or opposition to any projected or contemplated public improvement in any part of Canada, to be commenced and completed by Joint Stock Companies, they feel it to be not only their bou iden duty, but also that of their fellow-subjecls through- out Canada, to watch carefully the proceedings of such companies and take steps to prevent, as far as in them lies, the Government being by degrees, and, as it were, imperceptibly drawn into a large expenditure of the reve- nues of the country on an improvident undertaking which they may have had no voice in sanctioning, and which may in the first instance have been undertaken more to suit the especial interests of individuals in some town or city than with a view to the real and permanent interests of the Province in general, and this is often done by prevailing on the Government merely to lend its name in the first place to raise by Debentures or otherwise, the necessary funds, ^c. ^'C. ; then the next step is to obtain from the Government a direct loan and then to induce them to take a certain amount of stock in order to prevent the works stopping altogether ; and, finally, after the company has failed to pay either interest or principle, and may be said to be bankrupt, the Government is compelled to assume the whole work, or lose all they have advanced or become security for. 4. Resohed^ That, with a view to the carrying out the spirit of the foregoing Resolutions, it is expedient to appoint a Committee whose duty it shall be to take such steps as to them shall seem proper and necessary, and either by per- sonal examination or other means of information, to bring and keep before the public of Canada, Britain and the^ United States, the superior advantages and importance of a3 he route from W.mtsor Harbour to Gloucester Bay by the iVmrow., of Lak. S.mcoe, and to report thcroon from tim^ to turn., as occasion may seem to rcjuise. And, further, that it shall bo the duty of such Committee to urge upon ,he Governmont, by evj.ry suitable Z^Lt the great and preismg nocessily of in.mediato steps bein" ta «.„ to complete the lto„,l already commenced betwccS ^V.iKl,sor Harbour and Cloucoslcr Bay by either i>l«S e 1 1 i ■ """'ir'''--^ "'"t 'I'on '••'il» for « locomi.tive don^t ,7.")':"""'? *'""° "'■"'^<^' "'"'■•'' may easily bo C^nn i' CO """ "<""'<'"«"> do cu„.po.e t).e said Colonel CAMEr.ox, ^VILLI.lM Hum::, J G ii X Fa r qij j I a rpon, Danikl S. Way, Lawiuace IIaydex, F. Leys, Oc;di N Ckeioiiton, John- FI^ll Tiiomi>son% John V/klsh, JaMMS DuYUEiV, E. Beujiil, Donald McKay, and Peter Pehry, J^s^s, The above-named Gentlemen beg leave to submit this their first Report: — At a Meeting of the Committee, subsequently held at the same place for the purpose of organizing and taking steps for the performance of the important duties imposed upon them, it was resolved, That a Delegation be appointed to go over the route from Windsor Harbour to Sturgeon Bay for the purpose of obtaining the best and most accurate information relative to the locality, distance, advantages and disadvanta-ea of the same for a Plank or Railroad;, and particularly to } examine Sturgeon Bay, the Harbour at the Nortliern terminus, and Colonel Cameron, Ogden Creighton, Win. Hume, John Hall Thompson, John Farquhurson, John Welsh, James Dryden, L. Hoyden, and Peter Perry, Esqs., were accordingly appointed for that purpose. * j- 1 * The Cominiltco feci great pleasure in being a!>Io to state, 1 1 that, from the information obtixined thron-h said Delegation, J cori'oboratcd by tluil received from various other sources, no serious oI)slaclcs whatever arc to bo met with in any part of the conlcn^plutid route from Windsor Harbour to Srurgeon Bay ; but, on tho contrary. ' v Voie line as well ns everything connected tiicrcwii every way, most favourable for tho object in cor. >, viz. the constiuclion of a Plnnk or Mnciidaiih.. , inimt'df. ntely, and a Kaihoad in connexion t!:erev ., as soon as the travel and trnftlc of the country slirll have so increased as to require suc!i a mode of convevanec, which, (from the peculiarly f;ivouva!)lo ^>itaa(ion of the entire route) the Committee Cfjufidcntly anticipate will very speedily follow as a natural and unavoidable conseijuence. The Committee (instead of comiii:^ out with a flaming Report, as is the fasliion of tlie day) beg leave, in the cutset, simply to call public attention to a few incontro- vertible facts connected with this rouic, and which, in (he opinion of the Commirtee, only require to be known to meet with general favour am' approbation from a discerning public. To begin, then, Windsor Harbour, the Southern. Terminus and starting point of the proposed route (a, distance of 30 miles East from Toronto) is, with the< improvements recently made therctunder the directions o£ ! . I i ! I tl ^' ^f^ 77^ 8 the Board of Works, not only equal in every respect to my other Harbour on the Northern s^iores of Leice Ontario, but far surpasses several of the most important in many very essential points 5 for instance, vessels can always run to and enter it with the greatest ease and safety dur/ ag th« severeut storms and gales from which they require to take shelter, viz., windi blowing from the East, South-eajst, South or South-west ; and, on the other hand, can always leave with the same case and safety with u wind favourable to take them to Kingston, Ojwego, &c. &c. &c., or other Eastern destination, while every sailor acquainted with tho navigation of the Lake, must be well aware of the great difficulties to be encountered, end severe losses often sustained at some Harbours on the Lake, and particularly at Toronto, from the want of those peculipr qualities which Windsor Harbour possesses. Next comes Sturgeon Bay, situate on the Southeast shores of the great Georgian Bay, a part of Lake Huron, the Northern terminus of the proposed line of road, of which it may be truly said, that it is all that can be desired or wished, It being in fact 01 e of the best natural Harbours on Lake Huron, completely land-locked, with full ten feet of water in both channe? or ent .ince, and inner Harbour at all seasons ; and, like Windsor, can be approached and entered with perfect ease and safety during those storms from which vessels on the Eastern and South-eastern coasts of the great Georgian Bay wish to take shelter, viz., winds blowing from the West, South-west, North and North- west. The Committee have the most satisfactory evidence obtained from those who have been acquainted with Lake Huron and the great Georgian Bay for many years, and who have closely observed the closing and opening of their •Bays and IfarbourS) that Sturgeon Bay is free /irom ice as early in the Spring as Penetanguisheno or other parts of the navigatioP; and not later than the midille of April in any year, and that no obslacle whatever presents iti>elf in the navigation of this portion of the Lnkf* j and, further, the Committee have the statement of John FarqulsarsoM, Esq., Deputy Provincial Surveyor (who made a tour of the Lake from Sturg( on Bay to Port Sarnla -.au Detroit on hoard the Stfainer Gore during the present season for the purpose of obstrviiig ard repoitii)g upon tlie navigation and the several Harbours) who says, that, in point of facility of approtich and access, and conunodiousncss and safety when wiiliin, Sturgoon l>ay is not surpassed by any ©titer on that Lake ; all which is also corroborated by the statement of Captain 3)ick, of the Gore. The Comnuttee feel pleasure in stating that the extreme distance by the surveyed lino from Windsor Harbour to Sturgeon Bay is somctliing under eiglity miles, which is betweeiR thirty and forty miles sliorter than any other route that can he found or surveyed between the two great Lakes, and is not half the distance of some routes in contemplation ; this fact of itself must give the Windsor route a decided and unquestionable advantage over al! others between those Lakes ; for it must be borne in mind, that the hrst cost of constructing a Plank or Railroad, snd the wear and tear and cost of transporting goods over it in till time to come, are in e.\act proportion to its length. The Committee deem it quite s^jfficicnt for their purpose to ascertain and make known to the public the actual distance of tha route in question, without going into any jiiiuute calculutioiiy showing the great diubfcnce bctwcon 10 its k ngtli and that of others, many of which have not been survey eij, their true extent heing, at present, entirely a matter of conjecture and uncertainty. AH those who take an inteiest in Phmkor Raih'oad improvements, are respect- fully requested to compare tlie distance of the route under consideration with that of any other route hetween Lakes Ontario and Huron, when they shall he correctly ascer- tained, and the Committee feel not the slightest douht but that this route will receive a decidod preH^rence from all disinterested and impartial classes who have no particular interests to serve. Although the Committee have set down the distance by this route, as above stated, at cig-hty miles, tliey, never- theless, are of opinion, that, eventually, tlic land-carrioge will be reduced to seventy-fivL' miles, (that being the distance iV >m Windsor Harbour toCoIdwater or Matchedush Bay,) an inlet of, and distant abou'. five miles from, Sturgeon Bay, and navigable for vessels drawing not more than four leet water, where all small craft, such as Fishing Vessels, S^-c., now resort ij load and unload ; these five miles are on a dead level, and admirably suited for the construction of (^ithor a Railroad or Canal, or probably a channel might be dredged through the Bay more advan- tageously than either of the other modes, so as to admit sleameis an»* puiilic consiileration the .slioitest route, by vory many miles, aro, alsu, independent of tlieir own ohservatlou and that of manv others who ha%e exam- inetl this roat(», enabled to state, upon the aulh )r'.ty of !Mr. Lyons, Civil ICngineer to tlie iJoaid of \V^.jks, who surveyed the route from Windsor liaibour to the Narrows Bridge, a distance of iibout sixty miles, that it is the best adapted for a Railroad of any route for the like distance that he has met with during his experience as an Engineer. "While there h scarcely anything deserving the name of a hill on the v.'hole line, the land, for the most part, is gravelly, high and dry, gradually ascending or descending Math an even surface, and the few swamps to be met with have good haul gravelly or sandy bottoms, with easy drainage ; indeed, it would seem as if the God of nature, in His wisdom and providence, had wisely designed this spot for the future great thoioughfare between the two great Lakes. Of this line of road, thirty-flve miles are already made by the Board of Works, viz., from the said Narrows Bridge to Sturgeon Bay, the Northern terminus, twenty miles ; and froui Windsor Harbour, the Southern terminus, the Windsor and Scugog Road (being on tire direct line) is used as tar back as the 5th concession of Keach-^say 15 miles, leaving only 45 mihs in the centre yet to be made j for which pui-posL* a grant of /i200l) was made by the Legislature during ita last Session to be expended this 12 ^ season, and, as a preliminary step, that pntt of the road has been recently laid out into mile sections by the Engineer of the Board of Works, and now only awaits the action of the Doard thereon. In reference to this part of the subject, it may not be improper in the Committee to allude to an opposition said to be got up in the Eastern part of Whitby, and along the road leading from the village of Oshawa into the back townships, called the District line or Simcoe Street, against expending the said Grant on the direct line surveyed by Mr. Lyons, and in favour of its expenditure on the Simcoe Street Road ; and it is also said that petitions for that purpose have been forwarded to the Board of Works and the Government, although the Committee cannot believe for a moment that any such interested opposition or representations can have the least weight or influence either with the Board or the Government, with the fact staring them in the face, that the whole object of such opposition is to divert the travel and business both from Windsor Harbour and the Scugog Plank Road, (which have been improved and constructed at a large public outlay) to the Eastern part o{ the Town si: ip ; besides, while (on account of hills, &c.) it would cost from 50 to 100 per cent, more to construct a Road on the District line than on the direct or centre line, it would not afford any thing like the extent ofacconmiodation to the public for the following reasons. The District Lino Road runs at a distance of about » miles from, and parallel with, the centre line surveyed by Mr. Lyon.?, and from the 6th con- cession of Reach, back, for the most part along the Division line between Reach and Cartwright, Brock and Mariposa, and Thora and Eldon, except when it diverges East or West, to avoid particular obstacles, and a view of X. 13 the Map of those Townships will fti once show, that, by adopting the centre or direct line, not a single individual to the East of it will be required to travel one single inch out of his way in order to use it throughout, as the distance would be no greater to reach it from any Eastern point, say Mariposa or Eldon, through part of the Townships of Thora or Brock, than to follow the District Line Road down to the 5th or 6th concessions of Reach, and then cross over to it, the said centre line ; while all those to the j West of the centre line, for instance about Beavertown, the whole country surrounding Lake Simcoe, and the travel and traffic to and from Georgian Bay, Lake Huron, ^c. ^c, Would (in the event of the District line being selected) be forced out of the way between 4 and 5 miles to the East, and to no purpose whatever except to travel the same distance back again to the West in the 5th and 6th concessions of Reach : thus it will be seen, at a glance, that every farmer and all others would have to travel from 16 to 18 miles unnecessarily m going and returning as Vabove described. < ^' The Committee have deemed it necessary to say this r^iUch in reference to those indisputable facts connected with those routes in order to set that matter right with the public, and effectually to prevent any evil tendency arising from the misrepresentations that are constantly being made relative to those routes, localities, distances, &c. The Committee would here submit another important fact connected with the subject under consideration, viz., that, on referring to the Map, it will be found that Sturgeon Bay and Port Sarnia are situated about equi-distant from the straits of Michilimackinac, the point where all vessels have to rendezvous in passing to and ti'om Lake Micn.gan, whicb / / 14 is now, and no doubt will always remain, the great thorough- fare to and from the Far West, and which would be rendered more certain should Lakes Ontario and Huron be connected by a Railroad link not exceeding eighty miles in length, situated on the shortest and most direct line from the said straits to the cities of New- York, Boston, or any other Eastern point, making an immense saving by this route both in distance end expense, which could not be expected from any other that has been or can be presented. The Committee, having set forth some leading and important facts connected with this undertaking, beg leave further to submit a few of the many considerations that suggest themselves in favour of this route for a Plank or Macadamized Road, immediately, and eventually a Rail- road ; but, before doing so, they take the opportunity of distinctly disclaiming any hostility whatever to any other Railroad undertaking. Many projects and routes are under consideration in various parts of the country, all of which have their friends and admirers, and no doubt most, if not all, co..ibine more or less advantages, and are entitled to consideration accordingly ; and far be it from the Committee to throw the least impediment in the way of any of them— they merely claim for the one they are engaged to promote, the same privileges that they are willing to extend to others, viz,, a fair and impartial hearing of its merits by the public at large : their motto is, " Live and let live ;" let the truth be told, and all projects of the kind be judged by that standard, and stand or fall accordmg to their merits. Believing as they do tltat the Windsor and Sturgeon Bay tottte can suffer nothing by a fair comparison with any 15 .W • Other that can be named, they tlo not shrink from, but, on the contrary, challenge the severest scrutiny and investiga- tion ; if it does not possess superior advantages, let U be shown ; the public are deeply interested in those matters, and have a right to be nuido acquainted with ail tiie facts and details of the several cases presented. The Committee, presuming that tlie fact of this route being the shortest of any that has been or can be named, with good antl couuuodious Harbours at either terminus, will not bo disputed, do nsss of business, but for those of pleasure as well. "^ The Committee are of opinion, that it is not at all unlikely that Mackinaw Straits, will, at l.o very distant day, become a most favourite and popular watering-place, to wbeh thousands will resort, by way of the Mississippi and the route just referred to, from the Southern States during the hot and sickly season, where they may luxuriate .n the^ cool and bracing breezes from those inland seas, and, a „ot quaff the magic wattrs of Saratoga, they may, nevertheless, feast to their heart's content on the delicious salmon-trout and ^hite-fish with which thosa watew abound ; thereby strengthening the inner man, and, in due M *: ^"i °Ji ""'''■ '""^ ^io'-^ing. to New-York, Boston. Montreal, Quebec, or any other point to which fancy may direct ; and so, by making a circuit rrive at their homw Wler the destroying angd has passed The Committee would also take : ..is opportunity to Areet public attention to the great and important improve- ntsnls wv being carried on and in contemplation by our ..( \ 21 I neighbours on the other side of the ivater, and which are calculated to draw to Lake Ontario a very large proportion of the trade and travel which b ^toforo passed through the Erie Canal and Western Railroad to and from BufDilo. The improvements here alluded to are the Railroails from Boston to Montreal and Ogdensburg ; that from Oswego to Syracuse (a distance of only 30 miles,) and that from Rome to Sackett's Harbour. Charters for the throe first have already been obtained, and ac'ive preparations to commence them in the Spring, are now in progress. It must be borne in mind that Boston and New-York are to be regarded as rivals contending for the Western trade. The latter has heretofore occupied the vantage-ground, and still continues to do so to a considerable extent ; and is now casting about m her mind's-eyc Imw she can secure and maintain the advantage she has so long enjoyed, while the former, now fully alive to the great importance of that trade, is making mighty eflbrts to wrest from her powerful rival a portion, if not all of it, and towards its accomplish- ment has happily hit upon the project oC a Railroad to Montreal and Ogdensburg ; and, no doubt, with her enterprising spirit and capital, she will achieve her object. All this is calculated to do good— -opposition is the life of trade, while monopoly is its worst enemy. This struggle will most unquestionably drive New-York to the necessity of pursuing a different policy from what she ho5 Ijeretofore done, which has been, as far as possible, to keep every description of trade and travel from Lake Ontario, and, consequently, from Oswego, in order to force it through Buffalo, where, it is said, a very large amount of New- York capital is invested. This may serve to explain why it is that Oswego, with all her advantages, has been kept 23 so Ions in tho l,nck ground ; but Jhiii, thants to the enter- prismg spirit of the .lay, cannot Inst much longer, umlor any circnmstnnces. Osw.go, with her superior and over- whtlnun- n..t.iral a.lvantagfs, must nn.l will, in time. come out like g.-Id ,Hed i„ ,h,, fire, d.spito al! human opposmon. No ,I„ul,i hut that Nev-York, as soon a, ,l,o discovors Iho gania that l)„.ston is playin?, and that her opposition cannut any longer avail hor anvthing, and that trade mast and will, at tlic- present day and ag,, fir..! ,ho choapcst and most exp<.ditious crannel, and that if she wn no longer a(i;>nl such advantages, lioston, her rival, will be able to do so will at once slop forward and extend the hand of f,>ilo»sI,,p to Oswego, when the latter will, of a siuldcn, be seen rising and towering to the skies as hy the power of magic-then trade will lU.w through it. naiural, instead of being (Weed through an unnatural, channel. JJiilTa lo ,t .. true, will be left, as all Con.mercial places should be, to stand or fall hy her own mer 3, and it would appear, fmu. h,-r late bitter nioanings over the sad fate that seems to await her. that she t.end,les most fearfully for the result ; hut what she Io.es, Caa:ida will gain. There arc certain elements in motion, some of which have beoa already hinted at, calculated to place Co .da in a most favourable-nay, enviable position. In short, there IS a neh store of wealth in reserve for her, and it must ba as clear to the commonest understanding as the sun at noon of a clouu.ess day, that the route m question, from Wmdsor Harbour to Sturgeon Bay, is destined to participate largely in this good fortune that awaits Canada, and reap a rich harvest. ' The Committee would earnestly recommend that the Government be strongly urged by Petitions, Sfc, to proceed i'l ^1 li f I 23 with all reasonable despatch to the completion of thd grading, forming and draining the line lately surveyed by Mr, Lyon., from tho 5th concession of Reach to the Narrows of Lake Simcoe, and also to finish the planking throughout of the Windsor and Scugoj^ Koad early next Spring, believing, that, if this much is once done, by which tho merits of tho route will be fairly brought into notice, and the resources of the country developed, its superior advantages will be so apparent as to require no further eifort to induce the Governnu'nt and Legislature to enter forthwith on the construction of a Railroad, in addition, as a Provikicial work. Should Gov^'-nment, however, decline to avail itself of the favourable op])ortunity thas afforded, it will then be time enough to ask for and claim a Charter toenable private individuals to accomplish it. All which is respectfully submitted. J. FARQUHARSON, Ch lainnan. At a Public Meeting held at Windsor, on Wednesday the 24th inst,, for the purpose of receiving the Report of the Committee, it was unanimously resolved, that the foregoing Report be adopted, and thai 500 copies of tho same be printed and placed in the hands of the Committee for distribution.