400

either of the more southerly seaports.
Why, by these measurements we shall
save some four days—three days be-
tween London and the Pacific and an-
other by reason of the short cut
across the Pacific. By this new route,
it will be but a short step from the
eastern shores of our sundown sea to
the ‘‘Flowery Kingdom,’’ where the
Mikado eradles the dawn. Talk about
‘‘erimping’’ the cosmos and ‘‘cinch-
ing’’ the sphere—it’s wonderful. And
back in the hills they have unearthed,
or uncovered, at least, hundreds of
acres of good coal, which is as good as

THE CANADIAN MAGAZINE

easy grade, but quite recently the
engineers have discovered a cut-off
that is said to work a shortening of
the road without seriously increasing
the grade. But whether this short
route is adopted or not a part of the
proposed line will in all probability
be built, as upon this very cut-off, I
am told, immense coal beds have been
discovered.

The whole history of the survey of
this transcontinental line reads like a
fairy tale. Already the comparative-
ly worthless wilderness of Northern
Ontario is showing wonderful possibil-

ar

MR. CHARLES M. HAYS, PRESIDENT G.T.P., IN WHOSE
HANDS LIES IN LARGE MEASURE THE DESTINY
OF PRINCE RUPERT

gold north of the boundary. The
timber wealth is also an important
asset to this new country, and there
must be some sublime scenery along
the line that hes by the banks of
mighty rivers and passes at the foot of
“Old Smokey,’’ the highest mountain
in the Dominion. At the foot of the
Rockies lies the future ‘‘ Yellowstone’’
of Canada.

A glance at a map of the Grand
Trunk Pacific Railway will show that
there is a big loop in the line out
near the Pacific coast. This comes
from following a river to keep to the

ities as a mineral regron. It traverses
the gold belt, the southern edge of
which is marked by the rich surface
rock at Larder Lake, which is also
the Northern limit of the Cobalt silver
fields. And now, as the reports come
in, the far northwest bids fair to out-
do the eastern section. Almost im-
mediately west of Edmonton, the line
cuts through banks of good coal,

crosses Grand Prairie, opening up a

new ranching district.

Left of the foot of the Rockies the
Grand Trunk Pacific will traverse the
new National Park, where the Minis-