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We have now almost finished the
journey from the Atlantic to the Pacific, and little remains to be
done but to give some idea of the three leading cities of the
Pacific Province, viz. New Westminster, Vancouver, and Victoria.
New Westminster was formerly the
capital of British Columbia, but was succeeded in that position by
Victoria in 1868, after much discussion and many trials and
tribulations among the representatives of the mainland and Vancouver
Island. It is not situated on the main line of the Canadian Pacific
Railway, but is reached by a short branch from New Westminster
Junction. It occupies a lovely position on the banks of the Fraser,
and is built on the side of a hill. The view of the surrounding
country from the city is varied and extensive, and the river itself
is the best point from which to regard the city. The population has
not increased so rapidly as at Victoria and at Vancouvor, but it is
a very busy place, and both the buildings and tho streets are well
constructed, and present a very solid appearance. The principal
industries are those connected with the salmon canneries and the
sawmills, and it is hardly possible to appreciate how prolific the
salmon fisheries on the Fraser are without paying a visit to New
Westminster. On either side of the river are the factories, where
the salmon are prepared and canned, or where they are cleaned and
salted and packed in barrels, these being the two forms in which the
fish are largely exported. Boats arrive continually at the different
sheds full of salmon of all sizes and description, and, much as the
river is fished, there seems to be little or no diminution in the
catch. The average export of British Columbia consists annually of
about 400,000 cases of salmon, each containing 48 1 lb. tins. This
does not of course include the salted salmon, of which a large
quantity is shipped to all parts of the world. Some of our readers
may perhaps have seen photographs of the Fraser River. or, at places
where it narrows, at times when the salmon are running. It's no
stretch of the imagination to say that the quantity of salmon is so
great as to occasionally cause a rise in the level of the river; and
it is no uncommon thing to see salmon on the banks which have been
forced out of the water by the pressure of the fish going up stream.
One of the great difficulties
connected with the canning industry is the disposal of the offal.
Hitherto it has been the custom to dump it in the river, which is
not only an unhealthy proceeding, but is considered likely to drive
the fish away. Regulations have recently been put into force to
prevent this, and, although it has caused considerable outcry, there
can be no doubt that the canners will eventually find it to their
advantage. Indeed, the offal may become a valuable product, as a
large quantity of oil may be extracted from it, and the residuum
converted into excellent manure. A company is now being exploited to
carry on this business, and, if it succeeds, it will not only be
profitable, but will tend to add to the trade of the Province, and
to the value of the fishery. A novel experiment is being tried in
connection with the exportation of fresh salmon from British
Columbia to England. As soon as the fish are caught they are placed
in refrigerators, and aro shipped from Vancouver to Australia by the
Huddart steamers, being placed, of course, in the refrigerating
chambers of those vessels. They are there transferred into the
refrigerators of the Australian liners, and brought to London. The
first shipment arrived in excellent order, although the fish were
not taken at the best time of the year, and the success of the
experiment has been so great that further consignments have already
been arranged, and the belief is confidently entertained that the
fish can be sold in London at a price which will leave considerable
profit to the enterprising persons who have initiated the business.
It is needless to say, of course, that salmon can be obtained in
British Columbia for as many farthings a pound as shillings are paid
in the United Kingdom. A good many people are asking why the fish is
sent in such a roundabout way, and why the Canadian Pacific Railway
is not utilised. The answer is that there would be a difficulty at
present about refrigerating cars on the railway, apart altogether
from the extra cost of conveyance, and that there are no
refrigerating chambers on the lines of steamers which now ply
between Canada and Great Britain.
Vancouver, the terminus of the
Canadian Pacific Railway, is well known all over the world. It is a
comparatively young city not yet 10 years old, and besides, was
entirely burnt out in its infancy. It was soon, however, rebuilt,
and is probably now the most substantial-looking city west of
Winnipeg. The principal streets are asphalted, as well as the
sidewalks; most of the buildings are constructed of brick or stone,
and charming private residences are springing up in every direction.
The growth of its population has been most rapid, and it is now in
the neighbourhood of 20,000. Owing to tho manner in which the city
is built, it covers a much wider area of ground than most other
cities of its population. The labour that must have been necessary
to prepare for its expansion will be appreciated when it is stated
that the site of the city was formerly covered with the giant trees
of the Douglas fir species, and that many stumps can now be seen, in
the outskirts, of 7 or 8 feet in diameter. But even those monsters
are comparatively small, as in the Stanley Park, which is adjacent
to the city, there are cedars and pines which measure between 40 and
60 feet in circumference at some distance from the ground. Vancouver
has many advantages from its position on Burrard Inlet. The channel
is navigable for the largest vessels, and an immense quantity of
shipping is always entering and leaving the port. In addition to the
Canadian Pacific Railway service to China and Japan by the
magnificent Empress steamers, there are the well-known vessels of
the Huddart Line plying between Vancouver and Austral .a. Sailing
vessels and steamers are also arriving and leaving continually for
United States Pacific ports, and for the northern parts of British
Columbia, while vessels are also leaving every day conveying what
are humorously called British Columbia toothpicks to every part of
the world. These tooth-picks are sometimes 3 feet square and 60 feet
long, or even larger. It will be understood from this that, as at
New Westminster, the lumber industry is an important one at
Vancouver. The city is also the source of supply for many of the
inland mining and lumbering districts of the province. Vancouver
seems bound to develop, from its position as an entrepot. The trade
of the Pacific with China and Japan must increase; and it cannot be
long before British shipping on the Pacific Ocean will develop to an
extent it is difficult now to appreciate, and before the people of
Canada and the United States will be able to send greetings and
messages direct to Australia without having to send them, as at
present, by way of Europe. |
