B. C. has twice the agricultural area of Sweden, and they suTJpDTt-6r�X),Ck)0" people.
FORT
�British"'Columbia has ten times the agricultural land contained in.the Japanese empire.
VOLUME   1,   NO. 38
SOUTH   FORT   GEORGE,    B.C.,   APRIL   29,.. 1911-
$3   DOLLARS   PER ANNUM
Latest Map Showing Location of 6. T. P. Station
The plan reproduced' herewith, is the first work of its kind yet'published, showing the location of the station grounds on Indian Reserve No.- 1 here, as shown in the plan iiled in the Kami oops Registry office by the Grand Trunk Pacific Railway Company.-The plan was executed by Core and McGregor," the well known firm of land surveyors, which may vouch for its accuracy, and is-the property of this company.
The. lots initialed N. R. S. Co., lying to the west of the Indian Reserve, are the various townsited, owned,. or being sold pn a profit sliai Ing plan, by the Natural Resources Security Company, of Vanconver.
The only buildings on any of tln-ir sites are found'.on subdivision 938, which in the only land registered under the name "Fort George." Here the town site company; have put up a large hotel and a number-of stores.
Tbe other subdivisions, Lots numbered 937, 149, and 777 "are at present entirely undeveloped with the exception of a. few avenues cut through the timber. Lota. 2608 and 2507 are known as the Hodgkins' afi-dition. This addition is owned by a number of "lawyers and realty men in Vancouver and Victoria, and is being sold by the Natural Resources com-pany. Lot 14117 is generally supposed -to lie owned by a railroad company,_ but is the property of a Winnipeg" speculator. All the above subdivisions arc a long way from 'the-present commercial centre in-"the townsite activity here, and very little development work will be done on any 'of them, unless-undertaken, as at tbe present, time,' by the owners.
Lot 417 is owned by the Hudson's itny Company, and their post,' founded 100 years ago, stands on it. This ifTperTTapa the most valuable piece of. Innd in tbe townsite area, and will probably be purchased by the Grand' Trunk Pacific Railway and made a part of their townsite which will be on" theih'Iian reserve."Lot 932 is the property of the Fort George Land Company. It is< subdivided, but ban been temporarily] withdrawn from, the market. Lots 933 and 934 are townsite of South Fort Ge< biiBiness, ^industrial, andjreSidential (���litre of the total area townsited, at this time The whole''of the water-froTit on,.this townsite forms a natural dock owing to the fact' that tin.' tuwu�ile I* oh a series of terraced Iji'iuiliejC the lowe'r of which is about ^>Oeet above high water'"mark.'On all the other sites, especially those uii the Ne'haco river, the ..waterfront j- of little value owing to" its height.
LOt 142G is owned- by the Welsh Land Company ..�f Winnipeg, -and ia u choke property for residential pur-purteV.-Lof'913 is not on the market, its wyfier, J. M. Wiley, of Winnipeg I*-unking. $1000, an acrefor. the area. A.^1 'J25 is. owned, in Winnipeg also. It is the property of A- Lmdaay of Unit place. Lots 1^31, 939 and 1432 "are held in reserve by. the provincial government.                      �                   V
The' large island  at the mouth of the Nechaco river has been purchased-'' Uii subdivision purposes by Williams j ^anrt  Munlulf of  Vancouver./^-
.Thr area Biib-divided---nere today ..aggregate's about 2OQ0-acres.
\ *a -from Vancouver J�eui. Mr. <;. 12; McLaughlin, one of the interested parties in the site, has already left -Vancouver for this place to look after tin- company's interests here. Mr McLaughlin has had many years, experience- In. active develop; moiit work, and his advent will help materially in the work of providing sonic of the improvements that the rapid growth � of the building area beyond the cleared' portion of-J.be site .warrants.        .    �,            >        :
LAND JUNCTION   OF  FRASER AND   NECHACO   BIVEBS
A MUSHBRAINER. The miish-brained effort of the t'.'UiiKite tout; who manages th'e Fort i:''"W Tribune, a'rag owned by the Natural Resources Security Company l.imitcd, townsite peddlers; edited by then- advertising manager from .ya'n-<"� "ivor, and "managed" by the3,ig-Ji'.ramiis, whb, once:in-a-while at-iini|)t.s to strengthen. his master's hand,�which he loves to fawn upon� !'>" t/ikirm a.flyw in the columns of the townsite company's weekly table-napkin, in an endeavour to discredit an article which appeared in these columns, warning thi. public against �ucli cattle as he, was very amusing. in his diatribe of last week the rag-titne writer refers to the' Herald scribe as., "illiterate", and further states that our8 were "despicable methods  which HAS, etc,  etc."  Well.
HIC-H-A-V-E, Mr. Tribune utility "'|>n, or we will publish material ,which will show up the galaxy of ad. writers anil promoters of the Nechaco iuvit townsite  in a new   and  awful
i� /mother column appears an ad-�vertisinont offering lots in central * "it Ueorge at 10 per cent., over the onsinnl prices. Prices of lots in this ownsite have advanced 250 per cent b'i� last fall.
'�'he llritish. Columbia Express Com-
� J""iyV big  steamboat   "B- X-"  will
leave Uuesnel for Soda Creek on the
nrsi of May. She will load for South
fort.. (Jeorge.
. ^ �'� MeMahon of Vancouver, who linked a.large block of land for Vancouver people, completing the work 'llst one day before the' reserve went last 'tft  for    th*  coast   on  Mondav
.We regret that there is nothing on
"le other pages of this great family
I    '% but land ads., but we need the
money.                                ....    .'.;�.�    . � � �.     \.
i'he provincial government are con-� ii , !'I1K a sale-by-auction, scheme for 'billing what is left of.-the unreser^ ;e'i lands of this province. How ^we llaV(! to laugh. �,,"           '
/'unstable Gbsby left South"Fort pf�.rKc on Monday last by canoe, for invert, inlet; where he-goes to" accept 1 I'UBition as Inspector liT the fisher's Bervice. Andrew Forrest'will act lls constable until'-a new man arrives "'l^-beadquarters. I " '� . wee'li8 flrat boat i� expected hen next
aWHAT WE HAVE **
%mrw?9v t   urnY �1� � governmeipt WL MLjMji HUJjJU    �-anent selling
lots In South Fort George; a hobbled policy
>' -;:.. "The B. C. Land Act!" It is a magic^pKrase and has been a slave to hundreds of legislators. .It is has more decayed timber in its skeleton than Nelson's flagship. Vet, there is one plank in it that bears well urider^theWavy strain imposed on it in this trying speculative age.-^The plank ,in question is the reversion to the governrnerit of one-fourth interest in- all lands platted for townsite^pWposes.,; This. is "a wise provision and serves in a manner to allow" the governors an easy way to expend monies on townsites affected without in any way-interfering; witrKlhe.. fixed revenues of the province. As far as this goes all is well. There is anbther feature to the one-fourth government interest that does not, however, stand up well under the keen eye of experience* We will take as'an illustration tKe townsite of South Fort George. The government, of course, are co-owners with the Northern Development company, to the extent of one-fourth. Their selection was" made wisely and well, and includes three blocks in the business section, each and every lot of which would, in two hours, self for one thousand dollars. The Northern Development company placed the property on the market very early last year, and at this writing the entire townsite has been disposed of. Many of the lots in the business centre have changed hands three times. All have turned oyef once at good figures. Still the government* lots cannot be touched,.and not likely any disposition will be made of them till the -minister of lanc|s wakes up. .The non-placing of these lots on^ the market conjointly with the parent ones, discloses the weakness in the plank we refer to, for it"makes ft harder for pioneers to do the work so necessary in ]new' and growing communities. Detached unsold blocks in; South Fort Georjje today is the one and only reason why" there exist un-~ connected'sidewalks and properly graded streets throughout tfie town. "What we. have, we'll hold,'^.nfay be fittingly applied to the bulldog on ^he Union Jack, but the residents of South Fort George see no valid reason why the British Columbia minister of lands should assiduously strive to imitate the . action in the historic sketch,,^ refusing to auction the lots or make provision for needed;:improvements.
AH we want is a.chance and a square deal.   We'll do the rest. We are the.pilots>fpioneerddrri.  Not a CORPORATION with unwashed tentacles spreading   from Saskatoon to Mas-^ sett in the tranquil Pacific ocean. > Yes, treat us right.           �. ^
'tHco" Caught
Between Two Ice Jams
at Cottonwood and
Goes Down
A^putlic meeting willjbe held pn May 3, in the McGaghran-Thorne hall, at 8 p.m. sharp, to receive the report of the committee having chargej)f the, 1st July celebration. _       I
Keep in mind the date of the annual meeting of the Board of Tirade,. May 16. It is electidh meeting. The only people who will- be excused from attending are those who are too busy sell-. ing real estate and "foreigrt" missionaries.'-''(All others must be there. The^board isjihejonl^represenfative body in the district north of Quesnel, and a great deal of jpopdhas^already bejen achievedi -Don 11� a lajgrgard, Get the spiKt of the times and advertise yourself^by attending.-               \
THE CREW ESCAPED ON THE ICE
tf             Special to Herald.            ;
QUESNEL,  B.    C.    April 29th,   � Chilco!s ; boiler    gave   out  whilst steaming   back    from    Cottonwood Cahyon.    Boat   drifted    doVrn  the river for two miles into, the canyon. After  drifting  through   nearly   the . whole distance of  the  Cottonwood-canyon the ice- jammed and smashed -the boat    to   pieces.  The' crew   narrowly  escaped' with  their
lives.   ;,.._!,                               y......
The 'above 'phone message was received 'by the Herald ^>his morning just before going to Press, and confirms the rumor ^Ihat the . steamer lost-'on.
Shy on Accommodation
Chilco  was
Thursday
		
		
�-i-.-.j"..!� yv1.' r*1'1 v,..i   :\- '�'.-. . �	'�1	
Thie town will soon be facing a bed famine.'   The weary traveler will have to lay down to .sleep by a cottonwood stump or a big soft rock unless some of the enterprising people who are contemplating building rooming houses here get very busy.   The Hotel Northern, at the present time, can accommodate some sixty persons.   Francis Hoffercamp, on Second street, has about forty-eight more,, and there the bed; supply peters out.    There are some bunk houses, but everyone does not care to bunk,   there seems to be nothing problematical about the number of people that intend to come tefche district this summer.7 The rush has already started pver the trail. The first boat is soon expected, and it is ^stated that several-hundred, passages have already been booked on Boat The First. Where are the several hundred to enjoy tlieir beauty sleep? . A number of rooming houses would certainly be a splendid investment here,  and good returns would be forthcoming for the outlay.   The time is now; the place, South-Povt-George.- .
.�-/�_________________:_______-_______________]_____________�                _________'
An eastern contemporary prints the prevail^-�ing prices of staple commodities, andit is interesting to forjna comparison between the effete old east, where the littlecopper cent passes from hand to hand as collateral, and the^iiew, glorious, and rugged west, where money is oxi the move all the ^hours of the. live-long day, and where /two-bits." usurps the place of the copper coin. The following prices shown are from Wiarton, Ontario, and South Fort-George, B.C., respectively:�
Comparison of Prices
The   Ill-fated   Steamer   "Chilco"
Eastern Eggs, 16c dozen " Butter; 21c lb    y Pork; 81-2clb-Beef, 81;2cib - Potatoes', 50c bag
y\    Western Eggs, $1.50 dozen Butter, 50c lb Pork, 40c lb Beef, 25c lb Potatoes^ $8.00 bag Chickens, $5 each Hay, $60 ton (wild) Wheat, 8c lb Oats, 5c lb
whilst steaming from the Blackwater river  to  Quesnel..   It   is   regrettable news t,o have to>nuhlish. after hearing that the stauncH little boat had successfully rescued from the dangerous  position  which    the  disaster of last fall had left her in. It was from i the scene of the salvage operations' just successfully completed, that the Ohilco had left for the short run to j --Quesnel,' .where     permanent     repair . -work  was   to   have   been  done,  that'! she met her doom in. the Cottonwood ' Canyon, twenty miles, from her destination.   Left   in  the    ice  near the Blackwater    Rivix.    last   November, after being   partially wrecked on a reef of rocks exposed by the exteeme-ly low atage of water in which fhe
Chidkens, 13c lb '�  ,riay, $16 ton      � ^ ."
Wheat, 80c busliel        J
Oats, 30c bushel The above prices are in force here at this time, as steamboat navigation has not yet begun.    Summer prices are, of course,., more moderate, 'as the navigation of the Fraser. river-from " Soda creek, makes a difference of about six cents a pound in freighting.                ,         .                "                   .   .
PEACE RIVER And its mineral
 wboderful mineral wealth of the ace RivcX^alley, which is tribu(ary to B'ort George as the. line of travel goes,   will  someday pour  its output through the  metropolis of the north ior   distriljution.    TheNHcmotene88,.of the  great    Peace  River   valley  Irom present centres of industry isvrespon-! si hie (or the dearth of development in a country so     pregnant    in mineral ^wealth, waiting only for the hand of' ma, and   of  modern    transportation methods   to  pour raw  material  into j the centres of industry for consumption.
Kort George is the -logical point for the preliminary work of developing the peace River valley to be undar-taken irom. Thirty miles up the river from liurc, on crossing a twelve mile portagf, the Arctic watershed is met and tlat;' traveller . may embark in a | canoe and float downstream to the very fountain-head ol .the Peace River one of the "mightiest fluvial arteries on  the North' American continent.
Describing the coal outcroppings on the Fine river, a report of which we �have just received from Mr-Bledsoe, river country, and the initiator of the one oi the pioneers, of the Peace river country, and the initiator of the Finlay River Development Ompany, shows that for a condiderauie distance along the Pine River there are indications of Conl, and these are especially noticable at Cariboo mountain and Coal brook.' In a stream to the east of Cariboo mountain a seam of coal is exposed which is fully iO feet thick. This is a hard, lustrous coal which on the surface looks like anthracite, but as no work has been done as yet, it is difficult to classify exactly. There can be, .however, ho doubt about it* being of.great value as a fuel. At Coal Brook, where the sample was taken, there is also an immense .showing of coal. The value of this coal-.Bud is great. It is situated only a'few miles from the Pine River Pass, through which the Pine Pass Railway Co., ami ..the Pacific and Hudson Day Railway 'Company will come. The route of the latter railroad will lie along tbe Pine River, fallowing the very best possible zone of attack for the exposed coal seams. The coal will be required.for. the operation 6fx.the railroad, also the Pine Pass railroad, and possibly for a section of the Grand Trunk Pacific and Canadian Northern Railways. It will be used -on ttie^Peace River steamboats, and' in the" jiouses of quite a large farrhirjg district, and in various towns. In connection >with. the Pine River District it may here be noticed that close to the 'Pine Pass soine' some free gold ores lmvi been found which may prove to^be of' considerable value when mo,re work has been done. Also.in the^North Pine River there are great deposits of arsenical iron ore which, may also prove to be of value,   �y/'
There is .a fine    seam   of coal^at Fort  McKar/'and   the  witness  took out last ,season  about 20 tons' right on the/fiver bank. This was. a good quality-   of    bituminous   coal    which cpuld   be  used     for    common black-'smithing, but not welding. .Where ex--posed  and   worked,-    this  seam  goes" down about 5 or six feet deep, and it seems  to lie getting. larger. There , is quite a bit of coal  taken by thex people who live at Fort Chippewyan. .   There is a fine seam of coal at a little creek named Horse Creek, which is about   a mile   and   a half   south from Fort McMurrayy on the east of the Athabasca River; Coal may also-" be found  in other'places, There is a earn, for   instance,    about    2 miles below Stoney Island, on the Peace.'
Continued on another column.
Oddfellows Meet South Fort George7will have an Oddfellows' Jodge before long, and it will be the first benevolent society to establish itself in the district. A meeting of Oddfellows was held on'Sunday in the McGaghran-Thorne hall for |he purpose of instituting a lodge. The, chief topic wasrelative^to the securing of a proper meeting place, and a sentiment exiats that a lot be purchased and a building erected/Among those present were J. R. Campbell, George McGaughey, F. Johnson;. I. H.lMcLean, John Mclnnis, P.-Pinker, W. Rowatt, S.Van Buskirk, Wm. Blair, Ghas._ Pinker and A. E. Forrest. There are a number of others who intend joining here as soon a s they can bereieaied from their home lodgt. "    -              .   U     -
was. running in  order that tho iwork of^del'lvering    much   needed � supplies lere might be carried as late into the season as possible,  it was generally jelieved that she would be totally destroyed by the winter ice. Energetic   \ work on. the part of Captain Ritchie's   i salvage crew has just completed' the seemingly impossible task of getting tbe boat  out of the  ice and into a place    of    safety    where    temporary    � repairs were mace   preliminary to the run to Quesnel,  on  which the catastrophe of Thursday was enacted. �
The water is extremely low for this time of the year, due to the-lateness of the season. Ice is still running in ;he river heavy enough to block the, canyons, and we gather from the wire received tlmt the Chilco preached the Cottonwood to rind it blocked! and . mmediately started up stream again n order to escape tbe danger, of the; erriflc rash of -water when ,the jam iroke rt�� .u-�������/.Ha