ST. JOHN'S, a city, capital of New foundland, and the extreme eastern sea port of North America; 1,076 miles N. E. of Montreal and 1,665 miles W. by S. of Galway, Ireland, the shortest distance between any two seaports of America and Europe. It is on the Atlantic Ocean and the Newfoundland railway. The city is built on an acclivity. It has an excellent harbor, affording perfect shelter for ves sels and having a drydock at its head, 600 feet long. The entrance to the har bor is called the Narrows, and is about 600 feet wide at the narrowest point. To the N. of the Narrows is Signal Hill at which place Marconi received the first trans-Atlantic wireless telegraph message, 510 feet above sea-level, and to the S. South Side Hill, nearly 650 feet. At the foot of the latter is Fort Amherst light house. The city has numerous churches, of which St. John's Cathedral (R. C.), and the Anglican Cathedral, one of the most beautiful specimens of Gothic archi tecture in British America, are the most noteworthy. The institutions for higher
education include Anglican, Methodist, Presbyterian, and Roman Catholic Col leges. Here also are several literary institutes, libraries, Government House, House of Assembly, Poorhouse, Peniten tiary, Hospital, and several banks and public halls. The city has a number of foundries, tanneries, breweries, cabinet factories, biscuit factories, oil refineries, a net factory, boot and shoe plant, rope walk, nail factory, and gas works. There Is a large trade in supplying fishermen for the cod and seal fisheries with fish ing gear, clothing, and provisions. The city was visited by a disastrous fire in 1892, causing a total loss of $16,000,000. A water power generating plant at Petty Harbor, 8 miles distant, supplies the city with electricity for all purposes. Pop. (1918) 34,045.