The daily exchange. [volume] (Baltimore, Md.) 1858-1861, 1858-11-01
TIE ALLEGED RAnRoAn FR,rns IN Rrs.

The ALLEGED RAILROAD FRAUDS IN RUSSIA.
To the Editors 0fthe SIM:
The magnitude Of the frauds attributed by the St Pc
tersburg correspondent of London paper to the Ameri
company with which am connected and the cir
cumstantality with which the statement is made make
it obligatory upon not only to deny its truth but
adduce the facts and reasons which tend to show how
credible unworthy of belief and preposterous the
In the first place, it is to be observed as have already
stated, that the ST. Petersburg and Moscow Railroad was
located surveyed and all the necessary prelimnare
through with before any American engineer been
poyed and before any of the members of the American
company alluded to had been in Russia had any con-
nection whatever with the work. The road was con
struced by Russian mot American) contractors except
the laying of some fifteen miles of rails super
viSed tlroughoutby Russian engineers Major Whistler
acting as consulting engineer only, furnishing to the Rus
sian engineers the aid OF his vast experience and tai
ent in the construction of the road.
None ofthe persons composing the American company
had any interest in or connection with the building of the
road but on the contrary, those persons together with
another, constituting another firm, then executing
contract for furnishing the engines used on
the road These engines and all paid for by the
piece and of course the compensation of contractors
for supplying them had reference to- and could not
influenced by the correct incorrect computation the
length of the road or the diSnosition of the milo
The road was measured by Russian engineers and the
mile posts placed by Russian engineers exclusively
fore the American company eyer inferred INTO ,t
tract for the repairing of machinery be paid for
ing to the number OF versts and indeed before they
had made any contract whatever for repairs 1t fol
lows of course that if there be in fact any in the
ehSt OF he road as heretofore measured and estimated
the American company had no part in it, and cannot be
lish paper is pleased to term it.
But beg leave to reerate my strong disbelief in the
existence OF any such error and found such disbelief
upon facts and circumstances which in opinion render
The occurrence OF such the thing
possibility. When the American company entered into
its existing contract for repairing machinery used
the road the Russian furnished the company
with the length of the rOad-whc was then comuted at
COZ versts But with view to greater accuracy and
certainty the government caused the be actually
measured ny its officers, and furnished American
company with snch corrections determined by the
/ resi- IL
length of the track from st. Petersburg Moscow
COL verSts instead of co., shown by previous surveys
And upon this official basis 604 vcrs accounts be
tween the government and the company have been ad-
| justcd since the correction
Ipcrsuade myself that this plain statement will suffice
First that there is no reason to belive that any such
error as the correspondent of the London paper
have been discovered existed in the nature of things
exist.
Secondly, that the American company is free from all
kind OF accountability for completely in such an
| if it does exist
1t quite probable that observations of Professor
Struve the astronomer have established the fact that the
true distance between st. Petersburg and Moscow by
straight line is less than that by the line the railway
1t would be strange, indeed lift otherwise But it
Is difficult TO conceive how the length of crcuitous rail
way between two distant points be established by
calculations made by astronomer ''reative to the
true geographical positions of those two places 1t is
nowhere stated in the letter from Petersburg
observations of the astronomer have suggested and led to
the measurement of the railway rackhe only proper
mode of ascertaining its ength-and may fairly
cude that if such measurement had been made, and
disclosed so startling discrepancy sixty miles,
would nave been too important fact in support the Eng
ish letter writer's purpose to have been omitted and ii
may therefore he assumed, with entire pausibIlty and
lhesS at inns story rests upon no better foundation
than that an astronomer has discovered that is
far from ST. Petersburg to Moscow by airline by the
route of railroad necessarily prolonged by the character
of the country through which il passes. dismiss the
subject with emphatic expression of my belief that this
startling revelation is the result of the deliberate malice
or the scarcely less cupabe ignorance of the St Peters
burg correspondent Of the London NelcS which, like many
other English journals Is ready give currency tc
rejecting q n
American.
THOMAS WINANS.