New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1870-12-31

TIE CRlMEAN DEFEATS ATTRIBUTED TO THE
WANT OF IRON RoADS-THE RAILWAYS NOW
COMPLETED AND BUILDING IN THE EMPIRE.
IFRoM OUR SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT
PESTH Dec. 10.-Ever since the Crimean de-
feas the Government has paid special attention to the
Improvement OF its military, and more than ALL the de-
veOpment Of the railroads has been the fore
most thought OF the War Department. The de-
feats of the Crimea have generally been ascrbed
10 the then existing lack Of iron roads and the
consequent inability Of Russia, who had men and means
in abundance, but spread immense territory, TO
transport her forces To the seat Of The Emperor
Nicholas stern autocra who objected to the intro
ductiOn into his Empire Of Inventions and he de-
tested railroads AS the end proved he paid dearly for
his folly. Thousands upon thousands OF troops were
marched from the most distant corners OF the
Empire toward the seat OF war; but before
they reached their destination, hardshps and disease
deomated their ranks; whole battaions found their
death ON the steppes amid the fearful snowstorms
while those that did finally n thebattleeds were SO
debtated as TO be unfit for active service; and the
Commisarat Department too, being badly organized,
food having 70 DE transported across the steppes the
men were not kept in condition fitting them TO fill
heir military duties with energy Nicholas died, 1t IS
said bTokenheared at his His successor, the
Emperor Alexander however came TO the throne with
true insight into the Of his fathers defeats He
saw that railroads must be built Joining the Empire
together IL Crimean defeats were 10 be avoided IN the
future. And what has been accomplished lnch III
this respcct4 When the present Emperor assembled the
throne Russia possessed length Of only ALAS wersts IA
Werst bout 100 yards Of railroads, the chief lines
being the short stretch from st. Petersburg
10 the imperial residence, Zarskoeseo, opened in 1885,
being tie first in Russia; then the road between
Warsaw and Gramca Opened in lsis which connected
tho Polish capital with Vienna, and the Nicola road be-
tween ST. Petersburg and Moscow Coz wersts in length
fnsho in 1851 though not Ia complete working order
pr,r,led a1l
the great railroad undertakings for the time being and
the financial pressure after the peace prevented their fur
ther development for a time. What has been accom-
pshed since that time may he inferred from the fact
that the Of January Russia had 6C9 wersts Of
railroads In fun activity, and 5,l3s wersts In
process OF construction, and on the LIST OF
March, 1870 zoos wersts in activity, beside $50
werts OF roads in Finland 1t may safely be assumed
that Russia has railroads in working order to the
extent of over 5000 wcIsts.
The importance Of the roads, which for the extent Of
the Empire il proportonaely small lies in their STRAIT
egcal character equally il not than in their
merca vaue-a fact proved not many months ago, when
plan for large network Of railroads prepared by
Imperial command The Gar ordered that every year 800
Of stratcgca railroads should be built and these
roads should be secured before all Others" The chief
centering points OF the roads St. Petersburg Mos
cow Warsaw, and Odessa. OF these cities ST. Peters
burg was at first best connected with Western Europe
hut during the past eight years great number
Of lines have been built connecting with Moscow that
the ancient metropolis Of the Empire, from the rail
road network entering 1t, takes the first place War
saw is also important railroad center A
glance at any new railroad map will show
very clearly what railroad connection Russia has
between Moscow and her Southern Empire, and espec
any with the Black Sea. One route goes via Tula Oral
gursk Charkow TO Taganrog the most important harbOr
il the sea OF Asov and Rostow the haven at the mouth
s further eastward and the road runs via Rjsay Koz
lon Grasi Woronesch, which has yet be completed
the OF Asov. branch from KoZlOf is TO be
peted sarstoT the voga, and the line from Grias
via Borressog Gehsk 20 Tzarzinon the volga, both
which will open up immense industrial regions. odessa
is connected directly with Moscow either by the roue
Balta Knew, Kursk, or Balta, Charkow, Kursk the
being the shortest route and only very recently
completed The former route directly with the
Roumauan frontier, though the Polish borders the
roads from Warsaw TO the odessa-Kursk Moscow road
are still in process Of building Gbe latter have great
military Importance From Moscow to Warsaw direct
road has to be completed, we important mill
tary road connecting Moscow ard SevastOpO. The
northern seapOrts and Notifications have also been
nected by railroads with the inland Taking into consd
Grafton only the roads completed that
meet with the Black sea and the frontiers OF
Turkey and ROumania she has routes enough TO
transport her armies sout9ward at the rate of
thirty more thousand per day. Whether she
would be able TO command her roads with such precision
Prussia able 10 do at the breaking out OF the
Gcrman-French may be doubted, but she has M
dOubtedy taken lessons from her neighbOrs railroad
perences, she has done In adopting the obligatory
military system. Another fact showing how much the
strategic character has been looked In building the
Russian roads their broad gauge that il impossible
10 make railroad invasion into Russia further than
Warsaw since the rongstock Of other lands is useless
on the Russian roads Russia would thus avoid such
losses in railroad wagons and locomotives as France has
suffered during the present The "battle on tho
railroads" is essential part Of military science,
and Russia has not failed 10 see, since the Crmean
defeats the benefits which her roads must give her in
casp of future