The Tipton advertiser. [volume] (Tipton, Cedar Co., Iowa) 1856-1962, 1871-11-16
A Gigantic Railway Project.


At present the shortest line Of trave
for passengers between England and
India is by way of Brindisi, Alexandria
and Suez, to Kurrachee or Bombay
requiring twenty' days for its accom-
plishnent. 70 reduce the time from
England to India, to a little more than
five days, is the proposition of Messr.
William Low and George Thomas, who
in a communication to Mr.. Gladstone
have set fourth scheme, the leading
features of which are as follows:
First, to use existing lines of railway
and the Mont Cents Tunnel to Trieste
and thence to contruct a railway
through Austria, European and .Asiatic
Turkey, Persia and Beloochistan, to
Kurrachee and to Bombay.
The route proposed is as follows; From
Trieste, by Fiume to the eastern shore
of the Adriatic Sea, thence southwards to
a point nearly opposit Brindisi; thence
eastward, across Turkey. north of the
Archipelago and the Sea Of Marmora,
to Constantinople; thence crossing the
Bosphorus and turning sosthward at
at Scutari, reaching the Mediterranean
at Adalia, the"ce skirting the cast to
Alexandretta; thence southeasterly to
the west end of the Persian Gulf;
thence following the shore of the Gulf
and of the Arabian Sea to Kurrchee,
and thence to Bombay.
The distance, including the Straits of
Dover, is stated to be $3.50 miles. AL
lowing speed of 40 miles per hour by
land, and 1ol miles per hour by water,
the tine that would be required for this
journey would be5 days, 1G hours and 46
minutes. Estimating the rate of travel
by land at 80 miles per hour, the time
for the journey would be days 13
hours, and % minutes.
There are already ,l7O miles of this
line now constructed, and it is estimat-
ed that the comp:ction of the remainder
would cost about S2O5, 100000.
Messrs. Low ard Thomas propose
that the countries, through, which the
line would pass, shall share in the
expense of construction.
Other financial features of their
scheme are the formation Of an Anglo
Indian Company, that shall construct
and maintain the permanent way, and
subordinate companies that shall con.
struct and maintain stations, sidings,
etc, for local traffic
The projectors apprehend. very justly,
we think, that the raising of the capital
and the organization of CONF anies
would be the chief difficulty to be
s"rmounted. Allowing a years time
for the preliminary business, they
think the road might be completed and
running within three years Of the
present time.
Were there not some precedent in
the rapid completion of the Union
Pacific Railway in this country, this
scheme might be considered visionary
and impracticable; but it has been
demonstrated that the mere length OF
railways is a matter of small importance
as affecting their speedy completion
The procurement of the necessary
agreement on the part of the various
governments, the territory of which i,
is proposed to traverse, is work of
greater magnitude than the building OF
the road itself; and, should the pro.
jectors succeed in accomplishing this,
there may be some chance for the
success Of their project.
The rapid growth of the moder railway
system is appreciated by very few, and
the magnitude of some of the enter.
prises, now looked upon as feasible, is
something that the last generation little
dreamed of. Five thousand miles is q
long distance, and two hundred miilions
of dollars quite "A respectable sum o.
money, yet these things are talked abou,
now a-days will cut scarcely producing
sensation in the commercial world.