, 1873-07-27
CENTRAL ASlATlC RAILWAY.

CENTRAL ASlATlC RAILWAY.
An Interview with tho Builder OF tho
suez Cnnlnl--Sovcn Days from, CalatA
to Calcutta.
Idrfs tJnlv ~ Correspondence " ths Ne'o York Her
AID.
| Your correspondent las had an Interview with
N. do LesBops, tho famous French onglneor,
whose succose in building tho 6uez Canal gave
him worldwide famo, mud WHO now proposes an
othor ontorpriRo loss novcl, but mono the loss
gigantlc,-the union OF Europe md Asla by
enna 1as' Of railway to bo called tho dreat Con-
N. do LossepB ssld tint, ne to tho railway
echomo, wo had no doubt Boon tho correspond
onco published In tho Journal de8 De6ats bo-
tween himsolt and Prince Orion, tho Russian
good will OF Rusala toward his enterprise. ~
may sny, moro particularly" continued NJ. do
Loaaepa, TINT 1 gave my note to Prince Orion,
as ho was leaving Tor Ems. At Ems no saw his
days, showing the intcrost felt In tho ontorpriao
by Tho Gear himself. This reply, 81 you will
note, granted oil I required, and gave mo au-
thority for 40 exploring party under II. ootard,
vey tho country from oronborg to samtrcand," :"
Your correspondent asked II thoro was any
special reason for this being surveyed.
=" Only this" said II, do LeB1eps, :" that DO
H1ro 10 Du1Q tue 1lTHE 6ecklOu within Iuaalan
territory. There will DO no political con,plica.
tion to embarrass mo In my work. And this will
also bo the caso with tho section from ahnar-
eand to Peshawur. Our purpose iH, aa soon as
wo hhvo surveyed these sections, to push our ex-
british Indla, provided NO find tho route safe.
II there should DO troubles from the people, or
any other causo, then NO shall return TO eamar-
cand and start tor tho Dritigh possessions on 4
new route. These explorations will not DO paid
Et178c htV$$
msaua."
Your correspondent enid It would probably
be most expensive proceeding, but ii. do Lea-
eeps anawered Tint 1t need not cost moro than
100000.
a question was thon askod as to what diAl-
uultiea were approhondod from the wild nomndio
tribes Of tho p1ains, between oronburg and
sanarcand. ri. do 1.esseps eatds ~ DO not
feel any serious apprehension. Tho policy Of
respect tho enterprises OF civilization 80 long
as 1t ia known that Russia ia friendly to our
soheme, we have all tho advantage Of It's moral
power. 1ta agents and offacers aro also our
ala In Central Asia at lie proaont timo viii serve
u.s.: Before wo arc rcady for work tho Ozar
will hhvo concentrated md consolidated hia
power in Central .Asia. Khiva must fall
before tho ,s , eaerto1s
power and its prestige among tho wild people.
an quite confident that before we hnvo laid our
first section Of rail, or built our first bridge, tho
road will DO "a free from moloatation or danger
as the road In European nuRsia. You will find
parallel caao In your American Pacific halfway.
Tint was built in d country inhabited by Indians
infinitely wilder and more irreolaimablo than
any in Central Asfa- I aln told that your road
has Ind a civilizing ofroct upon tho country it
traversos. It will bc the 9ame with tho road
through Asia. Like your road this will have
many great engineering difficulties to encounter,
and, 1ikoit.we moot them at tho ond Of our route.
You have tho Rocky Mountalns and siorra Me-
yadas wo have tho huge massos OF tho Hindoo
KioHh in Afehanistan range about Us high rs
Your correspondent asked If. do Lcssopa as to
tho comparative longth Of tho two lines. "Woll,"
he added, " the limo in Asia will be shorter than
English miles, tho Asiatic s, 400 French klome-.
tres. From Moscow it would bo a longer dis
tanco, whilo from Calais to Calcutta, which would
DO like calculating from New York to San Fran-
cisco, it would bo 1000 Kilometres. or, in rough
guessing, about four thousand Eve hundred
miles,"
NJ. do Losseps thon alluded with Bomo amuso-
ment to q calculation he had seen in a London
journal to the effect that train could not run
from Calnis to Calcutta In seven days. He thon
asked how long 1t took uB to make our journeys
from New York to San Francisco. Your corre-
spondent answered that when tho snow did not
intervene tho Journey employed about seyen
days and seven nights Tres benz" added
d. uC Lbss0pHt yoA uIb l!ot folf lhlAA IAllWHy
travellers in A,nerica, other, not In many cases
going moro than ono-lalf OF two thirds tho
apood Of our express traius. We can travail with
European speed toward Moscow, md beyond
VIC can take our time. only allnde to this to
the part Of EnglBhmen. Tho real question is
not whether We can run from Calais to Calcutta
in soyen days or seventeen, but whether We can
SO by land at all"
Your correspondent asked NJ. Do Loasepa what
he proposed to do about skilled labor. Ho an
Bwered that he had au army OF workers, ready
aud dieoiplinol-tho men who had served him %
engineers, and 80 on, in building tho SueZ Canal.
After tho Canal waa finished many OF his Asiat-
les remained in the East-Homo to serve tho
Khe1ive, others to aid in building g road to
Adrianoplo. Tho surveying expedition would
Btartfor Orepburg very shortly. Two yoRra ia
the timo allotted. While this work iB being con-
cluded VIC shall have tho means OF bringing tho
new company before tho world. AS
to whether tho new shares would 10
guaranteed by Tho Russian Government or not III.
do Leaseps did not know it support Of TINT kind
would be needed. But ho had boon assured that
If needed tAoro would beno difficulty in receiving
tho required guarantees from Russia, Thcro
would be break OF tho gauge on the Russian
frontier, as tho Russian gauge is not tho same
1B that used all over tho groator part OF Europe.
Ihon, "a now, passengers would lnyo to change
cars at the Russian frontier. The question
would not bo Of any mora Importance than tho
transfer from Franco to Spain, which al travel
ere find necessary at tho frontier on account OF
tho C.iTeronce in gauges.
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