The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1876-04-02
Il MIGHTY ENTERPRISE.
RAILROAD ACROSS THE EASTERN CON-
TINENT.

RAILROAD ACROSS THE EASTERN CON
TINENT.
fseIentine American.
The great feat accomplished by the United
States in connecting the Atlantic and Pacl-
fic oceans, by railroad across tue United
States is slim Mating enterprises IN Europe;
and it is now proposed-indeed, the
plan ia matured-to connect the AT,
iantic and Pacific oceans by railroad
through Central Asia. At conference of
the geographers, recently held, Col. Bog
danowitz explained come of the details OF
the road, which, it is expected, Will over
come one of the greatest obstacles to the
extension of the civilization, namely the
separation of a large part of Asia from Eu-
rope by vast deserts, in which no means
of transit but railroad could be of any use
A railroad alone can develop the Re sources
of the many lands through which IL wOuid
pass and, as the mineral wealth of Siberia
and the Ural mountains is we'll known, tue
exploration aud mining Of there regions
would be encouraged, and their resoarc
developed.
1t is proposed that the road shall start
from Mini Novgorod, in Russia, where is
now the extreme eastern citation 10 the net
work of European railroads; it will run
along the Volga, the Kama, to Ekaterin-
hong, on the Asiatic side of the Ural noun
ans, ,h-r enter Asia, proceed in the diIec-
ton of Treuneu and Omsk at the Irish,
cross the river. and proceed by way OF
Kansk to T"mek on the Tom, brancn OF
| the Obi, apd cross that river. IOmsk Is
| the principal center cf commence OF West
ern Siberia thence the road will run d.
rectIy to Irk utsk at Lake Baikal. Thence
the road is to paes to the frontier of China,
aud thence it is no longer an exclusively
| Russian, but an International undertaking.
| And here, also, the only serious engi-
| neering ifficulties commence, at the noun
tain range of bingham, which. in its north
ern part is crossed by the AMOR river.
This range is tbe greatest obstacle, and 1t
| will be necessary to pass by the Montchoo-
ria, and to lay the road from BaiBal to
Verhneoudouk, through the Valley of the
Selenga. Then the best route by which to
reach Pekin, the capital of China, near the
Yellow sea "a bay of the Northern Pacific
ocean,) has been found to be that of
Tehta and Dooupor. At the southern
end the famous great wall will be crossed ;
| il already lies 10 ruins in many places.
The whole distance from Tijni Novgorod
| to Pekin will be 500 miles, Of which = 500
run through Russian territory.
When this plan is closely examined, &C.
cordDg to known Typographical data,
the apparent difficulties dwinde down
to nothing when compared to those en-
countered in tho western section of our
| Pacific railroad. The first section, from
Mini Novgorod to Tomsk, runs on per-
fectly level land. (tbe SO called steppeE) ,
similar to our prairies. In the section from
Tomsk to Lake Baikal, the country is roll
ing and interspersed with rivers and
streams but the greatest height ia only 3. 500
feet, and the largest river areas but of very
moderate width and depth. The only ser
ious difficulties, as we have said, lie at the
Chinese frontier, and they are inferior to
those overcome in the Rocky Mountain
aud the Sierra Nevada by the American en-
gineers.
Russia has raised in fifteen years more
than 81 900 DOC, 600. with which to con
struct $4,000 miles of railroad, and cal
easily find $500, 600, 600 or $500, OeO, 900 t
construct a line of suoh vniue to aii th'
civilized world.