The Cincinnati daily star. [volume] ([Cincinnati, Ohio]) 1875-1880, 1876-04-03
A VAST UNDERTAKING.
A Railroad across Asia-An Oriental Route
between the. Atlantie and Paeific.
tFrottl Qeianfs He

between tho. Atlantic and Paeific.
From the Scientific American.l
Tho great feat accomplished. by the
United; States in conneeting the Attain
tic. and Pacific. Oceans by q railroad
| across the United States, is, stimulating
enterprises in Europe; and it is now
proposed--indeed, the plan is matureds-
I'to connect the Atlantic and. Pacific
Oceans by a railroad through. Central
Asia, At O. conference of tins. ge0gra-
pliers, recently held, Colonel Bogdano
witz- explained some Of the. details OF
| the road, which, it. is expected, will
overcome one Of the GREATEST obstacles
to the extension of civilization, namely,
Ithesseparation of large part Of Asia
| from Europe by vast deserts, in which
| no means oftranslt but a railroad could
be of.any use. A railroad alone can de-
velop the resources of the many lands
Through which IT. would pass; and, as
1.-THE mineral wealth of Siberia and the
UraI Mountains is we'll known, the ex-
pIoration and mining of these regions
would be encouraged, and their re-
/ sources developed.
| It is proposed that the road shall start
Ifrom Nijni-Novgorod, in. Russia, where
| is now the extreme eastern station in
| the net work. Of European railroads; ii
Ekaterinbourg, on, the Atlantic side OF
Ithe Ural Mountains, then enter Asia,
proceed in the direction of-Treumen and
l0msk at the Irish, cross the river and
I,proeeed by way of Kainsk to Ponisk ON
1.-The Tom, a branch of the Obi, and cross
that river. Tomsk is the principal cen.
tier Of commerce of Western Siberia;
thence the road will run directly to
lfkutsk at Lake Baikal. Thence the
road is to pass to the frontier of China,
and thence 1T is no longer an exclusively
Russian, but an International under.
tnking.
| And here, also, the only serious en-.
cheering difficulties commence at the
mountain range of bingham, which, in
Fits northern part, is crossed by the
| Amoor River. This range is the great.
lest obstacle, and it will be necessary to
pass by the Montcho0ria, and to lay the
road from Baikal to- Vorhneoudouk,
through the valley Of the Selenga. Then
the best route by which to reach Pekin,
1 the capital of China, near the Yellow
l.sea a bay of the Northern P Pacific Ocean y
has been found to be that Of the Tehita
Eand Doiounor. At the Southern end the
famous great walIi is crossed; it already
lies in ruins in many places. The whole
| distance from Nijni-Noyogorod to Pekin
| Will DC 4,OVV miles, OI WHICH Z,oVV TUn
4 through Russian territory.
| When this plan is closely examined
according to known typographical data
| the apparent difficulties dwindle down
| to nothing when compared to those en-
| countered in the western section of oul
Pacific Railroad. The first section, from
| tNijni-Nerv0gorod to Tomsk, runs on per
iiectly level land (the so-oalied steppes \
| similar TO- our pEaiTies. In the section
from Tomsk to Lake BaisaI, the country
lis rolling and iateEspersed with rivers
and streams, but the greatest height il
only three Thousand five hundred feet
and the largest river areas but of very
moderate width and depth. The only
serious difficulties, aswe have said, Lie
at the Chinese frontier, and they are in
feri0r to- those overcome in the Rocky
| Mountains and the Sierra Nevada by the
American engineers.
| Russia has raised In fifteen years more
| than 81, ,000, 700, 900 withwhich to construe
| fifteen thousand miles OF railroad, ant
can easily find $500, 100000 or $400, ,0e
to construct a line Of such value to al
the civilized world.