The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1876-03-17
4 MIGHTY ENTERPRISE.
A Railrond Across the Eastern Continent A
Grent Work for Russia.


The great feat accomplished Ivy the
United States In connecting the Atlantic aud
facinc Oceans by railroad across the United
States Is stimulating enterprise IN Europe; and
IL Is now prOposcd-indeed, the plan /, matured
to connect the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans 10y
IA railroad through Central Asia. At con.
ference Of the peoGraphers, recently held, Cot.
Bogdanowitz explained some Of the details ~
the road, which II Is expected Will overcome
one Of the greatest obstacles u the eXten-i on
OF civllz 4ton, namely, tho separation Of large
part OF Asia from Europe by vast deseits, in
which no means OF transit bat railroad could
DO ut any use railroad alone can develop the
RESOURCES Of the many LANDS through which u
would pass; ana as the mineral we1tn Of
Siberia and the Urdl Mount iins il well known,
tho exploration ana aiming OF these regions
would he encouraged, and their Resources de-
1t IS proposed that the road shall start from
Mini NOvEorOd, in Russia, where Is now the cx-
IRENE eastern station IN the net work OF Euro
pean Railroads it will run along the Nolpa,
tho Kama, to EAateTnbourg, ON Jae Asiatc side
| Of the IIral Mountains, then enter ala proceed
IN the direction OF lreumen and Omsk - the
Irish. Cross tho river, proceed by way Of kainsk
u Iomst On the fem, a branch Of the OBI, an /
cross that river. Iomsk Is the principal centre
OF commerce OF Western Siberia thence the
Toau viii run directly To lrkutsh, at Lake Baika;
thence the road Is To pass to the frontier of
| China, and thence II Is no longer IN exclusively
Russian, but an International undertaking.
And here, also, the only serious engineering
| difficulties commence, at the mountain range Of
kiOghan which, In Its northern part, Is crossed
| by the Amoorriyer. This range is the greatest
obstacle, and IL will be necessary to pass by the
| MantchOOria, and To lay the road from BtikR to
Verhneoudinsk, through the valley OF the selen-
"a. Then the best route by which to reach Pc
kin, the capital Of China, near the Yellow Sea Ga
| bay Of the Northern Pacific Ocean,, has been
| found Co be that of lehita and DOlounor. At
| the southern end the famous great wall will be
crossed II already lies in ruins in many places.
| he whole distance from Mini NOvgorod TO Pc
Kin will be 1900 miles, of which $500 run through
| Russian territory.
| When this plan Is closely examined, according
| to known topoeraphcal data, the apparent dim
| cuities dwindle down to nothing, when com
| pared to those encountered in the western sec
| ton OF our Pacific Railroad. The first section
| from Mini NOygorOd to 'lomsk runs on perfect
" level land one so-called steppes, similar to
| our prarles In the second section from Iomsk
to Lake Baikal the country Is rolling and inter
| spersed with rivers and streams; but the great
est height Is only $500 feet and the largest rivers
are but Of very moderate width and depth. The
| only serious difficulties, AS we have said, lie at
| the Chinese frontier, and they are inferior 10
those overcome In the Rocky Mountains and the
| sierra Nevada by the American engineers.
Russia has raised In fifteen years more than
| tlOO,OOO,OOO with which to construct 1900 miles
| o. railroad, ana can easily ind $500 100000 OF
| fi01,'O1oO o cOnTtr"rt line OF suoh value Ia
all Tho civilized world.