Morning journal and courier., 1880-03-31
THE PALESTINE RAILROAD.

l It will not be great many years, if plans l now formed are carried out, before the indu-
 ence of railroads will be felt in the Holy Land, and travellers there will hear rrofane brake
 men wrestling with Bible names. The Pales-
 tine Railroad Company was recently given a
 charter by the Massachusetts Legislature.
 The real work is to be done with the financial support of two large English banking houses, and the charter was obtained with the mini mum amount of capital and number of incor
 porators. There are in the company fifteen men, with each one share of stock at one hun dred dollars, and only eight of the fifteen live in Massachusetts-just enough to come within the law. It is thought to be probable, however, that the enterprise will receive more support in this country than was at first expected, and in support of this opinion it is stated that within few days Boston capitalist has sub scribed for twenty seven thousand dollars, worth of the stock. From an account of the plan published in the Boston Advertiser it ap- pears that under the charter the proposed road will extend from Cairo in Egypt to Mosul on the river Tigris, with branches to Jerusalem, Jaffa, Nablus, Beirut, Aleppo, Iskenderoon and Erzeroum, if it should be judged best or necessary to build them. In detail the route is described as follows: Beginning at Cairo, the road runs northward on the Pelusiac branch of the Nile to Port Said, the northern end of the Suez canal. At this point connec ton will be possible with the lines of steamers running between the East and Europe. Turn 0otI kha mad vvill pass over the level plain near the seashore, across the desolate tract between Egypt and Palestine. Soon after entering Palestine it goes through Gaza, Ezdud (the ancient Ash dod) and thence to Ramleh. At this place the branches for Jaffa and Jerusalem will leave the main line, the Jerusalem branch ascending the valley of the Nahr Rubin and Wadi Surar. It reaches the city from the north and west of the Gihon valley, and the station will be at or near the Damascus gate. Leaving Ramlsh, the main line runs north through the plain of Sharon to g point near the ancient Bethar, whence branch is proposed to Nablus, the ancient Shechem. Continuing northerly from Bethar to the Abu Zabura, the road ascends that river valley and crosses the Carmel range through the Megiddo pass.
 From Cairo to this point the maximum grade is twenty feet to mile, and through the pass it is forty feet to mile. From the base of the hill of Megiddo branch is pro posed to run down the plain of Esdraelon, and thence northward along the shore through Acre and sidon, and by the ruins of Tyre to Beyrout. Iskenderoon lies north of Beyrout at the northeast corner of the Mediterranean Sea, upon the gulf of the same name The main line passes from Megiddo across the plain of Esdraelon, by the base of Mount Tabor, and along the west side of Lake Gen. nesaret. It crosses the Jordan at or near Ja- gradually climbs the Jebel Heish at grade of sixty feet to mile. Crossing the summit and descending the valley on the other side, it stretches across the plain to Damascus Thence it is projected to the Euphrates, to connect with the Euphrates Valley Railroad, which is about to be built by an English con- pany. From the river it extends to Mosul, and will connect there with proposed railroad from Diabekir and the Black Sea- Branches to Aleppo and Erzeroum will be constructed as soon as desired after the completion of the mh1Q 1Q6s u IS GHS lDt6uSlOA OA LAo Cl41CCIo of the road to push it's construction rapidly as soon as the necessary authority can be ob- tained from the Turkish government. This authority is expected soon, through the exer- tions of the projectors and the English and American ministers in Constantinople.
 The importance of such railroad to Eng land is obvious. As the Advertiser says |: ssIt will strengthen the power of English arms, English customs and the English language, With the influence England now has over Fur key, with the island of Cyprus in the control of England, with railroad straight into tho continent built by English money and man aged in English interests, the island kingdom would be more than ever power in the East Such road as this will strengthen England in her defense against Russia, whenever the con- test comes between the enlarging boundaries of the dominion in India and the southward creeping line of the Muscovite empire" In case of peace it will be of great benefit to the nations it connects and in case of war it will give immense advantage to the power which controls it. It will also greatly quicken the civilization of the region through which it