Seattle daily post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, W.T. [Wash.]) 1881-1888, 1883-12-09

IAL STtdCEoW IlNA"it. ~ "" 49,
sSxx anything but happy auspices
Fac first railway constructed IN this
gsoe.rsry was that which runs from
Ssse- cagital to Tsafskoy Selo, well
.,c.wn fashionable summer resort OF
the inhabitants of St. Petersburg, and
tire sirst trip of its first train, though
mater imerial patronage, gave rise TO
= ezers @ nstration of a character not
x.snoaszlr aging in any sense. The pea
sax.as not only turned out in great
Exrec 30 protest, but, headed by their
.ysyz priests, bearing vessels Of holy
water aud church banners they sol
s.zznfy proceeded along the line Tor
gs< purpose OF exercising the iron
monster, which they firmly believed
fr,x It's locomotory power from inc
.zz5, spirit himself. Science. OF
...s-sz.-se, a1on an easy victory over SUI
s,esrst,. .on. and the Russian muzhlk
iaas crown accustomed to the railway
1fvs{r. Just as, with less encourage
rsesst from his rulers, he has learned
az tolerate the printing press. le,
RAJ way travelling in this country has
VIZ. aimed beset with obstacles from
Tar. first. 1t began when Russia mad
4 Industry of any kind worth speak
Io- 81. The rails had TO be imported,
saIg engines had to be imported, even
ksyz wooden carriages had to be built
for the most part abroad. during
fls. last thirty years Russia has built
uqaerous railway workshops. ana
already possesses a fairly ei1lciTnt
staff OF workers in iron. Yet she still
gtxa TO depend upon foreign manu-
factures for most of her rolling stock.
Then there are the obstacles thrown
Ia the way of railway enterprise by
exzs twin evils of bureaucracy and
corruption. No railway can be con-
ssysscted without = concession from
Fac imperial council, composed usu'
aiiy of ministers of finance. pubic
sssxcation, foreign affairs, OF the inte-
ybgr, and of justice, and presided oyer
f,v a relative of the Gar. To insure
xsn.cess, promoters rarely omit to
e@secP' the principal officers OF this
o,zsqncil. The secretary is one OF
Hasn, and it is customary for his dep
uty to receive from persons making
he application a promissory note
yiedging them to pay certain
rsuoNnt in case the concession i
.rvst.ea. Still smoother is the path
to success when money payments are
,yaadered unnecessary by influence in
n!xh places. The concession for the
arxovichi railway was granted. FOL
example. mainly because the Gar
friend. Prince Suvaroff, was mem
ter Of the imperial council and hac
large property in land which woul,
De opened up and rendered valuable
.y the proposed line. The peclIla
e5ss1s Of contractors form another
abuse of railway construction in tGi'
colatry, and OF all jerry workman
st,in the jerry workmanship on Rus
sian railways is about the worst. On'
sxas constr ucted in the depth of win
Ter. and in order 10 bring up the ieve
At one part of the road the workmeI
sc,ually employed blocks of ice a
packing" When the warm wealth
eg came, of course the ice mclie'
aud the embankment fell in. Ihi
discouraged the contractor for
= f,U,e. but he soon recovered from hi
disappointment, and is now engage,
IN other railway enterprises, witt
MS reputation, so far as could learn
quite intact.
For certain facilities OF railwa
construction Russia holds a posi- ioi
b sn,,ch superior TO that of her Yves
European neighbors Land is cheap
asSl there is IA practically unlimited
snpply of wood. In country tia
AS Russia is hardly any leveling i
-neressary-,he needed engineering
work consists almost solely q
Bridges. Taking every lcgltima'
ss,urce of outlay into calculation, tn
average cost of constructing raj
way in Russia ough' not to excee'
30. 900 rubles per mile. Yet OWN
TO the extravaganza and dishonest
III the whole system, the cost pc
sale often rises to 1000 or So.OO
p rubles. The rapid development o
railways in this country-thcre ar
row over fifteen thousand miles 9
Them - is, Of course, due l
great measure to The impetus give
i. nv the State. About half the cap
eas invested really belongs to tn
Government. When railway
.sssu,pleted and has commenced ope
atoms the company is in posiiio
ts issue bonds with a view oi the
s~tng put into the foreign marketan
ssld bv foreign bankers. Bciol
@hts is done, however. the Cover
xusnt, save where circumstances al
;very exceptional, formally guarantee
sne bonds, thus undertaking TO mai
GOOD the interest on them in case
cannot be pail by the company. !
ovoperly complete line t" The sat'
faction of the authorities Is sometime
auy;hing hut an easy task, not
g,y,ck because the authorities are e
acting as because the formalities a
ruxny and the circumlocution grea
The first step, after the granting 81
concession. ia the appointment OF
government inspector, This ofiicid
Nsv virtue of his position. IL also
lSeulber of the board of railway
rrtors, and receives pay not on
tvssm the State but also from u
a,pmpany. How he contrives TO re
resent the interests of both is my
ory. but that he accomp.ishes u
scat 10 his own satisfaction is certai
Then comes the making OF the lin
A district LAND and water boar,
fssrnishes plans from which no de'
askon is permitted. for the making
engines, carriages, rails. etc. III
-,anstruction of the road Is usual
Get out to contractors in lengths
sen versts each. The laborers. som
times to the number Of several tho
sands, arc hired by agents OF u
contractor specially sent into Il
eyyuutry for the purpose. the harga
SIS to hours and wages being MAJ
with the heads of the artels-co'
Nnncs of workmen associated
g<her for most any purpose sa
t2st Of protecting the interests of
ssr. Railway "navvies" in Russ
IL laa .