The weekly register. [volume] (Point Pleasant, Va. [W. Va.]) 1862-1909, 1886-01-13
sllsgi,,sI asIIwAy lN5AslA.


ktisrFoi u Easintgfiae sktti-fhe sasd-
storm o. ihs possft WORK DonG
tDsyd IL ID sew Tork TinitI
BIT apart from 10 military aud pOlit-
lcal Significance tho hlGhaEoosk BAY 4
Askabad railroad meElts attention CAS-
naryei Of engineering skill which Vi,
successfully Withhold tho formidable
tebbipln or saldstorm Of tie desert,
tie terrific force Of which eau never be
fully appreciated BY any o1e who has
not actually experienced It. The
storm which / encountered on my
way aeross tho Rsra.soln descrt
TO join poor AacGahRn before
ihlvh In 1873, though slight compared
With those which sometimes occur there,
Would haye been quito enough TO satisfy
any ordinary traveller. It was drawing
toward midnight, and tho moon had
Just risen over tie gray amending desc.
latiOn Of tho great Waste upon which no
living thing Was 10 DO seen but our
selves, whom our cRmsls suddenly
stopped short, snalIed the air uneasily,
aud Chon lay down wieh their long necks
AAt upon the sand. at the same mo-
ment o strange dimness otscursd the
ghosily splcndOr OF the moonlight, while
weird, unearthly sound, half whisper
aud half moan, arose far away IN tile
silent distance,
"Tebbadl9 shouted our Kirghis guide,
Ginging himself on tho ground under
the loo Of the nearest camel and hastily
muliiing himself In his huge Turcoman
shawl Ny Tartar servant and ] had
barely time TO follow his example and
to throw ourselves down In the bottom
Of the wngo1, when there came
a rush o roar, mingled with q sound
like tie rattle Of furious hailstUrm.
This was the patter Of the Tying sand
against the sides OF our wagon, which
rocked to aud fro as II about to capslye
altogether. Against tho whirl OF that
sandy tcmpest our thickest Wrappings
were Of no avail. 1t smarted in our
eyes, It cracked between oar teeth, 1t
made our skins gritty from head to foot
as we covered in the rocking wagon
listening to the whoOping Of the storm,
md wondering whether 1t would pass
over before we were chokod outright.
At last tho bowling aud rafting died
away, and we crept forth gasping and
half stited IN find ourselves to I'LL mp.
pearancos In Gle midst Of a stormy sea,
Far as oyo could reach the smooth sur.
facO Of the desert was hurled up in mon.
strous ridges or plOwed into deep hol-
lows, bearing fearful testimony TO the
misit Of tempest which could thus
alter tho very face Of tho earth.
But even these dreaded st rms in tho
full height Of thoir September wrath
have never been aJlo to delay the desert
trains more than o very few hours at a
time. Tho hostility OF untamed nature
has been met and parriOd with singular
dexterity. Light shields OF wiCkorSork,
such as arc used in other parts Of Russia
to protect tho railway track from the
snow, protect 1t here IRON tue still more
formidable sand. Tho loose powdarly
drifts hayo been bound together with
mud from the noighboringg swamps,
while tho half liquid mire OF the latter
has in It's turn been sOlldifed by a
plentiful mixture Of sand. In this way
tho work has been carried forward with
q speed which, though far behind the
exaggerated reports spread concerning
it by Russia for hor own purposes dur.
ing the lRto Afghan di!ACulty, has never
tholpss carried the line 10 point
within easy reach Of tho Persian
frontier.
A very slight expenditure Of labor
will now sltaco TO bring 1t right MP to
Askabad, tho capital OF the new prey.
iRce transferred to Russia few years
ago by Skoboloif's murderous victory
over TurconRns OF 6eok.Tepe. From
Askalad to Sarakhs, tue nearest point
OF the Afghan frontier, is distance Of
barely 800 miles, 100 U' which will 70,
qlirU Just the same amount of earth.
work as any ordinary railway in turO.
pean Russia, Whilo the remaining 100
will need none whatever. Tho work on
the line, being doue entirely by RuSiAn
soldiers, will not cost the government n
cent beyond the actual expense OF the
material, while tho example OF tho rail
way constructed by England in 1885
across the deserts Of northern Be!oo
chistan to tho Afghan torder, OF a rate
Of one aud a half to two aud a half
miles o day, has shown with whatrapid.
itya railroad may no pushed forward
over 4 level surface where neither tun.
lCIs, bridges nor cuttings are required.