The Ouachita telegraph. [volume] (Monroe, La.) 1865-1889, 1888-12-15
Rron New York to London by Land.
.nvs8x,s IPicayune.l

~ sAes'.S
aeoW New York even sea voyage OF
5000 miles, do not reaiizs that there Is
land route from any place in North
America by which It Is possible to
reach any place in Europe outside Of
Eag.snd, by crossing u width OF water
nd some thirty miles, and
II England isrthe objective pointa nar.
row strait iwenay miles wide forms
the Only marine barrier. Briefly, in
order 10 accomplish this remarkable
J6drfiey if5would only be necessary to
have q railroad from the western ter
minus Of one Of the trans ntinentat
roads, built along the Pacific coast
nOrthwe eastward 10 the narrowest part
Of Behring Straits, which would have
to he crossed by ferry. Having land
ed on the shores Of Sibsria,s railway
across the Russian territories would
connect with existing lines to all
European continental cities, while a
ferriage over the British Channel
would enable the traveller to react,
London after having been nj sea only a
very few hours.
AT present, such u scheme is only a
dream of the imagination, but 1t Is
neither unreasonable nor out Of the
range of probability. 1t presents no
engineering difficulties, and the only
question 10 be asked is, "Wili its ac-
cotnplishment pay?" The Atlantic
Gables, aud there are some half dozen
of them, pay. The Pacific railroads
pay aud there are nearly half dozen
of them. The Suez Ship Canal pays,
and one or two more are in process Of
construction 10 satisfy what are believ.
cd to be additional needs for inter-
oceanic navigation. There would seem
10 be- no difficulty bout finding plenty
Of business for an overland railway to
ItTha 'Uhicaso Railway Age, which
dls6usses tte matter at length with the
aid OF q map, expresses the belief that
the scheme will become reality In
the Lifetime OF the present generation.
1t says
The real problem lies in spanning
the tremendous distance that lies be-
tween the northwestern boundary OF
the United States aud the eastern FROM
tier OF Europe. Can this be done ?
We reply that AZ an engtHeerins prob
lem 1t presents no impossibilities what
ever. Let us see what would have to
be built. From New York to little
beyond the northwestern boundary of
the United States continuous rail COM
lnpnication Is already open by way If
ahe CANADIAN Pacifia Railway, which
wtllsOon be supplemented by the com-
ptetion Of connection between the
Northern Pacific and the British
American line. Europe from the At
lantic ocean to the Ural mountains,
which separate 1t from Asia, Is now
crossed by the locomotive, its eastern
border being reached by two great Rus
sian railways, one terminating at Oren-
burg and the other at Ekaterinburg,
which last lies nearly due east from
Moscow and southeast from st. Peters,
burg. The vast Russian empire in
Asia, stretching from the Ural muuu-
tatns 10 the North Pacific and far up
almost to the Arctic circle at Behriug
Straits, distance of thousands OF
miles, has not as yet one solitary mile
OF railway. 1t Is across this prodigi.
Gus stretch OF country, much of it well
pe0pieds but much also An unknown
wilderness, locked large part of the
yeat In tho embrace Of the Arctic vim
ter, that the trans-Asiatic line mus,
penetrate. But a great step In this di>
recttOn has already been taken. The
Russian government feels the nee,
sstty-of railway communication across
Its Asiatic empire, and the Gar has
sanctioned project for the gradual
construction of u railway from the
Ural mountains to the waters of the
Pacific at Viadivostock, the extreme
southeastern point of the Russian en-
ptse. lying about latitude ~, directly
opposite the northernmOst of the chief
islands in Japan. When that great
work Is accomplished Central Asia
will be brought into much nearer con>
Hnection with America than now, rs
~Vladivostock lies almost due west from
Portland, Oregon, and the distance be-
tween tho two continents Is much Il 81
than il Is farther south.
But this will not do for our all rail
route, aud IL must be made by line
branching or from the great Russian
Pacific Railway at some point per-
haps a thousand miles west OF Vladiv.
O'Clock, and running noriheasieriy
through Siberia 10 Behring Straits
The route indicated on our mar
would leave the main line consider.
ably farther west and would be more
direct, but on the other hand would
be branch starting from point near
the eastern terminus would run much
OF the way along the coast OF the Sea
OF Okhotsk, and through more thick.