The Marietta journal. [volume] (Marietta, Ga.) 1866-1909, 1888-08-16
THE TRANSCASPIAN.
HussLA'S MARROW GAUGE RAILWAY
TO SAMARCAND.

h'Slory-Asia TO Reawaken to Commar
ciai Activity-NTodern Civilization Reach
ing the Orientals
An important event in the Old World,
history has been the completion nv Russir
or narrow gauge railway from Oren
burg in the Transcaspian province +,
Samarcand. the "holy" Mohammedan cit1
OF bokhara or western Turkestan M
snrlll Shrek of the locomotive within Az
miles OF the gates of Herat and within
TOO. about 900 miles of the northwestern
mutary frontier of British India. is an
event TO give pause to the observant nnb.
Aclst IN all lands. just as surely as it will
arouse another spasm of terror and de.
SPAR among our British cousins, especially
OF the lingo faith in politics
Inc appearance by rail of the Russians
WITHIN comparatively easy CAMPAIGN dis
Sances of Herat the gateway of Afrhan.
stan, and of Teheran, the capitaI az Par
sla' Is PROFESSIONALLY. as affairs stand .
menace to the British Indian emnira II
Is perhaps an even more direct menace 70
the great Chinese kingdom and power II
certainly threatens, as near POSSIBILITY
the independence of Persia, and if 50 the
possible and probable absorption of BeeIo
cnistan on the Persian gulf But the
military character of the situation will he
round, when analysed. to be the smaller
factor in it, 90
:. without doubt Russia has driven this
little track across the Merv desert to tbe
east OF the Caspian sea and over the fer
tile plains or praries of Bokhara for q
military purpose. But on it's existence
Russia can have but slight hope, as any
one can see who has any experience IN
military matters. of making it the means
OF precipitating operations against the
British power in India There is in the
RUSSIAN Caucasus but one railroad and in
the adjacent parts of European Russia
but one other well equipped road on which
troops to any number could be moved to
the shores OF the Caspian The fleet on
tnat inland water is quite large and could
De rapidly made available for military
transportation 1t has been reported that
at least one thousand vessels navigate
that sea. of which one-half are steamers
of considerable tonnage The railroad
east of the Caspian, which is now at
Samarcand. 800 miles beyond the sea. and
the petroleum fields which have created
It's large marine, is but a poorly equipped
road 1t will not carry over fiftv
tons per train, according to David Ker
and other travellers It's cost is said not
to have exceeded $4,000 roubles per mile
that is to say, about $4,000 in our
money A bare statement of the fact
that this Samarcand- Caspian road is of
the character indicated shows quite plainly
that the Russian war office, which is ABLY
directed and understands of necessity the
science of logistics, especially in view of
the territorial difficulties they must over
come In all their movements can have
no idea OF precipitating an army on Brit
lsn india All Russia can do now in n
hostile sense by means of this new rail
road OF hers is to annoy the Anglo-Indian
empire: and prevent. perhaps, that full
concentration about Constantinople which
British statesmen are now likely to deem
most desirable.
In other and more importantly perma-
nent ways the entrance of the locomotive
INTO the ancient capital of Timour, the
Tartar. is matter of first class import
ance 1t is far more likely to tell, and
very early too, in favor of the peaceful
and material development and rehabilia-
ton of central Asia than to the provolzinx
OF more bloodshed. 1t will of course con,
centrate Russian power by it's existence
eAAA ~ Ia elioO lOSdllLO ZIG UlDlOlldcV OF
intrigues which its ambition created. at
this new center. one thousand miles be-
yond the Transcaspian province now
wholly secure in the hands of it's perma
nent army of 100000 Russian soldiers
From Samarcand will go and to it will
come the agents who will bring all Turk
ish nomads to the Russian standard. who
will plot and cabal in Persia, who will ex
plore Thibet and the great Himalayan
plateau, who will press forward into the
northwest among the Mussulman Chinese
of the empire of China; and also those
who will in one way and another creep
into British India, with the view of TO
menting disatfection there among the vast
native population, which it is conceded
by all is sufficiently disturbed to be good
material for such operations
All this presupposes that neither the
sagacious and able Anglo-Indian soldiers
and statesmen, nor the very astute rulers
of the vast Celestial nationality. will do
anything to prevent or counterfeit the ex
pected movements of Russia It also
ignores the largest factors in the problem
which the railroad exploitation of central
Asia and Siberia must produce Those
factors are involved in the new industrial
and commercial relations and conditions
that are constantly being evolved Cen
turtles since all this central Asia region
was'the seat of powerful and prosperous
peoples We imagine that they have al
together passed into what might be Elm
nocuous desuetude in these respects,
but the traditions and some of the forces
of their former power and activity have
not been entirely obliterated The ex-
periences of Bicycist Thomas Stevens, in
his journey round the world. have proven
this
The Samarcand-C Caspian railroad will
finally conquer a new development and a
fresh power for native races of Asia. The
commercial prize for which Russia con-
tends is greater one than the territorial
acquisitions to which of necessity she yet
aspires She wants to get to the India
ocean, and Great Britain will be wise to
allow her to do so, by means of a road
through Persia and Beelochistan. New
York Graphic.