The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1892-06-05
RAlLRoaDsIN THE LIND.
The Sultan Consents TINT Rails BE Laid From
Acre to Damascus.


Acre to Damascus.
The infdel has at last succeeded, says
Constantinople correspondent ~ the New
York Tribune. For many year ne mas peeh
irving 10 get permission % build railroads
across Palestine. Plan after plan has been
devised for iron highways 10 connect the
Mediterranean coast with the great narts
inland But all has been IN vain until the
present The Porte has listened courteously,
with that gentle patience that IS chsracteri--
tic of the modern Oriental. and then has put
the scheme away into one Of those diplomatic
sepuchres from which there Is no resurrec-
ton What has islam to gain 10y The building
of railroads. HavenOt the camel-trains been
sufficient hitherto for al the greatness OF
Damascus and Begdad;
What new entreatles or arguments have
now prevailed | know not But some there
are The Sultan has affixed his signature TO
n decree giving 10 an English capitalist per-
mission 20 build and operate railroad ron
Acre TO Damascus. The company Is already
formed and many OF the contracts let and
work will be begun at once. The route has
been fully surveyed. Ii has two terminals on
the Mediterranean az Acre and NJ halfa
the branches from the two uniting at the
southeast Of Mount Carmel. That the road
should start from Acre Is bit OF poetic JUS
tlce for that town was the last stronghold Of
the Christians in Palestine at the end Of the
directly down TO JeTeel, following. one
may readily imagine. the very track OF Elijah
the Ilshbite, who, after tile famous battle Of
the gods on the mountain height. grded up
bis lolns aud ran before the chariot If King
Ahab all the way back TO the capital OF Sama
ria. Thus II passes 10 the south Oh Nazareth
and Main and Mount Tabor 10 Be!san. At
the latter place il turns 10 the north and runs
up the western bank. Of the Jordan. Be
fore reaching the Sea of Galiee, however II
crosses the river and strikes of 10 the north
east TO Fl HANNA. khishn and Nawa and
thence straight on TO Damascus. The length
OF the line is 20 miles, all but ten or twelve
being on almost level plains. The cost Is es-
tlmated ut about S9.oO0.OOe
Apart from the probability Of this line from
ing. in the near future. part Of trunk sys-
tenn extending to the Persian Gull. or even 70
India. the promise OF prosperity Is good. The
city Of Damascus, with nearly 100000 luhaol-
tants, Is one or the chief marts OF trade In al
the East IL has countless factories and ware
houses. and is the commercial centre OF re-
giOns having population or many millions.
Caravans 70 thither frem Babylon and Mn
eveh and Bagdad and all the rich valleys OF
the Iigrs and Euphrates. and from ARABIA
and Egypt A considerable share OF this
traffic Will feed the freight yards OF the rail-
road. But aside from this, the line runs
through a country of enormous wealth. . 10 "a
=
lands are exhausted. Bashan. or Hauran,
as it is now called, is one OF the st fer
tile regions on the face OF the globe. II
produces more than 100000 tons OF grain each
year and exports fully l25.OOO tons. Bashan
is. indeed one Of the great granarles OF the
Eastern world. and il will END the product Of
It's fields 10 swell the traffic OF the railroad.
Besides grain, the country produces vast bar
vests Of olives and other fruits, and silk, wool
and cotton. for the growth of which It IL es-
pecially adapted. There are also important
stone Quarrles and mines OF wells OF btumen
on petroleum. At present the foreign CON-
merce of Syria is more than $50 900 900 a year.
Under the stimulus OF the railroad and It's in
creased facilities this will doubtless be much
enlarged until il rivals that OF the old times,
when tyre aud Siion were the greatest com.
mercal centres of the world.
There is another railroad now in course of
construction in Palestine from Joppa 10
Jerusalem. II will be one Of the iayorite
lines OF travel In the country. but CONNER
cisily will be of little importance, except 10
80 far as il supplies local needs. The travel
er on it will find it difficult to persuade him
self that he is not IN Germany, for IL runs
through region largely colonized from the
Fatherand. Joppa itself IS German city.
All the business there Is done by Germans.
and at every corner one finds the familiar
beer-saloon, for al the world like Munich
and Berlin. so AZ Rama or kamleh. There
are hundreds OF German settlers, who domin
ate the whole place. And as one approaches
the walls OF Jerusalem itself he sees many
prosaic-looking beer-shop. with an unmis-
takably Teutonic name on the signboard
above the door
These inroads OF civilization suggest. OF
course the Jewish question, Will there ever
be an ingatherng of the Chosen People to
their ancient homer Well. yes. There has
been and there is a considerable ingathering.
4 large proportion of the German colonists
ARE Jews; and Of late many thousands OF
Russian and Polish Jews have locked thither.
Jerusalem itself contains not far from $1,000.
and the number Of Jews In the whole of Pal
estine must be three times that. And less
than generation ago careful count showed
less than 700. The old Jewish inhabitants
look upon this army OF newcomers with lit.le
favor They have nothing IN common with
them but their religion. Two peoples more
unlike il is difficult to imagine.
The old jewish inhabitants are ~ E2phArs