The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1892-09-25
116 & 1t8

boats on the Volga river used petroleum
Tor their engines. The petroleum comes
from the vast Russian oil fields which lie
along the Caspian sea, and 1t is shipped up
the Volga in bulk in oil ships which ere
great iron tanks in the shape of barges and
which carry thousands upon thousands of
gallons. At various points along the Volga
there are vast Oil tanks, such as you see in
Pennsylvania, and great deal of oil is
stored underground in wells that are made
for it. 1t is carried into the cars by means
OF pipes, aud the same sort of tank cars are
used here for the shipping of petroleum
that you find in America These cars ship
about 250, 100000 gallons OF oil year, and
though this big city of Moscow is just on
the edge OF the Russian forests, large
number of its factories use petroleum for
fuel and find it much cheaper.
IN THE LAND OF FORESTS.
North Russia is the land of forests, and
II you will draw q line right across Russia
through Moscow or q little above it nearly
all of the territory north of this win be
made up of dense woods. The locomotives
of north Russia burn wood, and they have
engines like our old camel backs, with high
smokestacks shaped like funnel and with
great racks at the back of the engine, which
are piled high with cord wood. The wood
is loaded by men, who carry it up on their
backs. IL keeps two fremen constantly
ousy throwing this wood into the engine,
and st nearly every station you will see
acres of wood piles ready for the reloading
of the engines The engine which took me
from the frontier to ST. Petersburg was
tired up in this way, and the sweet smell of
the burning wood was pleasanter far than
the sulphuric coal which was burned by the
trains which carried Us through Germany
find the roads here we'll ballasted, and in
the thousands of miles which have now
Travelled in Russia have yet TO find rough
road or one that is badly managed The
trains are always on time and the road
beds are wonderfully well kept. The road
between St. Petersburg and the frontier is
weeded as carefully as the best kept gar
den, and | saw women on their knees scrap
ing out the weeds between the ties with
knives. In travelling over the black plain
l saw men smoothing up the ballast on the
road where il had become roughened, aud
nowhere have l seen piece of bad road
bed. The ties are wooden, the rails are of
steel and at every cross road there stand a
Russian peasant girl with q flag in ner
hand, which she holds up until the train
goes by. This picture is one of the most
lasting ones OF Russian travel. Whether
the iron horse plOughS his way through the
black plain, whether he shrieks as he gal
Tops through the mighty forests or whistles
going through the rich agricultural lands
OF tH0 west, JnlS Dare-DeaQ6u, pare looted
Russian Venus, in bright calico dress, is
there to meet him She keeps guard over
the road and she is the EN- blem of the car.
Another emblem of the car is the police
men at the station. Each station has it's
civil officers ia uniform, and in addition to
these there is q gendarme or @ policeman
who is appointed from st. Petersburg and
who marches up and down the platform all
day long with spurs on his high topped
boots and with q great sword at his side
He wears red cap, with feather in it,
and he acts as though he owned the road
took photograph of one of these men,
and came near being arrested for it. The
man objected violently, but he did not know
that the picture was taken until the train
was about to leave aud | laughed at him as
stood on the rear car win my kodak in
my hand while the train was carrying US
away. 1t takes about i've minutes TO start
q train in Russia. There is bell at every
station, and this Is rung three times before
the train leaves. You can tell by the taps
just how much more time you have First
there is one tap, then after an interval of
couple OF minutes two taps are sounded on
the bell. and two minutes after this three
taps are rung, when, after a shriil whistle