Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-03-02
could speak German, had to answer all

coaches. The first and second-class cars
will undoubtedly be good. and there will
probably be a Pullman car running over
the line when it is completed. At present
the accommoda tons are anything but
luxurious, and as lay on that board shelf
and was carried along at the rate of per-
haps fifteen miles per hour. thought of
the Pennsylvania Limited between New
York and Pittsburg, with its library and
sitting rooms, and as looked at the can
die which shone out of the lantern above
me-. and which formed the only light of the
car. I compared it with the wonderful
electric light system of the Chicago, Mil
waukee and st. Paul railroad, where the
light is set into the back Of your berth,
make your berth as light as day at any
hour of the night. AS my bones ground
holes into the wood. I thought of the good
beds Of the Canadian Pacific over which
l had ridden in going to Asia, and longed
for the railroads of our own civilized land.
Inc air was sitting and ill-smelling, and
the hfty-odd people whom we had in the
car seemed. on the whole, to be rancid,
ana was glad when the guard gave me a
rude Jerk and told me to get up for Nj
kolsk.
A Queer Siberian City.
Nikolsk is one Of the biggest towns of
interior Siberia. 1t is a great military
center. and 1t has vast areas Of rich land
surrounding 1t. The soil Is as black as
your boots. and 1t makes me think of what
Senator ingalls, said about the fertility of
Kansas, which is, according to him, SO
rich that you can poke your arm down
INTO the ground up to the shoulder and
pull out earth in your fist which is as rich
as guano. A great deal of wheat is raised
about this point, and the Russians have
established great steam mills for the
grinding of food for the soldiers 1 visited
these mills during my stay. Their ma
chinery had been imported from Russia
and 1t was of the latest modern make. We
passed many barracks, and we saw SOL
diers on guard everywhere. There were
| judge, about ten or fifteen acres of build
tngs connected with the mills, and the
workmen seemed to be Cinnamon The
land about Nikolsk is being settled like
Russia. There are villages which own a
great deal of land in common, and they
sell their grain to the government. The
town itself has number of stores and
business blocks The houses are of wood
and they made me think of our western
frontier towns. We stopped at the hotel
which was run by Chinaman. 1t was
just daybreak when we arrived, and we
asked asked. Tor room; He said he had none
vacant, and, pointing into the billiard
room, saw four Russians with their boots
on sleeping on the tables I asked for
breakfast, and after time was given some
1red eggs, smoked salmon and a cup of
tea. The tea was served in a glass, and we
had big brass samovar, or Russian tea
urn, on the table. After breakfast we
took ride through the city. The roads
were as muddy as those of a swamp. and
the streets were about two hundred feet
wide. On the edge of the city there were
number of dugouts, which were in
habited by Cinnamon, and We found the
Chinese everywhere.
On the Edge of China.
This city of Nikolsk is not far from the
Manchurian border, and it was once
great Tartar capital. fnere Is now an i'm
mense wall inclosing a space at one end of
hic
great Tartar city of the past. The proba-
bility is that Russia will gradually move
her boundary line further SOUTH AS the
boys say in playing marbles, she is always
nchfng on her neighbors, and 1 heard
queer story Of how the Russians got a big
slice of Chinese territory few years ago.
There was dispute about the boundary
line, and the Russians had moved the line
down SO that it included vast amount of
good Chinese soil. A war was imminent,
and the Chinese. as usual, wanted to settle
matters by compromise. The Russians
consented, and they drew a line on the map
showing the territory they wanted. The
Chinese threw up their hands in horror.
and said they could not possibly allow
them so much as that. "All right" said
the Russians, 1--WE will take less" and they
then showed them another map, which was
made on a smaller SCALE but in which the
amount of territory taken was the same.
The Chinese looked at 1t and did not per-
ceive the cheat. They made treaty agree
Ing to this boundary, and that is the
boundary between China and Siberia today
The way the Russians work is to colonize
the country close to the line of China and
gradually move southwark. They I'M
doubtedly have their eyes upon Corea, and
while they will not probably take the coun-
try, they will exercise such an influence
over it that they will be able to get what
they want
Working With Convicts.
great part of the work on this eastern
section of Trans-Siberian road has been
done by means of convicts, but this has
been changed within the past year. The
convicts have been shipped off to Saghalin
and the men are now all paid workmen,
including large number of soldiers. 1 saw
them at work. and it looked like slice out
of Russia and reminded me of the work I
had seen on the Volga during the great
Russian famine. On the way back to vladi-
vostock had much better chance to see
something of the country and the railroad
The station at Nikolsk is long, one-story
building made of red brick faced with
stone. The engine of our train burned
wood, and about the stations there were
great wood piles, while the wood was
stacked in cords at the back Of the engine
We had some fourth-class cars on the way
going back. These were even more uncom-
fCrtable than the one / have described,
There was no chance to lie down in them
and they were filled with peasants and SOL
diers. The baggage car was in the middle
Of the train, and I looked in vain for
postal car; Still. there, was a post office
box at each station, and am told that the
postal service is fairly good. I noted some
of the gravel cars. Their sides are made
so that they can be let down. They are
about fifteen feet long, and have four
wheels to each car. The road Is of the
standard Russian gauge The rails seem to
be little lighter than ours,and the ties are
of pine. At every station I found police
men with revolvers on their hips and
swords at their sides. Many of the sta
lions are built of logs, and a crowd of Rus
slams in caps. and of Chinese, with pigtails.
stood and gazed at the train as it went by.
Just out of Vladivostock the road runs
through low hills. 1t skirts the beautiful
bay Of Peter the Great, and as you ride
along this going from one gulf to another.
now rushing through forests and now sail.
ing along the edge Of the water, you are
reminded Of the picturesque lakes of north
ern Michigan. The road throughout its
length will be one of the most picturesque
In the world, and it will be great scenic
line. It has now been built about fifty
miles beyond the point where I stopped.
and the other portions are going on rapid.
ly. No one really knows just how soon It
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