Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-02-23

Bryner introduced me as respectable
American citizen and IS his friend. Moth
ing was said about my being newspaper
correspondent. and the chief was told that
/ wanted permit to go over the Trans
Siberian railroad. He received me very
politely, and after some time, which l
suppose was spent in looking up my record,
I was told that my credentials were good.
me to pass over the road.
The chief of police told me that I could
not start on my railroad journey before
the next day, and l spent the meantime
travelling about the city of Vladivostock.
II is one of the queerest places l have ever
visited The hills are as steep as those OF
Kansas City, and the houses are built at
all sorts of angles upon them. Back of
the town found three Asiatic settlements.
One was Japanese quarter. with buildings
just like those you find in Japan. Another
was made up of Chinese houses, and a
third was collection of dugouts and huts.
which were occupied by the Coreans. The
town proper looks more like officers quar-
ters than a commercial settlement. 1t has
one pretty Russian church, which was
built I think. when the present emperor
made bis trip through Siberia several years
ago, and dug the first spadeful of earth
that was thrown up for the first Trans
Siberian railroad. found one large Ger
man business house. known as Kunst e.
Aibers. where was able to get my letter
Of credit cashed, and was thus supplied
with plenty of money for the rest of my
trip. This firm does business all over
Siberia. 1t has ships which go thousand
miles northward to the mouth of the
An.oor river. and which sail long way up
that mighty stream. 1t does a banking
business and all kinds of exporting and
importing. and it is a type Of the big
business houses of Siberia, of which there
are perhaps a score. | met all sorts of
people who had hal all kinds of adven-
lures. Ny frie3d Bryner. for instance. had
come ont 10 japan as 81 boy from Switzer-
10 ho1 In hi n
PARTS of Chira. He had travelled all over
Corea and Siberia. and he smoke fue0tly
Chinese Japanese. Russian. English, Ital-
lam French ard German. He WAS only
forty years CID but he had made fortune
in trade and mines. He told me of the
wonderful resources of Siberia. and said
that the world knew nothing about them
Ha referred to one gold nina of which he
kn. w. two hundred shares of which sold
not long ago for two thousand dollars. and
which were now worth fifteen hundred dol
lars per share. He has wonderful stories
to tell about the coal. iron and timber re-
sources of the country. and I Will give
some of his statements further or. With
hir, I went to the Marine Club Of N'adi-
vostnck and met many Of the officials.
found that the town has hosDital. GYM
pasi,lm good schools and college. 1t fas
fairly good society. and the peoo'e who
Two in I. seem to be we'll satisfied with
their condition.
Eastern siberia.
I'm connection with Mr.. Bryner I made
some inquiries into the resources OF cast
ern Siberia, end the possibilities OF the
great Trans-Siberian railroad. Few people
have an idea Of the enormous extent of the
possessions of the Russians in Asia. They
number all told more than six million
square miles. or about twice the area of
the whole United States. Siberia alone Is
twontv-fve times as big as Germany. 1t
contains forty-eight hundred thousand
square miles, or nearly one and one-haf
times tn, area of the United States. 1t
has a population of less than one to the
SQUARE mile. and Is one OF the richest coun-
tries in mineral wealth on the globe.
Eastern Siberia alone Is almost as big as
The United States. and Its resources are
practically UNEMPLOYED. All along the line
of the Trans-Siberian road there are rich