Sullivan republican. [volume] (Laporte, Pa.) 1883-1896, 1896-01-24
SOME PECULIAR RAILWAYS
FACTS CoLLATED By
UNITED STATES CONSUL5.
Travel In Remote Localitfes-Sidc-
lights on the Highways of Com.
merce In Foreign Lands.

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~ OWN s. WALLACE, United
H States Consul at Jerusalem,
in an official report says that
passengers accustomed to the
luxury of first-class American limit
ed train would be inclined to kick
vigorously against the accommodations
offered by the railroads in the Holy
Land. There is but one railway with
in the province OF the Jerusalem con-
sulate. This connects Jerusalem with
the seaport, Jaffa. and it is fifty-three
miles long. It's simple Oriental name
is Chemin de Fer Ottoman de Jaffa a
Jerusalem. 1t is French corpora
tion, but is practically controlled by
the Turkish Governments.
OF this road Consul Wallace says:
"The line is in fair condition, but the
accommodations for passengers are
very bad, and would not be tolerated
by the travelling public of Europe or
the United States. 1t is difficult to
keep the line in good condition, ow.
ing to the heavy grades and short
curves among the mountains. In the
distance of fifty-three miles the ascent
is nearly 25CO feet, most of which is
made during the last half of the dis
tance. The road is single track and
narrow gauge. The daily service con-
sists of one passenger and one freight
train each way. The first. class fare
between the termini is So, and round.
trip ticket is sold for 81.
The persistent and fanatical opposi-
tion to the building of railroads in the
Chinese Empire is discussed at length
by Consul General t. r. Jernigan.
Public opinion in China, he says, ex.
cept in certain sections, is still strongly
opposed tc the building OF railroads.
In 1875 British merchants Mt Shang-
hal built railroad from the mouth of
the Uro Sung River, distance of
about fifteen miles, but in 1877 the
provincial authorities acquired com
pulsory possession, tore up the road,
and paid for it. The city of Shanghai
is situated on the Woo Sung River,
and there is bar at the end of the
river which prevents ships of large
tonnage from approaching nearer the
city. The railroad was necessary to
facilitate quicker communication, and
the handling and delivery of freight,
but the all-prevailing prejudice of the
Chinese to progress defeated the real
ization of any practical benefits from
the enterprise. Two or three short
railroads built by British interests are
now in operation, undisturbed by the
native fanatics. A person can travel
by rail from Tongku, near the Taku
forts, at the month of the Peilho
River, over twenty seven miles to
Tien-Tsin; while from Tongku the
main line of the road is prolonged for
sixty-seven miles to the Tungshan and
Kaiping coal fields, and thence as far
rs Shanghai Kwan, the seaward ter
minus of the Great Wall in the direc.
tion of Manchuria.
The Great Siberian Railways
through line across Siberia AIS miles
long-is now under construction in
three sections. This is one of the
biggest railway engineering enter
prises ever undertaken, involving, as
it does. the tunneling of great mount
aims and the building of enormous
viaducts and bridges. The Chella-
binsk .Omsk line is last nearing CON-
pletion. The Middle Siberian section,
the construction of which was begun
il 1898, is now we'll under way, and
it is hoped that it will be finished very
soon. The main trunk OF the great
line is under contract to be completed
not later than 1900.
To Sweden is given the distiction of
owing more railway mileage per capita
than any other country in Europe, and
Swedish road enjoys the further dis
tinction of being the ouly railway in
the world that enters the polar circle.
This is the State line, from Lulea to
Gellivera, aud it is much used by
tourists on their way to Mount Dun.
dred, from which a fine sight of the
midnight sun may be had.
Railway construction in Egypt is
peculiar in that there are no viaducts,
tunnels, ETC., and only two important
bridges, which span the two branches
of the Nile on the Alexandria, Cairo
line. The mode of construction is by
raised earthen roadbeds, only few
feet high. upon which are laid cast
iron chairs, resembling huge over.
turned saucers, separated by traverse
round bars firmly fastened to the
chairs. Two chairs thus connected
form the parallel ties and the rests for
the rails, and the iron way thus formed
is said to be as solid and substantial
as though laid on live oak ties firmly
ballasted in rock.
There is but one railroad in Para.
quay, and that is broad-guage single
track running from Asuncion to Pi-
rapo, distance of 155 miles. The
first class fare for travelling the entire
length of the road is $15 in Paraguyan
paper money, equivalent to about
$2.35 in American money. The trains
on this line average but fourteen miles
an hour. New York Times.