The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1896-01-10
A DEAL WITH RUSSIA
The United States to Join Her
Great Strategic Line.
FROM aLasKATo vLAoIvosTOCk
The Cars Mammoth Eaiirosh I'D
Block EDgiaDd'- AGGRESSIVE
Policy fra Asia

n, 7. ". Hoenock. who registers at the
I.ainier-Grand as from Paris, nfAee' y
the chief engineer Of one Of the diFlslOn7 %
Rugsga's great railroad. returning ~ o.
po.nt of duty from visit - rs motheI ~
he gay French capital Speaking ~ tfsis
greatest railroad o. the world. 81 ~nfh ne
Is chief engineer 81 the line from irAatsch
10 VIaaivost0ck. he gave these paEtie NlA'e
OF the mighty enterprise
The total length Of the hnfT ne SAID
.sis SS4 miles" and then ne paused ~llh
gracious smile .or the reporter 10 recover
fis breath ''ft il going - oe butt IN I'VE
divisions. and each division VIII be nHiit
from both ends 81 the line 50 as 70 compete
n as early a. possible The distance ! nave
mentioned II from EIad,vostock 10 the CIll
mountains. and then we have line OF 1e}
miles over the mountains. This VIII run
from De Cathr.nburg a. the paint or lhe
4 slate SIDE u Nicnola6ky on tlle EHtoP
side We cross -the mountains AZ ne-Sht
OF about 100 feet, or a few feet H-Eaer CT
louer and We shall have no tunnel but
winding ascents, such a. you have Al Letl-
willie and elsewhere At NlcOliasky @e Shai
have connections with the present railroad
running 10 Moscow and 81. Petersburg
ON the Inc VIC cross three rivers me
OBJ, the Genessey and the Lena. F" lieh
empty into the Arctic ocean. and over tifeSs
we throw suspension bridges The oiheF
river the Amoor. we run alongside Tor 90
miles. 1t VII D. a great isne-
Great strategic Line.
And Is there enough business for such
a. immense enterprise
what an American idea This IL built
a. a great strategic line 20 bring Russia
near 10 the center cf the Asiasic pow rs
and right at the doors Of india Nlien the
main line .s finished We VIII build le"d-t~-
The Russian government n0'v has ar under
standing with the Persian government 10
run a line 10 Herat We vii have another
branch line running INTO AfRfanisian over
tie ThE5et mountains. A third Inc Wlii SO
into geloochistan between ASgbanstaE
and Persia In short ~ I said, when these
ere completed wc shall be- in the center Of
these Asiatic acrn.ni0ns ard india van be
st our mercy"
What Is Englands attitude toward tnls
erCroachmentT
please doa't ask me anything political.
] may not answer you. ! ara an engineer.
the only foreign engineer On the MOCK, ind
OF that / cannot SPEAK The scientific @ad
the more important work on the line =
done by three men who have been sent
specially froEn the ne!ghpprhood OF The ION
and the Dnieper. the province of the }t11
CCssacks. while the common work y done
b. convicts under the guard Of soldiers.
We ballast the line partly 6y wood and
partly By gravel"
What IS the approximate cost OF the
whole seheme?"
Cost No object.
81 cannot Judge OF that. The cost - 10
object. The emperor has gevsrai times eN-
pressed himself IN the most emphatic man
ncr that the line Is not built for commerce
alone, commerce Ia only secondary the
military features come first. The object is
~ cheek English aggression III Asia The
whole line is being built IA the most sub
stant!al manner and Is, from point %
point. practically straight You know the
Incident about the plan Of the first Russian
railroad? Several engineers lad before
Emperor Nicholas T.. the sreat-gfrIt-
grandfather OF the present car. plans for "a
railroad between those two points, All 81
them by different routes according 10
the different Ideas OF the difficulties 20 De
overcome. The emperor took his pencil
and said Here's Moscow. here's 81. Pc
tersburg.' and drawing straight line
from one 20 the other said. Huili the line
there Wei. the present emperor has
iopted much the same ~ stem running
the line practically straight from one rtrdt-
sgic point To another. 4 Is a great Inc
To Reach Alaska.
'sYou will perhaps be interested 10 know
that the Russian government is builiing
several merchantmen 10 p3S between Nladi-
vostock and some port in Alaska. We are
now building three Of them at Nladtvo-
stock and three more ara 10 oe oufit at
Cronstadt: they viii all be finished within
"a year or 80.
1T Is not decided which port We VIII SO
q: perhaps one viii be made Tor the
United States Is 20 build a railroad - some
point north OF Alask4, and wherever 81
makes its terminus taat We shall MAKE our
port"
But that is simply proposition. isn't H.
C. run railroad acrtfs the islands 81 BE
ring sea 10 connec, with Russian rail-
wayg'
United states and Russia
mo: II is not simply a proposition, bot
part Of the grand strategic plan, and L Is
being carried ont hy an understanding hC-
tween the two countries. The uited states
will build u line north Of Sitka. cross tho
Berng sea Islands as far as practicable
and from that point make CONNIE ''onS W'th
these ships Russia Is building. making thu
Journey ltom Alaska 10 Nialivo9 eck In
twenty four hours.
"Thfs viii bring he two c3nntr V"u
near together. ANA being old friends, as
they are. there might ee 40 aii.Au1c some
day against or old vuemy. England. AZ
least. hope SO l'u, don't know ana H-
] before remarked. dent tax polaies.
Later on It vas ascsrtaineu from o,ba-
sources that one OF thc important Zines de
scTlhed bE lr Hotn0tk as fsatieC- Na5- D.
h constructed by Seattle eap.lA1 7'h-
main line, as described. IS 0eus Dose rs
the government. hut the bran BIAS 9yr h,-
Ing ies - contractors uDter strjet speclu-
cations. syndicate of business ura of
this city has securel vne af these ana th.
syndicate claims Go A8ve for its object nor
only the prosecution of thv tnesrnrlst Son
the mere pront in q. bat tAH morc iatt.-
otc one Of opening up a uaN marA,s ot
5S.gss elN consumers Tor Seattle products.
CHANGE OF 9IEut+I.E.