The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1896-04-12
AROUND THE WORLD IN 40 DAYS.



New York Sun.
Reports from the line OF the Trans
siberian railroad Indicate that Central
Asia Is soon 20 feel some such impulse OF
growth as came 10 many parts Of our
West with the development OF railroads
beyond the Mississippi. The cities Of
ho1rgare, Tcueisabinsk, PetroEa 1iovsk.
Orask. Tonnsk and others along the line
0, the new railroad have already felt the
impulse Crowds began rushing into the
country last summer and autumn. and all
though the lire to Tomsk was opened only
In December. the city now has electric
lights in its streets. and there and al the
other cities named new stone houses have
been going up. Even the Siberian winter
could not entirely cool the ardor OF the
Russians.
Bur aside from the spectacle OF a sud-
den development OF modern civilization Ia
Asia, the T-ans-Siberian railroad has
interest for mankind from the fact that
this line IS materially TO shorten the jour
ney around the world. II Is only about
twenty years since journey round the
world in eighty days seemed remarkable.
It Is now easily done IN sixty-hve days.
A ship Of the Peninsula & Oriental line
sails from Brindisi, Italy. every Suns3y
evening for Bombay On the Friday even
Ing before the Peninsular & Oriental ex-
press. crossing the continent by rail TO
Brindsi, leaves London with mails and
passengers for the ea~ward bound
steamer. That steamer reaches Alden in
nine days and Bombay in fifteen days. 50
that on reaching the latter point her
passengers are usually sixteen and a half
days from London. the vessel is due at
a. m. These ships, though not especially
swift, are extremely regular in their
time OF arrival.
Going on eastward the passenger reaches
Hongsong thirty-one and one-half to
trt = t.nIf A. Y
don. and Yokohama on the average forty
three days from London. The journey
thence 20 London, across the Pacific. the
continent OF America. and the Atlantic,
has been made in twenty-one days. so that
II the traveller makes close connections at
Yokohama he accomplishes his journey
round the world In from sixty-three to
sixty-four days
Most OF this Journey is made on the or
binary schedule time of the railroads and
steambots. though the twenty-one days.
journey from Yokohama 70 London was
the result of a special effort. The ordin-
airy schedule time FOR that part of the jour
ney is. however, much faster than the
schedule time of any equal distance on
the journey from London to Yokohama,
because the ships that cross the Pacific are
svifter than those of the Peninsular &
Oriental Company. while the train ser
vice across the continent is the swiftest IN
ths "oftu iCT sucl distance, ana, OF
course, there are no swifter merchant
ships than the best of the Atlantic liners
There are no delays ct ports in the yoy-
ages across the Pacific and the Atlantic
as IN the tortuous voyages of the PENN
sular and Oriental ships through the Red
sea and around the continent of Asia.
There are about 40 degrees of cas-. lonyi-
tude between London and Yokohama, and
II requires fortythree days to make the
Journey, while between Yokohama and
London are 20 degrees OF longitude and
these are covered In from twenty-one 10
twenty-ttree days.
or course. the distance actually ira
versed In the first part of the journey Is
nearly as great as that in the last part,
and much less Of II is by rail. II is The
iacA OF rail- communication across Asia
that makes the journey round the world
so long as II is now. Europe and Asia he
Ing traversed by rail. the whole remaining
water journey would be made by swift
ships with few stops
The journey by rail from Ionaon IN
Moscow Is now made In from three and A
Saif to four days. The journey from Mos
COW to Tomsk has already been made In
eignt days. with several uncor,pleteti
bridges between Omskano and Tomsk. and
delays sometimes Of many hours at inter-
mediate stations. When all is in proper
running order the Journey from Moscow
In spite OF the very N oderate rate of sneei
attempted on the Trans-Siberian line
Tomsk Will then be about nine days from
London. and when the Trans Siberian line
Is completed the journey from, london
across Asia will be made in about nineteen
or perhaps twenty days. The Journey
across the Sea Of Japan from viadlvo-
stock. the terminus OF the Trans-Siberian
road viii not occupy more than two davs
at most. and with swift steamers such az
those IN service on the Pacific could he
shortened so as TO bring the nearest sea
port on the west coast of Japan within
forty hours OF Nladivostock, and Yokoba-
ma within twenty-five or twenty-threa
days Of London
Add 10 this twenty-one days for the
Journey eastward from Yokohama TO LON
don. and the trip around the world !,
made In forty-three or forty-four DAYS. or
In the tirie now occupied In the ior-,a,
from London to Yokohama
Almost the whole gain IS made by res-
son OF the Trans-Siherian railway which
makes the route vastly more direct ,ha,
at present In fact. the greater part OF
the Journey Viii then he made withfn ,ha
belt lying between the fiftieth and six,,e.s
parallels Of north latitude This c,ic,,-
lation Is based upon the moderate sn.a,,
or the Trans-Slherian railway Cof,ld 81.
speed OF Its express trains be made m an
proach that OF our fastest ,ransNor,,-
nental trains. the Journey might be- short
eaed by at least two days. and might by
special expedition at all points be brought
down 10 half the time of Mr. Forz's IA
nous Journey. There Is possibility o,
even further expedition of the tourney Nv
means OF swift steamers directly fron
NladiTostock 10 some Port on the west
ern coast of this continent