The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1896-10-11

Prince Michel Hilkoff, imperial min
lister of ways and communications of
Russia, spent an hour in Salt Lake
yesterday afternoon. The prince was
accompanied by his son, Prince III. NJ.
Hilkoff, an attache Of the Russian
ministry of finance, and Gregoire
Tschertkoff, lieutenant of the chew
alier guards of her imperial majesty,
Empress Maria Feodorovna, tempo
rarily attached to Prince Hilkoff as
secretary because of his complete mas
terry of English, and NJ. Bolchakoff,
secretary and permanent attache to
the prince. accompanying the party
as pilot was Major j. G. Pangborn, a
representative of the Field Columbian
museum.
The imperial party arrived at Ogden
yesterday afternoon by the Southern
Pacific's special train, and were ac-
companied to the Junction City by
General Mana ger j. keuttschnitt and
| superintendent of Ways Curtis of the
| Southern Pacific company. At ogden
/ the party was turned over to the Off
Gals of the Rio Grande Western and
the Denver & Rio Grande, who hroT%'t
the distinguished perSonages to Salt
Lake by special train maze up OF tne
! Ballyclaire, the private car of Presi-
dent e. T. Jeffery of the D. & r. g.,
! General Manager D. G. Dodge's car A,
| of the Western; Superintendent A. e.
| Welby's car B, of the Western, and As
i siStant General Manager c.. H.
Schlacks car A, of the D. s. r. G.. The
party of officials of the two roaus
which went to Ogden to meet the i'm
perial party was composed of Presl-
dent Z. 7. Jeffrey of the d. & r. G.,
| Vice-President and General Manager
D. c. Dodge of the Western, Assistant
General Manager c. H. Setback of the
! D. & r. G.. and Henry Setback, super
chinery OF the D. & R. c., who came
in from Denver the evening before.
The local officials in the party were
Traffic Manager S. H. Babcock and
/ Superintendent A e. Welby of the
| Western.
But little time was spent in Ogden.
the visitors preferring to spend such
| time as they had to spare, in Salt
Lake. The run from Ogden was made
in forty-two minutes, and arrived here,
the whole party took carriages, which
were in waiting, and went for a drive
about the city. The drive was made
under the direction of Traffic Manager
Babcock of the Western, who SO laid
out the route that all the points of
ters of an hour devoted to the drive.
| The special arrived at SIP, and at 6
o'clock the party was again on the
road journeylng toward Denver
The hurried trip of Prince Hilkoff
and his party is due to the fact that
ne has been ordered to appear before
the car November 2. Prince Hilkoff s
position requires him to supervise all
railways and other means OF cOmmun-
ication constructed by the government
of Russia, and it was primarily to in
spect the Siberian railway that the
present trip was begun and to look
over the route of the proposed route
to be built through the valleys of the
! Cherka and AMOR rivers and to the
port OF Vladivostock. He covered the
entire route, sailed from Vladivostock
has travelled thus far over 1000 miles
since leaving the capital of Russia in
August.
Prince Hilkoff's trip through the
United States is to see the railroad
construction and equipment of this
country with view to taking advan-
tage of it's most advanced improve
ments.
In appearance Prince Hilkoff is the
most inconsequential-lo looking person
ina ginable. He is of medium height
and build, looks to be something over
so years old, is smooth shaver except
for small goatee on the chin, and
dresses most unconventionally. He
wore yesterday a plain black suit,
with sack coat, which he had evidently
had on many times more than once,
as was shown by plainly perceptible
knees" in the pantaloons, and his hat,
that was a curiosity. 1t was a little,
soft, black felt, of pattern so far back
that if he appeared in Blue Island
avenue, Chicago, alone ne would stand
a good chance of being taken in for a
"rube" by the sharks who make that
thoroughfare their haunt.
Strangely in contrast with his odd
appearance, however, is the man him
self One of the highest officials under
the Russian government he is as af-
fable and unassuming as his appear
ance would indicate. He is possessed
of wonderful breadth of mind and in
conversation displays remarkable ia
miliarity with things American.
The former attribute was not to be
unexpected, but one might be pardoned
for being surprised at the latter, in
view of the experience nearly every
one has had with foreigners just come
to this country, were it not known that
this is not Prince Hilkoff's first visit
to America and that he sojourned here
for five years in the early part of his
} mington, Delaware, under an assumed
name, learning the machinist'S trade
to fit him for his present position. 1t
is said of him that he is one of the
most accomplished practical engineers
engaged in railroading.
The other members of the imperial
party were much more modernly
CARRIED, although they looked common
place individuals enough, except per-
maps Colonel Tschertkoff's military
: bearing would give him that distin-
gushing individuality in a gathering
OF men not possessed by the other
gentlemen of the party
Prince Hilkoff, by reason of his ap-
premiership served IN this country
has moderately good command of Eng
lish and talks most entertainingly OF
his country, or the Siberian portion Of
it, and of his present trip. He said
that the world generally knew little oil
the riches of Siberia; that it was rick
in minerals beyond the average per-
sons conception, and that though I'M
developed as yet, would be when the
projected railroad facilities were com
pleted In describing his trip through
the country, he said the party Travelled
! by rail from ST. Petersburg to the end
} OF the line. 100 versts beyond Omsk
; and from there took carriages for the
: Balkal region The route lay across
the steppes, traversing the wheat belt
and the projected line running along
side the wagon road, they were able tc
observe 10 good advantage the fea-
lures of the route.
From Irllutek they journeyed b7
steamer a considerable distance and
again took to the carriages, until they
: reached the first navigable afluent OF
l the Amoor. The river, he said, could
scarcely be called navigable, as they
were compelled to float down it fol-
three days on RATS with shanties buili