The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1896-01-04
Count de Toulouse Loutrec Chats
of the TranS-Siberian
Railroad.
GREAT MINERAL RICHNESS.
A Title That Is Not for Sale-Admires
California Women Very
Much.

People who believe that counts, earIs
and other members of the aristocracv are
all effete and Emphatic would receive a
rude shock to their pet convictions if they
met the Count de Toulouse Loutrec, who
is registered at the Hotel Gailhard on Pine
street, as plain NJ. st. Loutrec of Paris.
Il the Count were the descendant of a
hundred horny-handed sons of toll instead
OF hundred counts he could not reason
ably expect to be bigger or more muscular
than he is, Geeing that he stands feet 4
and is broad and muscular in proportion.
His face Is very tanned, too, for the Count
has been roughing it for five years while
railroad-making in Siberia. In spite OF
his physical strength NJ. St. Loutrec is a
scion OF one of the. most aristocratiC
families IN France. and if his name and
title were inscribed in full they would
occupy two lines of the hotel register
Il come from Siberia on business" he
said when seen yesterday afternoon. For
myself | dislike 'Tecl2me,' but if THE CALL
cares TO tell its readers something about
Siberia l am willing to talk, for it is a
wonderful country. The TranS-Sl berlan
Railroad is being pushed rapidly west, as
You know. l am contractor for portion
OF the line between Nladivostock and Cha
DdroWSkl, on the AmOOr-a mere traction
OF the great railroad, q bagatelie IN fact,
that does not amount to over 100000.
All along the line the work Is being let
out IN this way. The Government pays
and please state that IL pays regularly
every sweek-an average OF ruble per
loot. \ rubie amounts 10 90 cents. Labor
Is cheap, but the difficulty is to get con-
tractors. Ii American capitalists went
over there just now they would coin
money"
When asked whether foreigners were
welcome the Count declared that the Rus
sian Government literally holds out its
arms TO them. - passport is needed but
thati is a mere formality. Every induce
ment Is offered TO settlers. They can take
up land, and the climate is delightful.
Where l live, inland from Vladivostock,
the climate Is about the same as in Van
COUyer. Vines flourish, and though we
have ice IN January and February the cold
Is gone by March. That reminds me that
the Government has surveyed q branch OF
the railroad from the River Amoor to Port
Arthur, which Is open all the year round.
w ork Will begin on that branch in the
spring. The British Government opposes
the proposition tooth and nail, but bah
no one over there needs that. Altogether
! consider the Russian Government mag
nlhcent IN its enterprises. In Tonquin ]
took contracts for our French Government
but what q difference! Everything there
was done ON little, cheap scale, and the
value OF each cent was counted; but il
Siberia! All! it is splendid.
The country is rich gold is to be found
IN masses" AS he said these words the
Count drew a piece of glittering crysta
from his pocket. That is what we are
constructing the line with along nv sec
ton. I picked up few bits of the rock
because the crystals gIittered prettily
Yesterday was showing the pieces to a
gentleman here and ne said, That is silver
ore. So we had 1t as saved and found that
1t contained 10 per cent pure silver. Il
gives you an idea of the mineral wealth OF
the country when you realize that ore o.
that richness IS being shoveied In to make
the railroad.
When the line is finished it will ia Ike
nine days to 90 TO st. Petersburg from
Nladiyostock. That port is reached from
Japan IN three days, and there is alread,
an excellent service of steamers, the fare
being only 81.
And now | have praised the country.
Wall tell It's drawbacks, " said the handsome
Count IN rueful tones. There Is one
: thing sadly Iac6ing-We have no women
As l 60 through your streets turn anc
look at your women in admira tion-they
are beautiful, angelic. II the unmarried
ones would 90 to Siberia they would have
the pick OF the head men in the country
the engineers, the contractors, the mine.
owners would be at their feet, for those
gentlemen over there are without lady
10 speak to. One gentleman in our sec.
ton Of the line has his family; but ]
regret to say that the daughters are ex-
ceeolngly hOmelv-yes, ugly
For myself II Is more t-iste' than foi
the others. Having no ladies' society,
they pass great deal OF their spare time
drinking and playing cards. | do not
drink nor gamble; all l can do is to go to
my room, and when ! get tired of reading
and writing, fold my arms sadly and gaze
al the ceiling. That will never occur
agaln. however. if ] can persuade one OF
your beautiful California women to make
me Benedict"
w hen II was suggested to the Count
that he had better lead personally con-
Quoted party OF new women pioneers
70 take up land in Siberia, he replied enl-
phatIcaliy that one woman was about all
he felt equal 10 conducting. The insinua-
ton That there might be no heiress in
town rich enough to consummate the bar
gain called forth panied protest
Parole d honneur," be replied bow
ing with Partisan grace, II am not for
sale' work hard to make enough money
to be quite independent. have not seen
any ladies' Tor five years, and If is only
natural that the beauty OF the California
women should dazzle me and I'LL me with
the desire to take one of them away with
me; but-for sale! Jamais, jamaisp'
NJ. ST. Loutrec is on his way TO Paris
to organize a syndicate for the purpose of
taking Siberian railroad contracts on a
large scale. In spite OF his romantic ad-
miration for the California girl, he is evil
IDENTIFY an experienced, hard headed man
of business. As for that same admiration,
the Unconditional Rudyard Kipling owns TO
something OF the same feeling on landing
here after a mere voyage across the Pacific,
and the Count de Toulose Loutrec has
been five years without seeing any more
attractive women than the peasants OF
Siberia; no wonder be worships at the
California girls shrine. He is q young
man and is full of interesting anecdo tes
about life in Siberia, through which he
hoc 4ra. 1aI