Daily Kennebec journal., 1897-05-18
RUSSIAN ADVANCE
10 the Control Of Asia by Bands Of steel.

for one moment loses sight of tn,
economical interests OF the empire
ond when an opportunity for better
ment of any sort is offered IL is seized
upon to the best advantage.
This Is well illustrated by Russia
promptness in using to the furtheranct
of her own interests the recent regula-
ton Of Oriental affairs.
Thus it was that she established the
Russian Chinese Bank. with privileges
and organization that give her 6nancia
supremacy in the Celestial Empire As
to political supremacy, the entrance Oh
the Trans Siberian into Monoaooria
the penetration Of great Russian
national railway into one Of the mos
precious provinces of China, assures
that definitely.
At the same time this shorter ans
more direct route, which has just beer
laid cut, makes possible the saving ol
enterprise. the achievement of whicf
viii, in any case, require the expendi-
lure of vast sums and hard labor.
These arc the points which have beer
discussed, for the last fortnight, in al
Of the political journals. However
there are even more interesting phases
Of the subject To consider.
\ short time ago NJ. Levat, one Of this
most distinguished &C French engineers
returned to Paris after a second jour
Rey across Siberia.
Being an engineer, NJ. Levat was able
to furnish some very good des riptions.
which. in addition 10 his rough map Of
the section through which the road
passes, gives us a clearer idea of this
gigantic work, and the manner in which
ii is being executed, than any we had
hitherto been able 10 obtain.
There is one especially noticeable
fact about this railroad. II merits well
the title Of national" that the Russians
have given It, for everything about ii
is Russian. our friends have mad 2
strides in that sort of thing since the
time Michel Cheyalier. French engi-
neer, laid the first rail that ever cov-
cred their soil.
Their engineers Of today are &. adu-
ates OF national schools: their ir n
comes from the Ural mines, and they
mould il in their own manufactures.
They ask no aid Of the foreigner for
any part whatsoever of their material.
In this immense enterprise of the trans
Siberian everything is Russian. every
thing viii be Russian and at the same
time everything will be done according
to the latest breath of progress. This
is not in the least an eXaggeration. APP
piled 10 the trans Siberian II is not
merely a hackneyed phrase; ii is strict
accuracy.
From St. Petersburg TO Vladivostok
the tracks extend for 5000 versts. more
than 5000 miles.
The French traveller. as he passes
through our provinces on his way from
Paris To the Mediterranean cannot sub
due feeling Of pride at the greatness
of his country. What, then, must be
the sentiments of the Russians when
their locomotives carry them from st.
Petersburg to Vladiovostok. stretch
of almost 1000 miles?
The trans Pacific, from New York to
san Francisco, NJ. Levat tells us, is not
so long by one half: the transCaspian,
precursor of the Trans Siberian. the
difficulty as Well as the rapidity of con-
struction of which excited our admiIa-
tion "A few years ago, is only $50 miles
long. 1t seemed then as if il would BE-
difficult indeed to exceed such
record for work. as tracks 5000 miles
long, crossing two continents at
stretch are not numerous on our planet.
The real head of the line is at Tchelia-
binsk. the first large Siberian city one
reaches after leaving Moscow. the trip
between the two cities taking 50 hours.
The rails are actually laid as far as
10
in central Siberia, which is half the en-
tire distance. The journey to Tchelia-
binsk. the actual terminal point, con-
sumes from 200 to $50 hours.
There has not been as yet much
traffic along this road, but Western 81
IBERIA has had regular train service for
a long time. There are trains running
east and west three times week, and
stations have been erected all along the
line. which are tending rapidly to pro-
mote commercial life.
The trains are well arranged with
baggage cars and lavatories Tor all
classes. The coaches, which are dis
tinctly American in plan. with a CEN
tral aisle running the entire length, are
very comfortable, even those of the
third class. The sleeping cars have
single berths. one for each passenger.
Before the end of this century or at
the latest the first year of next.we may
in this way be able to travel luxurious
" without break. from Paris to
Vladivostok, the great Siberian port of
the Japanese sea.
Russian engineers have indeed distin-
r,lished themselves by the extraordinary
,-,pi1itN with which they have lalu their