The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-02-14
ACROSS SIBERIA.
The Longest Railway in the WorIt
and How II Is Progressing.

TIC LonEest halfway In the World
and How II Is Progressing.
London Daily Mail
The Trans-Siberian Railway as we have
previously mentioned, the greatest the
world has ever seen, is being rapidly
pushed forward, and ere long the iron
horse will bring civilization into a country
which now, by its extent and physical char
acteristics Is practically cut off from the
rest OF theworld. The common idea of ST.
IBERIA Is that It is a country of bitter cold.
or mines. or prisoners, OF misery. Number
less writer's have taxed their genius in de-
plotting the sorrows OF Siberian exiles, the
woes or march to Siberia and the hor-
rors of the Siberian prisons and mines, and
thus the popular mind has become i'm
pressed with the conviction that of all
places on earth Siberia is the worst. So
mon impression is not far wrong, for there
is probably no country on the globe that
has greater extremes of temperature than
mer the heat OF the sun is intense, the Their
mometer, even the Tundras, or great
northern plains, often rising to 103 or 104.
But these three months are the only warm
ones enjoyed In Siberia, for not until June,
in the northern districts, does the ice begin
again by the middle OF August The great
rivers which flow from the mountains in the
south across the plains into the Arctic
ocean are. in the lower part of their course,
frozen solid to the bottom. The soil is
frozen TO an incredible depth bodies buried
In the earth never decompose, for the
only TO depth of four or five feet and be-
low that remains solidly frozen. From 80
to 40 degrees below zero are not uncommon
in the northern parts of Siberia; zero tenn
perature is considered a mild and COM
Portable season. The southern district,
through which the Trans-Siberan. Railway
passes, is of quite a different character.
OF the 1900 900 population of Siberia. nine
tenths are settled in the south plain of
Europe.
Southern Siberia is country capable of
supporting an immense population, and it
is this region which the government ex-
poets TO develop by means of the railway
now in course of construction. The coun-
try is capable OF growing any of the grains
of the temperate zones. In the river val
legs and on the plains large crops of wheat,
rye. oats and barley can be produced. An
immense extent of the southern provinces
Is covered by forests of pine. larch. fir and
other resinous woods, together with oak,
walnut beech and elm. and 1t is expected
that in the near future Siberia will furnish
great quantities of lumber, sufficient not
only for the needs of the country. but to
supply any deficiency in Russia that may
arise from the enormous decrease in acre
age now taking place by clearing away the
Russian forests Agricultural and forest
products viii probably, however, form only
portion, and perhaps a small portion. Of
the value of Siberian exports. The mineral
resources OF that extensive territory are
even yet only slightly known, and hardly
developed at ALL but ii is believed that
there are immense coal fields, and great
beds of iron, lead, copper nickel and other
Il
yer are abundant.
The main difficulties of construction of
this gigantic iron road are found in its
length and the Magnitude of the undertake
ing. There are, of course engineering diff
fculties peculiar to the climate. Great riv-
ers are TO be crossed The Irish and the
Obi and the AmOor are among the largest
rivers in the world. and. owing TO the pc
culiarity already mentioned. of freezing
solid in their lower course, the piers OF the
bridges are of enormous strength and
thickness. designed to resist any pressure,
whether of flood or ice blockade, that might
be brought to bear upon them. There are.
in addition, many ranges of mountains to
be crossed. but the engineering difficulties
connected with these are by no means in
surmountable, and no greater than those
which attend the construction of mountain
railways in any other part OF the world.
The total length of the line from the Urals
TO Vladivcstock on the north. or Port Ar
thur on the south, exceeds tive thousand
miles.
road down the Amoor to point not far
from Kabarovka. then by southerly route
I'D the Usuri 10 the great seaport and naval
depot of Vladvostock, but recent events in
China have led to a modification Of this
at Vladivostock which Is icebound durin..
half the year. will turn south from ka-
barova pass through Manchuria and enc
at onnear Port Arthur. on the Gulf of Pc
chilli. Thus the railway will be provided
with a terminus open to the sea all the year
round and IL cannot be doubted that, as
its purpose is still largely military IL will
go far toward establishing and maintaining
Russian supremacy on that portion of the
Pacific coast.
The promoter OF the scheme is the we'll
known Prince Kolikoff, whose romantic his
tory as q mechanic in the United States, a
locomotive engineer in South America, and
Russian diplomat and cabinet minister ri
walls the story of Peter the Great. ana the
same spirit which prompted Nicholas | TO
build n straight railway line from St Pc
tersburg TO Moscow. regardless of the
physical condition OF the country TO be trav-
ersed is inspiring the work now going on
!, in the Siberian wastes.