The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-02-21
THE LONGEST RAILROAD.
THE TRASs.sIBERIAN wow HOLDS
THE RECORD.
More thaa Twice as Long ss Oar Tra.sv
continental - Wonderful Work OF Rus-
slim Encineers.

THE RECORD.
More than Twice as Long q. Oar Tra.sy
continental - Wonderful Work OF Russ
sian EnEineers.
The French engineer. NJ. Levat. no has juss
return l from siberia. gives - the Monde "
lustif some interesting details in regard TO the
gigantic railway which the Russians haze now
Almost CON .leted. II is called the Trans-stbcv
rian or Great National Russian line. and -
merits the title, because everything connected
with 1t is Russian. Evidently great progress
has been made In rail- DAD building In the en-
pirc OF the Cars since the French engineer.
Michel Chevalier, placed tho first rail u pom that
soil To. day the Russian engineers come from
the national school. Their iron comes from
he mines In the Ural. aud they work II in Ii cir
own foundries. They have no need of the 40.
,istancc OF foreigners for any part OF their ma
terial. In this immense enterprise Of tho
Trans Siberian every thing is Russian, every-
thing will he Russian. aud az the same time
everything will be done according to the lass
advance In railroad progress. .. o.,
FIon st. Petersburg TO Nladivostock the lina
will cover more than 300 versts more than
5000 miles. or about eleven times the distances
from Paris to Marseilles. The traveller who
from the window II his railway car watches the
PANORAMA of our fields and provinces unrolts
ing before his eyes from Paris to the Mediters
| rancan." says NJ. L.evat. Feels n sentiment OF
pride when he thinks of the size OF Franco
But wha, will be the sentiment Of the RrsS
SLAMS when the locomotive will .oarry thom
from st. Petersburg. 20 Nladiyostock." I'bA
Trans continental fro II New York TO san Franz
| cisco is not half that length. The Trans-Cass
pian, the elder brother of the Trans Siberans
whose iat idity OF construction and boldne IS In
undertaking ,xc.ted >" much admiration SONS
| years ago. is o Is about 500 miles In length.
| The real head Il the line is at Tche!!abinsk,
| the first great 5 b.r an.tosn where one arrives
from Morrow III 'iaty hours. lie rails are ae
Present. lgiu down ~ iar-as Nijne-udinsk and
| beyond krasnciarsk III Central SIBERIA. that
is to say onc-bulf OF the distance. IL takes from
| 200 TO go hours to reacn Tcheliaoinsk. the
present terminus. Commercial exploitation
mas not yet EXTENDED u that point: but for s".ne
| time all Western Siberia Ia, had It's rcgilar
| services. Trains run three times n week DsSk
| and forth. Along the entire line stations arc
made al the points where con. merciAl life Is do.
| yelopIn. rapidly. The cars are very comtorta-
| bic. even OF the third class. Each traveller 10
furnished with . little bed. The cars are III the
| American type. enabling the travellers to Iass
from one TO the other the whole lea1th OF ths
trail. There are u platform aud n lavatory N
eacL car.
| russian engineers are remarkable for the
| extraordinary rap!dity with which they lay
| down rails across the steupes, through the for
| ests and mount Ains. and oser the rivers Five
| hundred mites OF line Is only ehiid's play for
them. l"ey finish II in fc months. not
| withstandink the r!gor Of their winters. They
| alsays pruceet with order and method AZ
| the Eead OF the Inc which they ar. layin2
| down they have u large number OF Lands. who
| avs q. ard the train. which follows The line
trains behind. la his way they proceed along
the freshly constructed RAJ WAY.
In he lead ng train arc al Rays officers. nom
| con Igi=sioned ono, RS and soldiers, who form
the cadres Of the corps Law Ing tue rails. 4
grocery WAGON. forge. bakery, &C., make
the train u Lowing village. As soon as a train
IS unIoaded. the material is rapidly carrrd for
ward. and no less RAPIDLY n1ed In Dos,tion. In
sihgie day they Fan lay down about four
The difficult work OF making bridges Is also
done with great rapidly during tue summer
season. On the great Siberian rivers. whom
they are frozen over. or when the ice is break:
ins up. I, is impossible 70 use floating material
that OF | nisse!. wAiea is about 5000 feet In
length. ALuther curiosity OF the Trans'si-
In II few montas, when the weather val per-
NIT. the line Will b" laid ut the point turning
the southern extremity OF the lake. but just
now IT is necessary 70 go straight and quckiy-
On their arrival at ListrIniEa he engineers de-
lake to the ether side. at Moaissova; but b.
tween these two points the distance 10 about
MY miles. aud. although the Russian eAGi.
nrrrs undertake almost anything. they could
not dream %: making bridge there. But that
made no direreuc"; the trains went on all the
same. They were simply embarked on hoard
boats specially built for the purpose, which
carry tacm from l.stvini1a TO MOGissova- even
Ia winter. BE- 'ause they k-eI canal cut I'll rough
the ice OF the lake by mea - OF ice bnat, OF the
same model A. those at present In use at the
entrance OF the port OF NlAdivostock in cold
weather.
From Lske BsIEal the line reaches 10 Strst.
| tin.k. tow. situated at the ter nina, ppint OK
the navigation OF the Chllka, a northern ranch
OF the Amour: 10 roach there II Is necessary
to cross the Yablonovoi Mountains. rhe HIS
sian engineers were obliged to get through
| them without n tunnel.
At Strettinsk the old proposed liEe followed
the valley Of the Amour ~ tar as hhahar Jvsk
TO reach to the sonih OF Nlad.vostock. IL
form ed an immense AR OF circle IN conn
try where communication was airady es'ab-
! med by fuvial navigation. This WAS loug and
OF the are was preferable. But II cut through
Chinese Manchuria. and the Government at
Pekin opposed the project ON the ground that
II really meant taxing possession or rho terri
tory; and here IL was the business OF RussiAn
diplomacy 10 obtain the necessary perD,!ssion
from China. i, was obtained. As all the
plans were ALREADY made. the authority WIS
hardly given betose the enterprise Was undsr-
takcL.
Already tho Russian engineers are tracina
ont their lines in NRnchuria. Tomorrow the
workn.en will be there. and after to- morrow
the old mand rims Will hold M their hands In
| horror whrn they witness the sacrllegtous ar
'iyal OF the locomotive. When the Russian To-
| connective engineer starts his engine through
| China, who can tel where he VIII stop! Inc
Russians already say that. as the port 81 lhdi-
vOStugk is fro zen over e.. winter III be mecca
sary To extend the terminal point OF the Trans
siberian On To Fusan. the Corcan port OF the
south that never freezes over and where yhs
japanese are still garrsoned.
'Scrurr-'s Joke on Hts DOG.