The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1897-05-15

There is always, 81 NJ. LeVaG says, q
large personnel in the stationary train.
which, following the workmen as they
lay the rails, is pushed forward on the
new tracks by the supply train coming
from behind to bring iron crossbars and
wooden beams.
In the stationary trains are the quarters
of the officers and soldiers, a provision
car, smelling forge, butcher shop, etc. !;
in word, a travelling village.
AS soon as the supply train has been
unloaded the material is taken rapidly
forward and put in place by the work
men. M. Levat saw more than three
miles of railing laid in this way in one
day.
The forming of the road bed is but
small part of the labor in Siberia, where
the land is so uniformly fiat. Moreover,
the labor-which consists of the making
of simple earthworks, undertaken by local
contractors-is accomplished simultane-
ously, at great many points, by an
army of workmen, whose number has
been increased by 100, 900 laborers during
the last few summers. This is the season
when the thawed condition of the ground
enables them to construct the earthworks.
1t is an exceptional thing for them to
have to excavate trenches or build en-
bankments of any Importance, and it is
not necessary, for such simple work, to
have implements other than the ordinary
pick-axe, shovel, wheel barrow and wood
or,r art which aor I,ov do
everywhere, in unlimited quantities.
As to grading and bridge building,
that is more difficult, on account of the
short time allowed the engineers to erect
the essential parts, during the good
season.
While the great Siberian rivers are
frozen or just breaking up, it is impossi-
BILE to keep floating material or COM
pressed air caissons, in the current. Every
thing must be done in the warm season.
Fortunately, the foundations. are easily
made. There is not one stone in the
immense beds of the Obi or the Yenisei.
Underneath the arabic layer of soil is a
continuous stratum of compact clay. on
whicK.are placed the foundations.
The largest bridge is that, almost a
mile long, over the Yenisei.
One of the most interesting features of
the Trans-Siberian is Icrossing Lake
Baikal. Later on, when there is time,
tracks will be laid around the southern
extremity of the lake, but at present,
the trains must cross in some way, from
Listriniza to Mouissova, on the eastern
shore But the distance between these
two points is almost ten miles, and even
Russian engineers would hardly think
of erecting a bridge there.
However, the trains must cross, SO they
carry them on boats built especially for
the purpose, and which make the trip
from Listriniza to Mouissova, even in
winter, for an open channel is cut in the
ice, by means of ice breakers, modelled
after those which actually force a passage
to the Port of V4adivostok, in the heavi-
est winter season.
East of Lake Baikal, the tracks actually
in process of construction end at
Stretyinsk, a town at the navigable ter
minus of the Chilka, a northern branch
of the Ameer River In order to arrive
there the road must cross the mountains
of Yablonoi.
1t was necessary that they should pass
the crest without a tunnel and with q
grade not exceeding half inch to yard
in the ascent. By this gradient, the
highest point they reached was sra feet
above the level of the sea; the difference
III H. +Lo% Of To1-o poi1 -o1
which is l ,514 feet, being 2,258 feet for an
increase of 200 versts.
From Stratyinsk the old road followed
the valley of the AMOR as far as. Khab
arovka, and then turned south toward
Vladivostok, forming an immense curve,
through country where traffic was al
ready insured through river navigation.
1t was long and very expensive route,
and yet, to make straight road from
Stretyinsk to Vladivostok it was neces-
sary to cut into Chinese Manchooria
and the Government at Pekin strenuous
ly opposed this invasion of it's territory,
which meant simply a certain amount of
time for the Russians to take possession
of it and complete it's transformation.
1t was now the object of the Russian
Government to obtain the desired permits
sion, and in this it has just succeeded
Inasmuch as the plans for the road had
been long since perfected, there was no
time lost in completing them, after the
contractors were authorized by the Chinese
Government to do so.
Already the roadbeds are being ploughed
in Manchoori. Tomorrow the laborers
will begin their work the day after, that
the old mandrins will cry out at the sac
rilege, as they see the locomotives rush
by And once the Russians have steamed
into China, who knows when and where
they will stop?
Even now they are talking of extend
ing the terminus, when the port at
Vladvostok freezes, south to T uscan, the
southern Corean port, which never freezes
and where the Japanese are stin in gar
rison LA Monde Illustree, Paris.
An Exceptional Case.
Hell defy you to show me a woman
hot nn1N 1ynav