Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1897-11-11


S103.75 in second class.
In the price by steamers meals are
included; adding then for meals on
the railroads, sixteen days, S4S for
first class passengers and S24 for those
of the second class, there will be to-
tails Of 1902 and of S127.75, which is
more than a third cheaper than the
journey by the other two ways.
Although as early as 1857 the desir-
ability Of opening a way of communi-
cation through Siberia was recog-
nized and surveys were made with
that end in view, it was not until
March of 1891 that the present route
way was approved. Two months later,
On May Il, the work was formally in
augurated at Vladivostok under the
personal supervision of the then
CZarewitch, who is the present Gar
Nicholas II. wheeled away the first
barrowful Of earth and laid the first
stone of the mighty work. The con
struction Of the road was placed in
the hands Of committee of which
the Gar was and is still the president
and the rapid execution of the colos
sal project is largely due to his grea
interest and enthusiasm.
An army of 100000 men, beside
officers and engineers, has been con
stantly employed in good weather on
the three sections into which the work
was devised, and they have built an
average Of two miles a day. Consider
ng the difficulties encountered and,
n many instances, the primitive
methods employed, this is very rapid
work
Every sleeper has been sawed tedi-
ously by hand in old-fashioned saw
pits with one man above and an
other below. In the construction of
high entertainments the supporting
piles have been driven in by most
rimitive continuance. This consists
of a giant wooden tripod over a pully
OF top Of which runs a rope with a
heavy f1at-bottomed stone attached.
This stone is raised and dropped on
the pile until it is driven in to the
required distance. AS this method has
been used on each pile an idea can be
obtained of the immense amount of
time and labor that has been expended
on this feature of the work alone.
1t is a matter of serious interest to
the United States and the whole world
that Russia is prepared to become one
Of the great maritime powers of Rus
r1a's definite purpose to take a lead
ing part in Pacific affairs. Since the
strong military and naval occupation of
Vlad1vostok that policy has been
yearly growing more manifest 1t has
been greatly emphasized by the recent
energetic progress of the Trans-Siber-
ian railway. That road has already
become the highway of a vast current
OF Russian immigration into the fer
tile regions of Central Siberia.
Of greater immediate Importance to
Russia's aims the Pacific will be the
provision, by means of the great rail
way, of rapid transportation for mill
tary forces and supplies over an in
terror route absolutely removed from
hostile interruption. Her great for
tress, Vladivostok, and the other for
tresses which she will create on the
Pacific, will be placed within rapid
communication. In time Russia will
create in the Amoor another back
country near the Pacific all the sources
and such supply that she will need,
not only of provisions and men, but
Of munitions of war. At the forts
will be built the needed Warships and
the Pacific arsenal will manufacture
the armor and the guns. At present
her communication with Vladivosto,
is costly. The new railway will re-
move this difficulty.
One of Russia's first and most i'm
portant steps towards the proper es-
Enlistment of her maritime power on
the Pacific is to secure better seaport
than she now has in Vladivostok The
CLief ports available to her use for
that purpose are those of the peninsula
OF Cora. With Russia's otherwise
magnificent and unique opportunity
of becoming a first-cIass commercial
power on the Pacific, it is not to be
expected that she should forego any op-
portunity to take possession of those
to which they belong. Such occupa.
ton is manifest destiny. In those har-
bcrs Russia will find all that she re-
quires to open the road for her I'M
lmpeded development as a first-class
naval and commercial power on the
mightiest of oceans. She can then
enter upon equal terms into COMPETE
ton with the three other great powers
whose territories border on the North
Pac1fic-England, the United States
and Japan. Such mighty quartet
OF naval powers ought, half a century
hence, to make the Pacific busy
scene of commerce.
POPE LEO'S WINE HARVEST.