Evening star., 1897-04-10
THE GREAT SIBERIAN RAILWAY.
Details of Its ProEress-EHect Upon
Russia and It's Continent.

From the Neue Wiener Tageblatt
Since the beginning of the regular serv-
Ice between Tscheljabinsk and the bridge
over the Obi, on October Is. trains run only
thrice a week, viz. Sunday, Tuesday and
shursday- These trains accomplish the
distance of 1,415 kilometers-that is about
"So rniies-in fifty-one hours; the tickets
cost; First class. - rubles second class
81 rubles, and third class, u rubies Each
OF the three classes is provided with sIeep-
ing arrangements; yet, as often happens in
Russia. the travellers bring their own beds
anu samovars, or tea urns with them
peSIIes other articles. But one must not
thlhk that nc cars on the Siberian railway
are htte.i up with all the comfort of Euro
pear or American trains de luxe" Even
lhc ordinary station accommodation is
ohiy Just being gradually completed; for
example, tic lack of refreshment rooms
has been In many places and is still sup
pled by the peasants of the neighboring
region, who come down to the stations with
Dread. cheese butter. meat and baked fish.
IAese small defects in the management
VIII naturally soon vanish. For although
Tor the present it is but single line of
rails. yet the line is destined for consider
able traffic in the future. as can be seen
IRON the fact that, as start. 2.OtD locomo-
tives. 3.'pb employees and - 900 freight cars
were decided upon. This staff and rolling
stock will allow, on completion of the whole
liIlt, VI d tram composed Of one engine, one
or two employees and eighteen freight cars
for each mile
As one-third part of this gigantic railway
Is now ready. IL can be conceived that al
ready 9H."1oro rUbles out OF the esti-
mated general cost of i'G,o1,OO rubles
have been spent. The line has. moreover
in this brief space. shown It's influence on
The colonization of Siberia. as the western
portions of it have been brought. piece by
piece. into working order The coloniza-
tiOn has greatly increased along the line
since 1895. and the hope of the Russian
government Is being rapidly fulfilled. that
the cultivation of the swampy Taiga dis
trict On both sides of the line will proceed
at a quicker rate than hitherto. the swarrns
of flies make this district terrible in sum-
mar- Up TO the present there is no data as
to the influence of the construction of the
line upon trade: there can. however, be no
doubt that this influence does exist to
considerable degree. as also an influence
for good as regards the administrative sys-
TEN in Siberia. The Russian officials and
soldiers. who were often hitherto month
after month on the journey ere they reach
cd thefr destination in Siberia, WILL at all
events, ioyfuliy greet this connection by
railway, its Importance from the point Of
view Of Transporting troops is clearly seen
from the fact that Russia al this moment
has in eastern Siberia alone an army of
GJ.tsD men.
We ought TO add. however. that this host
Of men consists only in a small degree of
European Russians; the greater part of ii
are Itusso-Siberians. who for some long
time past have had their own regiments.
The 39th Tumsk Regiment of Infantry is
one of the Oldest of these regiments; the
Archduke Ludwig Victor is commander os
the regiment, and the occasion OF its one
lUHdr,Llh p Dirt hGay was celebrated on De
cembsr II last. As the regiment was not
al the moment qUaEteFed in st. Petersburg
the ar, hduke's representa- tive must have
rad rather long journey before him OF
being summoned To the regiments merry
making in the. HuSsia1 empire. TOnSx lies
about Cne-tAitd of TIE way across Siberia.
ana Is still really some mics to the east
ward Of the last station of the Siberian
railway. on the river Obi; this lies >. 13J
kiionefcrs. ie.. about $3.50 miles, from
Vienna, and one has to go by rail for seven
days without stopping in order 10 get there.
But 20 be sure. one is then only another
100 miles from The northwest boundary of
China CdongoiiiJ. and on the same rner-
i1ian as is the piCUs Hindu in holy Ben
ares.