The Opelousas courier., 1897-04-24
%STUPENDOUS FEAT.
How a Railroad Across Siberia
Was Built.
Many Millions Of People Are Set
ting Along Its Route.

There is a familiar story, perhaps
less apocryphal than most good stories
are, of a former Russian Emperor who
wanted a railroad built from ST. Peters
burg to Moscow. He told his Minis
tiers, and they told the engineers, and
they went to surveying route after
route, without finding a satisfactory
one. AT last the Emperor grew tired
of waiting and asked why the railroad
was not built. "The engineers can
not agree upon q route" was the re-
ply. Bring me a map and l will
show you one," returned the Emper-
or. Then he took q ruler and q pen,
and drew a straight line from one city
to the other. "That is the route
sal he NOW build the road" And
it was built. Atruthful companion to
this story may be told, dating back
scarcely eleven years, and at the pres
ent moment being fulfilled. In 1886
the Emperor summoned his Ministers
to him. Without a word of preface,
"Let there be @ railroad built GRO
Siberia" he said; ''hy the directest
route and as quickly US possible
And then he dismissed the council.
Today that railroad, incomparab]y
the greatest in the world, making our
Pacific roads seem petty, is measure
bly, near completion. 1t is finished
aad in full operation to o point De-
yond Tomsk, at one end, and from
Vladivostok to Chabarowsk, on the
Amoor, at the other, while q consider
able stretch is at least graded, ready
for the ties and rails, in the middle at
Lake Raikal. No less that 81, 900
men are constantly employed upon it,
and it is reckoned that by the end of
this century, four years hence, through
trains will be running from the Baltic
indeed, from Paris-to the Pacific.
The cost is estimated at $40, OoO, 600,
,a.t will probably be much less,
since the actual cost Of the section
from the Urals to the Obi has been
81, 500, 900 less than the estimates.
Vlabvostok, 4,741 miles from the
UraJf will be. one ;Eeftern terminal,
,1ant not the chief tbne. By the terms
of the new Russ IN treaty with China,
a bauch line>aiB-called, is to be run
off at N~tIKK6hiokaya, down through Man
churia and Mongolia to the Yellow
| Sea, with terminals at New-Chwang
and Port Arthur, where there will be
q harbor open all the year round.
This "branch" will be 1920 miles
long, 94G miles being in what is now
Chinese territory, and it will shorten
the distance from the Urals to the
coast by 342 miles. No doubt it will
really become the main line, as soon
as Manchuria and Corea become
openly and avowedly, as they are now
substantially, Russian provinces.
The practical effect of this stupen.
dous undertaking upon Russian socia.
and industrial interests is already ap'
parent. In 1891 the present Czal
turned the first spadeful of earth on
the road at V~ladivostok. Forewith.
popular migration from European
Russia to Siberia began. In 1892 NJ
less than 100, 900 permanent settler
crossed the Urals. But they were
mere advance guard. A larger mum
Der was reported in the single month
of May, 1895, while the total mum
Der for 1896 was nearly 1000, 600
No other new country ever was tille'
up at such a rate. At present nearl.
all are settling west of the Obi. Blu
as the construction Of the roat
proceeds, and the still more de
sirable regions further east ar
opened up, the number of sci
tiers may be expected to increase
and by the end of the century, whel
!, the road is completed, we may reason
ably expect to see the population G
! Siberia more than doubled, Their
. will be practically q new nation, Q
} ten or twelve million inhabitants,
t one Of the richest lands of the world
with an i~ncalculable product of IA
materials to dispose of, and with a
almost inestimable need of MANI
featured goods. And its natural con
mercial outlet and inlet, on the oceal
. will be directly opposite the Pacif
| Coast of the United States. There
3 q fact which American traders al
/ 4 nerican statesmen may well tai
into consideration.-Ne York II
bune.
!. A Letter Written Amid Flying Shell
. In the Century is an article {
"Nelson in the Battle Of Copenh