Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1898-08-07

rails spiked down on to them. This neces-
| states the sleepers being at equal inter-
walls and closer together than ordinarily,
| so that great lengths OF rail have 10 be
| prised up together 10 make good the bal
last where 1t may have sunk or been
washed away.
A SINGLE LINE AT PRESENT.
The line is single one at present, but
IL is intended to double it In time. On
the banks the earthworks are 10 feet
wide; in the cuttings they are II feet
inches The ballast is 10 inches deep, and
the rails weigh 10 or IL pounds 10 the
foot-a very light line to what We are
accustomed to In this country. and which
will have TO be replaced by a heavier one
If the trains are 10 be run at any speed.
AS the road was made the bridges were
built last, and the trains were worked in
the different sections. the passengers be-
ing ferried across the rivers from section
to section in the summer and carried in
trains across the ice in winter. On this
principle it is expected that there will
be steam communication all along the
route some time during 1900, the intention
being to travel to Irkutsk by rail and on
by the short line TO Listvintchna on Lake
Baikal, which will be crossed by steamer
TO Mysovskaya, where the train will be
taken again TO Stretensk. whence the
steamboat on the Amur will continue the
journey 10 Khabarocka, and from there
the train will complete the trip.
One feature of the line is the number
of large rivers 10 crosses at right angles.
Siberia is land Of fine waterways, which
OF late years have been much developed
Among the many schemes which led up to
the transcontinental line was that by
Ostrovski, which met with much favor.
His plan was to lay a railway between
Perm and Tobolsk, thus uniting the Kama
and Irish, between Tomsk and Krasnoi-
arsk. thus connecting the Obi and Yeni-
sci, and between Omsk and Barnaul. thus
joining the Irish TO the Obi. In this way
he obtained a perfect network Of internal
communication by river and rail. and on
his system, though not exactly in the
places he suggested, much has been done
and is being done. Another work on the
same lines, which will have great results,
is Funtusov's canal connecting the Ket
with the Pass on the parallel OF Yeniseisk.
This canal difficult to make, but only
about five miles long, will lead from the
Obi to the Yenisei and open up water
way Of over 5000 miles. joining Tiumen
with Irkutsk, and intersecting the whole
Western Siberia.
ANOTHER PROPOSED CANAL
Another useful canal has been pro-
posed by Captain Virgins, whose work
in connection with opening up the sea
route into Siberia is well known. This
canal would cut through the Isthmus of
Zalinall opposite made across the 18TH
mus.
Captain Virgins is an optimist with
regard to Siberia. his preconceived no.
tions OF which were, according to his
account, utterly fallacious. He had
pictured to himself a barren, inhospi-
table climate, unfit for any human being
except the offenders against the law who
were compelled to live there, and who
had necessarily to suffer much privation.
Instead, he says: Il found settled COM
munities with municipal government en-
joying every amenity Of civilized life,
some living, not only in expensive luxury, |
but even in extravaganza lin fact there
exists in the towns a civilization equal
TO what is to be found in any part of
Europe.
THE KARA SEA ROUTE OPENED.
1t was in 1874 that Captain Virgins
started 10 open up the Kara Sea route. !
1t was a perilous voyage towards its
close-one long, continuous battle with ice |
and tempest The crew were worn out,
and inevitable disaster seemed TO threaten |
them. The week ended in gloom Sun /
day morning came, and there was talk /
of abandoning the attempt but, pointing 1
TO the Bethel flag of the British and For
eign Sailors Society he had hoisted. the 1
Captain summoned the crew TO service. /
and after preaching from the text, BE |
of good cheer it is l, be not afraid" he
called for volunteers TO finish the jour
ney. The whole crew agreed TO go on /
with him, and the Kara Sea was entered /
with the Bethel flag flying. Twelve years
afterwards he made his wonderful voyage /
.. 600 miles up the Yenisei 10 Yenisesk.
An article on Siberia without some re-
ference 10 the convicts may be unusual,
but IL must be enough here to point out
that in one respect the railway will GER
tainly ameliorate their punishment By
rendering unnecessary the wearisorne
march of thousands OF miles across the
snow. and abolishing the long river voy-
ages in the menagerie-like barges. The
prisoners are already being sent by rail
as far as the line goes. and there are not
a few sanguine philanthropists who hope
that before the railway is completed the
mil te I