New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1898-04-17
TIIEMANCHURIAN RAILWAY
A CHANGE OF ROUTE IN THE TRANS
SIBERIAN SYSTEM
SOME OF TIE ADVANTAGES WHICH RUSSIA
GAINs-pROGREss OF THE wORK-FRoM
PARIS TO vIADIvOsToCK SIX
YEARS HENCE.

Nv n change in the route OF the oasterninost
portion OF her great Trans Siberian Hallway
Russia Is able to secure at least four marked
advantages She will open communication WIN
q Chinese province whose commerce Is worm
more to her than that of the region which IL
was originally proposed to invade: the line VIII
be shortened about five hundred miles; road
building will be conducted in country when
presents fewer engineering difficulties IMAM
would have been met otherwise, and competition
will be avoided with q great water route when
IS opcn for about five months every year. THESE
COZ sideratlons. entirely apart from such poht-
ical and military results as are sure 10 foho"
this modification OF Russias plans are SUFFICIENT
70 Justify the short cut" through Manchuria
which China has consented to allow.
When, in 1891 the present Car trundled off
the first barrowful OF earth at Nladlvostock, on
the Pacific it was expected that a Journey OF
six thousand miles would be necessary IN ORDER
to reach st. Petersburg when the line was com
plcted. Existing railways in European Russia
supplemented by short link that was then yet
70 be constructed, would make the distance
from the Russian capital TO Tcheliablnsk, on the
Siberian side Of the Urals about thirteen hun
Gred miles and the route Of the Trans-Siberan
road proper from Tcheliabnsk to Nladivostock
was 400 miles long. There are now In opera
ton In Western Siberia something like 13OO or
400 miles of track. The builders in that region
had worked their way eastward to Krasnoarsk
in February last, and it Is hoped that by the
close of 1899 they will have reached Irkutsk.
700 or 800 miles further on.
The next two divisions of this road together
cover SCI miles and carry the line to Stretensk
good deal OF preliminary work had been done
70
floods ruined a part Of it, and it will be neccs-
sary to reconstruct much Of the roadbcd After
leaving Irkutsk the route describes a loop
around the southern end Of Lake Baikal. This
makes the distance to Mycovsk almost two
hundred miles. In the winter. however. when
the lake is frozen over. II IS proposed to lay
rails on the ice and run trains straight across
Two rivers. the Shilka and Argun. unite to
form the Amor. Steamers In summer run all
the way up the AMOR and Shika to Stretensk
This town is expected to gain greatly In com
mercal Importance during the next few years
It will be the chief centre Of exchange between
Manchuria and Siberia, and the main line OF the
Trans Siberian road will probably terminate
here.
In the original plan there was a section OF
road 32J miles long. reaching from Strctcnsk
to Khaborovka. and following the AMOR. And
at the latter point the road was to turn south
ward, following the Ussuri Valley most Of its
length, and then striking straight for Vladi-
vostock The portion Of the line between the
latter city and Khaborovka, 4S7 miles long, was
finished last September and is now In opera
ton. But the direct line from Siretcnsk to Kha-
borovka will probably never be built. Instead. n
new route from OnOn. a point on the main line
one hundred miles or so west OF Strctcnsk.
through Manchuria to Vladivostock, is now be-
ing surveyed
The Province OF Manchuria IL nearly one
thousand miles long from east to west. 1t
reaches from the Argun TO the Ussuri Between
the latter and the sea lies a maritime province
belonging to Siberia.
At Nikolskoe Cor NicoskD, eighty miles north
OF Vladlyostock a branch road will leave the
Ussuri Railway and extend sixty-four miles
westward to the Manchurian frontier. From
Onon 0he point Of divergence from the main
line west OF StretensD corresponding branch
will be built to the Argun River a distance OF
2JO miles more These Will belong. tech
nically to the Trans Siberian system. and will
run through Russian territory. The proposed
intermediate road across Manchuria will be 0lG
miles long 1t will be known as the Eastern
Chinese Railway. this name being adopted TO
avoid hurting the scnsibilities OF the Cclcstials.
The mileage from OnOn to VladlvOstock will be
about the same from Onon to Khaborovka,
and the southwark run OF five hundred miles
from the last mentioned point TO the sea will
thus be saved on all through commerce. This
means. of course, great economy in time and
operating expenses.
The only big city in the region between
8tretcnSk and KhabOrOyka on the Amor s