Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1899-06-14

| road, SS5 miles; the Central Siberian,
LAO miles; the Baikal Loop Line, 1875
miles; the Trans-Baikal Railroad, $50
miles; the Amoor. LII miles; the
North Oussouri 227 miles, and the
South Oussouri, 252 miles. So that the
total length of the railroad in Asiatic
Russia was designed to be 4,507 miles,
and the total distance from st. Peters
burg to Nladvostock, or from the Bal
| tic Sea to the Pacific was estimated at
6,232 miles. This gigantic work has
been prosecuted with marvellous vigor
and steadiness and year ago was de-
clared to be nearing completion.
Changes in the Line.
Changes have been necessitated in
the line by recent events in China
originally only one port on the Pacific
was thought Of, Vladivostock, and that
was to be reached. first, by northerly
and then by Il southerly bend entirely
| through Russian territory. But owing
to interests obtained by Russia in Man.
churia 1t was deemed inexpedient to
follow the line as 1t was originally sur
veyed, and accordingly new line di-
rect from Irkutsk southwest to Vladi-
| vostock was adopted. Still more recent
events in China have caused another
change in the main line to be made, and
in consequence not Vladivostock but
Port Arthur will be the terminus on
the Pacific. So that the trans-Siberian
Railroad divides into three prongs as
near approach Is made to the Pacific.
One prong goes straight on to Vladi-
vostock, another strikes down through
Manchuria and third bears in south
erly direction down to Port Arthur.
Either of these latter is shorter cut
to the sea by several hundred miles, the
Port Arthur route being the shortest
of the three. Vladivostock is not to be
abandoned; 1t will have Its railroad and
be made in consequence commercial
place of importance, but it has the dis
| advantage of being during one-half the
year under snow and ice. Port Arthur
is open the year round. But this latter
| port Is in China and before RUSSIA de-
| cided to extend its trans-Siberian Rail
road thither Russia must have come to
a satisfactory understanding with
China. Within the present year, then,
st. Petersburg will be connected by
rail not only with Vladivostock, but
with Port Arthur, and probably within
next year by branch roads with Can
ton and Pekin.
1t Is estimated that after the road is
repaired after the first few years of
traffic the journey from st. Petersburg
to Pekin will be made in five days
From London the most important har.
Dor on the Japan Sea will be seventeen
and half days. 1t is now possible by
the North Express" to go from Lon
don to st. Petersburg in two days and
four hours. 1t will therefore be possible
to reach Pekin from London in seven Oh
eight days. But this in the future
While the road is new and stiff the speed
at which the trains will run will moi
be greater than twenty miles an hour
but even so 1t will be possible to &C
from London to Japan in sixteen days
and to China in seventeen days. The
shortest cut at present from Londor
to those countries is across the AT
lantic. across the United States OF
Canada and across the Pacific
and with the best of luck it take.
from thirty to thirty-five days to make
it. At first thought this promised short
ening of the time would seem to bodt
anything but good to the transconti
mental traffic of the United States ant
Canada which has been heretofore af
forded by England in her commerce
with Asiatic countries. But the intense
rivalry existing between England ant
Russia 81 to be taken into account TIL,
trans-Siberian road will not be extens
lively patronized by England-it will b.
supported by Russian traffic and, in ,
degree, by German. Time. 1t is true
ID valuable element IN commerce, bu
Y viii be lost sight of by the Englisl