The Red Cloud chief., 1899-07-14
AROUND WORLD IN 40 DAYS.
what the TraIs 6 IBERIA Ra luay VIII
DO for Con mcrcs.

~ " sh'tt1
WAsHiyeToN, July il.-lIerbar, n
Pierce, first secretary of the Uni,oJ
States embassy to Russia, has been in
Washington several days on leave Of
absence from his post. IL has afford.
ed an opportunity for tallts with tho
President and State department Of.
fcials on Russian affairs. both politi.
cal and commercial. and the impart.
ing OF much interesting infor nation
which could not be brought by the
channels Of official reports.
The Transsi berian railway, with i,s
track stretching across 1000 mic OF
the north of the continent, was one OF
MIR. Pierce's chief topics Of conversa.
tion. People outside of Russia
hardly realize how nearly completed
the Transsibcrian railway is" Mr..
Pierce said.
Il was told recently by Prince
Hilkof, minister OF ways OF
ication, who has charge OF this great
work, that he expected to make a
trip around the world in forty DAYS
during the coming Paris exposition.
going by way of the T~ranssiberian
route, and he had the kindness TO ask
me TO accompany him u3on the trim
Even now the route is almost contin.
uous from Moscow to the AMOR river
and thence TO Vladivostock, upon thet
Pacific coast, with the exception of ,
comparatively short stretch which
has to be covered with post horses.
Once open, this will mark almost a
commercial revolution, giving a high.
way from Western Europe TO the Pa.
cifc, and from our Pacific coast into
the far East, aud thence to Eastern
Europe"
The roldbci Is we'll constructed.
the track we'll ballasted, generally
with stone, and the grades easy. i,
has a five foot gauge and the cars are
unusually broad and high. The
bridges are mostly all of steel and
the wooden ones are rapidly replaced.
All along the route the stations are
artistic and equal TO those on ,h,
best American roads. There is an
army OF guards. The road is divided
into two sections of two-thirds of a
mile each. For each section is bull,
a neat cottage in which the guard aud
his family live. 1t is the duty Of tho
guard to patrol a section night andS
day. As soon rs a train passes tho
guard steps into the middle OF the
track, holds a flag or lantern aloft,
and watches the train until it passes
into the next section. A train il
never out Of sight Of q guard
"Tho road is so well along that
trains are run out of Moscow which
would astonish even Americans a.
models OF elegance" Mr.. Pierce said.
These trains have not only baths,
libraries md other modern equip
ments. but a complete gymnasium 70
beguile the long trip through Siberia.
The original purpose OF Russia was to
make the route one for military and
strategic purposes, linking the capital
and other large centers with the naval
rendezvous at Vladivostock. But now
aud travel over the road
have quite overshadowei the strategic
purpose, aud Russia finds that she
has opened a highway which is to be
one of the great channels of the
world. In time, posi- bly,, the route
will be diverted southwark through
Chinese M%anchuria, to permit a ter.
minus at Russia's new and importan,
lcaschold at Port Arthur. But for
the present, Vladivostock continues
to be considered its commercial ter.
minus on the Pacific"
Russia offers a great field for Amer.
lean investment, Mr.. Pierce believes.
'The relations between the United
States and Russia" he said. were
never on a more cordial basis than at
present, and tho friendship which is
traditional between the two countriSs
finds constant expression in Russia,
not only among officials, but also
among the people OF all classes. 1t is
not too much TO say that from the
emperor down to the p~casantry there
is a sincere friendship for us and a de.
sire to become acquainted with Amer
lean methods and TO make use in Rus
STA OF the skill and ingenuity which
have advanced this country with such
great strides,
10 this reason there Is a great
opening In Russia for American cap
ital, and for the introduction ~
American machinery and methods OF
doing business. IL is an immense
field, far beyond anything realized by
the people in this country. Russia ID
just entering an era OF tremendous
prospcrity-a sort OF commercial and
Industrial awakening. Here is the
new field for American enterprise and
capital, for, with our Pacific coast
facilities, the Philippines and the
Transsiberian railroad route, there IS
ready access for our goods into the
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