Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-09-15
IN ASIATn RUSSIA.
Resources Of Siberia Are as Yet
Hardly Touched.
COUNTRY BEING RAPIDLY SETTLED
Industries That Are Still in Their
Infancy,
ALONG THE GREAT LINE

ALONG THE GREAT LIN
J. c. Monaghan. United States consul at
Chemnitz. has recently written to the State
Department an interesting description OF
the resources Of Asiatic Russia.
| siberia and the Amur lands are rich be-
yond belief. Their 10, 400, 600 square ki.o-
| meters 5,213,956 square miles) are inhabit-
ed by only 100000 souls. In recent years,
| however, the number Of immigrants (4OO,-
600 last year, has been equaled only by the
| tide which poured into the United States
in the past. This vast territory, long look
| ed upon as barren waste is destined to be
| one of the worlds richest and most pro-
ductive sections In northern France wheat
| ripens in 1877 days; in Siberia in 107. Even
| strong night frosts do not injure the young
| seed. Under such conditions the possibili-
| ties OF agriculture are practically unlimited.
| l may add that oats require in Siberia and
| the Amur country only SO days, and in the
| regions of the Yenisei only 107. The frost
| period lasts on,y 81 days in the Irkutsk
| country. Transatlantic lies entirely within
| the agricultural regions; SO. too, almost the
| entire territory traversed by the Amur as
| far north as it runs. Efforts are being
made to obtain along the Amur at least
| 100000 square kilometers Q15,S35 square
| miles, for the higher forms of northern
agriculture. Dramatically the best of north
| ern Asia's territory for planting purposes
| is the Usuri country, which, in spite Of
It's vast tracts Of wood and grazing lands,
mas l95.0OO square kilometers G52 square
| mies) of arabic ground. The building of
| the Trans Siberian railroad has already
added to the empires wheat product.
Vast Mineral Resources
THE mineral resources of western ST.
IBERIA are vast. Between Tomsk and Kooz-
| nesk lie 6O,OGO square kilometers (23 1G7
square miles, of coal lands which have
never been touched The coal is said to be
excellent In eastern Siberia, with its $780,
900 square kilometers 00S, 112 square miles,
of fruitful soil, there are 400 places vie d.
ing gold. Rich mineral deposits-gr phtte
lapuS laZull, iron mines, particularly rich
In quality (as high as 90 per cent?; hard
and soft Goals, l. e., black and brown Goals
await willing hands to work for them.
Today thousands Of co.onists are hurrying
to these promising lands Russa's output
in gold and silver is already very large,
and is constantly increasing. Three-fourths
of all the silver gathered i'll Russia is OBJ
tanned in the Aitai mountains Exclusive
of the Ural gold fields, there are SOL places
in the empire where gold is found. Notwith-
standing the number of PAGES in which
iron is located there are only four large
establishments for its production. The
ores are rich-3S to GO per cent Of raw iron.
Infant Industries.
"The industries of Siberia are in their in
fancy; still, they are growing and are
bound to grow, rich are the rewards
promised. Chemical sugar, and paper
mills have been put in several places and
are paying we'll Even Manchuria, a prov
ince so vast that it might make an en-
pire, is looking to Russia for it's future de-
velopment. The wealth of this province,
like that of Siberia and all eastern Russia,
is ripe for harvesting. The traffic in s.
IBERIA and eastern Russia is increasing fas-
ter than even the advocates of the great
Trans-Sberian road anticipated. The Oh.
one of the worlds big rivers, emptying
through the gulf of OBJ into the A. tic
ocean, has 1O2 steamers and 200 tugs run
ming already On the Yenisei, ten steam
ers carry the mails regularly. The mouths
of both these rivers were visited last sum-
mer by English and Russian ships This
proves the practicability of connecting
eastern and western Siberia with Europe
by water. The mouth of the OBJ is to be
deepened and wharves are to be built. On
the coast of the Usuri country there is reg
ular postal communication between Nicola
jevsk, Vladivostock, and intervening places,
well connection with Japanese ports
and Port Arthur. From Odessa and St.
Petersburg to various Asiatic ports runs
the so-called volunteer fleet, established in
1873. 1t has fourteen steamers with lis, 500
tons displacement In war they can be
armed: in peace they, carry freight, trav-
elerS, immigrants and troops.
Siberia and the Amur country possess
advantages very similar to those of North
America, Australia and parts of Africa.
The great gain to Russia at present in de-
veloping Siberia, is the guaranty that her
harvests will come nearer to supplying her
wheat needs"
The Great Siberian Railway.
In this connection the information given
in article on the Siberian railway from
the Novae Vremia and sent to the State
Department by Mr.. Hagerman, second sec
rotary of embassy at ST. Petersburg, Will
be found of interest. The article follows:
Each year the great Siberian railway
draws the attention of state officials, and
this year Prince Hikof, minister Of ways
of communication, and Mr.. Miasoiezdoff-
Ivanoff, the newly appointed director of
Russian railways, have just inspec ed the
line in question. Both were called there to
decide questions Of the utmost Importance.
Two portions of this line may be said to be
In operation. The amount of traffic on the
line between Tcheliabinsk and Irkutsk is:
;s,.;oo 4; s sS So
During the first two months of the o es-
ent year the amount Of freight tran; TT d
on the great Siberian railway amounted to
100000 pools (2SS, 3S3 tons): and in the
way alone, 1900 cars of freight were wait
ing two months for their turn, being dire t.
ed to famine-stricken district in the d rec
ton Of the Trans-B aikal. During the first
two months of the present year 10000
workmen and settlers were carried along
the Siberian line.
Effect of the Railway.
1.-The power Of economic impulse given to
the great line can be seen in many ways.
In the center Of great ranges of mountains
rich coal mines have been discovered and
are already being exploited by several large
companies. Small villages are becom ng
towns. On the other hand, certain indus
tries chat of the caravan, for instance) are
falling off and proof that the railway
is to do a great work, nine wooden bridges
on the line have been burned down since
last spring. This crime is laid to the prin.
cipal carriers, or caravan proprietor who
find no more work since the railway has
been inaugurated. -
"A serious misfortune occurred in the
year 1897 in the Trans-Baikal district
which was completely flooded. This occa-
stoned not only famine. but the necessity
of making a new project Of the line for the
railway for a distance Of over 1000 versts
(666 miles, This food was followed by
famine, bringing with it great disaster and
much disease. VI. 81
Radical Chances Neceasarv