The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1900-05-15
cRoAKERs IN ALL COUNTRIES.

The history of the building of the
Union Pacific railway and the settle
ment Of the Great American Desert"
is being repeated in Siberia AS there
were those who believed that the Union
Pacific would not pay, so it has been
assumed that the great Siberian rail-
way would not be profitable English
writer's have asserted that the Siberian
population was so small and the dis
tances were so great between colonies
or settlements that the railroad would
have little or no local traffic.
Another point that has been urged
against the Siberian trunk line is that
it could never be an important factor in
the trade of the world as means of
transit between Europe and the far
east because it had rivals in the sea
route through the Suez canal and the
combined sea and land route through
North America.
NJ. AIikhailoff, in the North American
Review for May, disputes all these
arguments The railroad has been
completed from the European boun-
dairy through Omsk, Tomsk, and to
Irkutsk or Lake Baikal Here there
is a short break, but from Lake BaikaI
the line is completed to Stretensk- Then
there is another break between that
point and Port Arthur, on the southern
branch, and Khararoff, on the eastern
branch From the latter point south
the railroad is complete to Vladivostok-
When the railroad shall be finished
Port Arthur will be connected with St
Petersburg by $3.50 miles of track;
with Berlin by $3.50 miles; Paris.
100 miles, and London, 1900 miles.
With the fast trains now in use on the
European section these distances could
be covered in eight to ten days,
but at a lower speed the Russian engi-
neers say the journey from Lon
don to Yokohama can be made in eight
cen days by the Siberian route; thirty
four days by the Suez canal route;
| twenty-five days by the North Ameri-
/ can route.
From London to Shanghai by the
Siberian railway will be seventeen days;
by the Suez canal route twenty eight
days. by the North American route
thirty-one days. It is the purpose tc
make passenger trains on the Siberian
railway the finest in the world, so thai
the long journey will not be fatiguing
to travellers. NJ MilxhaiIoff estimates
that the expenses from Paris or Lon
don to the ports of China and Japar
will be one-half less by the Siberian
route than by the other routes.
The Russian government has fur
nished material assistance to all Rus
sian immigrants to Siberia, and in many
places along the railway line settle
ments with a population of eight o.
nine thousand have already sprung up
Since 1887, 1.O47, 679 men, or heads o
families, have settled along the Siberian
line. In 1898 more corn was brought t.
the railroad than could be transported
to the western markets. The receipts
averaged 240 wagon loads a day. Their
was also great increase in other agri
cultural products. particularly in thos
Of the dairy The policy Of the Russiai
government is to establish factories il
the Amur territory, to encourage tn
cultivation OF the sugar beet, tobacco
fax, and hemp in the same district
and to promote trade in agriculture
implements and manufactures with tn
United States. In order to hasten tn
development of Siberia all plants neces
sary for mining and other industrie
are to be imported free until 1909.