Omaha daily bee., 1900-12-02
THE STEPPES BY RAIL
Russia Establishes New Record in Long.
Distance Railroad Building
FACTS ABOUT THE NS-sIBERIAN ROAD
A National Project of Great Import
ance-lts Eject on the Worlds
CONNIE merce-Fertility of the
Country Traversed.
Copyright. 1900. by e. Mels.)


| Russia possesses today not only the long
est railroad In the world, but also the mos
| important-unless all portends and omen,
be wrong. The railroad In question Is the
Transsiberian line from st. Petersburg tc
Vladivostock on the Pacific coast, Ana miles
long. which is now practically completed
Hitherto tho American transcontinenta
lines have held the record in this respect
but Russia has eclipsed them by more tina,
1900 miles.
AS for the Importance OF the TRANSIT
berian line, that is self-evident, for its op-
Grafton means the opening to civilization OF
enormous tracts of fertile land. the ultimate
civilization Of the greater part Of Asia and
last. but not least, the tremendous prepon-
derance Of Russia In the affairs of the
world. This road will enable Russia to DOM
mate Asia absolutely, for II will be able 10
whirl troops In all directions with a rapidity
that will shatter one of the dearest of orr
entail traditions-dignity
1t was in 1857 that a shrewd American
named Collins approached the Russia gov
ernment with proposition to construct q
railroad from Irkutsk in Central Asia to
Chita, with a view to ultimately extending
It to the Pacific coast. The white czar
permitted him to survey the route OF the
mythical Amur Railroad company, but he
did not allow him to build It. Today the
Transsiberian railroad is practically COM
pleted along the route surveyed by Collins,
and Russia owns a road Of enormous stra-
tegic importance-so much SO that she con-
trolls the far east even though Germany
and Great Britain may form paper combina-
tions in opposition.
tha Arat md he
estimated cost of the road was 5000, ,0Oo, 900,
but owing to the numerous unforeseen OBJ
stacIes. the Hnal expenditures will bring
tho total to twice that sum.
Route of the Great Railroad.
As regards the engineering difficulties
only those who have Travelled through
Siberia can realize all that confronted the
builders of the road. In order to facili-
tate construction the road was divided into
seven sections: l. The West Siberian, from
Cheliabinsk to Obi, $50 miles. 2. Central
Siberian. from Obi to Irkutsk. 1,162 miles.
8. Circombaikalian, from Irkutsk to Mysa-
waya, 1874 miles. 4. Transbaikalian. from
Mysawaya to Strietehsk. $50 miles g..
Amur, from Strietensk to Khabarofski.
I, 1925 miles. 6. North Ussurian from Kha-
barofski to Graphska, 230 miles. 7, South
Ussurian, from Graphska to Vladivostock.
1853 miles
While the road begins nominally at the
bridge over the Volga river at Samara in
East Russia. the real start Is at Chelia-
binsk in the Ural mountains, the old term
inal OF the European railroad system
Shortly after the road passes Zlatoust, the
center of the Uralian iron industry, where
is situated the famous white monument
Of tears" which marks the dividing line
between Europe and Asia and bears these
two names on opposite sides. It was here
that the wretches doomed to exile in ST.
IBERIA. with all that this portended. were
wont to throw their arms about tAs mar