The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1901-11-05
The LONGEST RAILROAD.
VI. De WOllant Says the Siberian
Is Now Almost Completed.

Total Length Of the Line. Including
branches. 5.5I& MiieS-Co-t of the
Project $3.50. 1000. OOO-Vust Posi-
biIiticS Of the Great Enterprise.
NJ. De Wollant. Russian Charge d'Ar-
fairies. yesterday confirmed the report
from St Petersburg. that Russia has
practically completed her Trans Siberian
Railroad. Tie said his latest informal ton
indicated that the time for laying the last
rail of the NosccW-N IadivostoS line had
about arrived. The total cost of the rail
way. constructed 10y Russians and w IN
Russian money-with all its branches and
auxiliary undertaking. amounts to $50
eU1U0l of which 500 Uu1.UHr was expended 10y
1900 The construction began in the reign
of Emperor Alexander III, and the first
stone was laid at NIadivostok May 70,
I 1891, by the then heir apparent Nicholas.
In the interests of transportation and
with the object of rendering the stu
peudous undertaking as Inexpensive as
possible the shortest and most direct
route was selected. traversiug the most
| fruitful and comparatively populOus belt
of the couutry-the ETauaTy OF Siberia.
/ The railway was begun at both ends its
| western terminus being Tchehabinsk. the
( last station OF the SImara-Zlatoust Rail
way. and district town ia the Province
, of Orouburg.
by 1900. $3.50 miles of line were laid
down. Such results must Zoe considered
as highly favorable especially taking into
account first. the difficulty Of laying the
permanent way in "a country SO iutersect-
| ed by rivers as the Provinces Of TomSk
/ and Youissi and so liable To- iuundatiou as
/ the Baikal regions. and secondly.
| the great number of large rivers to be
I crossed by the railway, over thirty miles
( OF bridges being required for this purpose,
! The longest Of these bridges is that over
/ the River Yenissi it being 29i0 feet long.
/ with spans measuring 400 feet. In rapid
| ~ of construction the Siberian Railway
] is uuequaIed. sNCelling tbc Canadian
/ Railway, 2.s-J miles long. which has so
/ much in common with IL, and which took
/ ten years to build.
! Direct steam communication is now
/ possible between the European railway
/ net and EIadivostok. The total length Of
/ the Siberian Railway. with the Manchu-
] rian and other branches. which are being
| pushed TO completion. viii be SOP miles.
! From the first. the immediate results of
! working the railway. as shown by the ex-
tent Of passenger and goods traffic. ex-
| c,sGsd all previous expectations. For
! three months Of 1888 and the years 1886.
1891, 1885 and 1899 the were earned on
! the southern and Central Siberian sec
! tio1s 2s5z.0lJ passenge rs and 2.oiI,0lJ tons
of freight
by the viii OF it's imperial originator
! The construction Of Jhe railway was put
ia close connection with the auxiliary un-
/ dsrtakings tho promotion of th- col0uiza-
/ ttuu and Industrial development of Sibe-
[ ria The Siberian Railway opened a door
I into Siberia. through which "a broad
/ stream OF emigration poured The wo-k
OF emigration has been placed on "a proper
/ footing and become strictly regulated.
IN order to develop the trade with the
counties 81 the Far East-China and Ja-
. p@n-tne railway company his construct
I 80 "a commercial port al NladivestacE.
/ There is a strong ice-hTtakiUE steamer
| for use iG winter and the port is caICu-
! lated for an annual turnover of 10000
| tens OF goods The EuS=D-C Chinese Bank
[ has likeWisa been established To faciIl-
. tate the transport OF building materials
for the eastern Chimes railway. as vel
/ as C. extend Russian export trade ian
Eastern ASIA the railway company has
Crga Hlzcd a regular service of steamers
! along the Pacific and the River SuuEari.
Z which flows through the most thickly
populated and Industrial part Of MauChu-
ria on TIE shores OF the uufrozcu Vel
low sea ~ fallen Wan, one Of the ter
Z mini of the scat trans-coutineutai rail-
| way. the port and town Of Dalny has
been established as a free port.
! However large the cost Of the railway
may bee. Il is Insignificant i'm comp risou
/ with the CONNIE tcisl and STRAIT, gle adgau-
] taEtS held ont 10 Russia by the eNpl0lta-
ticn OF the shortest railway route be-
! tween the Atlantic and the Pacific. in
/ conjunction with the stimulation Uf the
rich productive powers OF a vast COUu-
/ try like Siberia and the development OF
Russia commercial intercourse with the
1 countries OF Eastern Asia