Durango semi-weekly herald., 1901-10-17

~
900 men. and the footing of rs 200 Of
flcers and 100000 men, which is a
million more than the present num-
erical strength. When the vessels
now under construction are complet-
ed the Russian navy will be increased
by 113 ships of all classes, including
twenty-four battleships, twenty two
cruisers, forty-one gunboats, thirty
five torpedo boat destroyers and forty.
five torpedo boats. Fifty submarine
boats are also under construction. but
they are experimental.
| The Russia naval estimates are
enormous and show continuous in
crease.
The Russians are not only keeping
their own shipyards busy, but are
building vessels in France, Italy, Ger
many, Denmark and the United States
But neither money. nor energy, nor
intellect can overcome the natural
difficulties with which the Russians
are comelled to contend The ap-
proaches to ST. Petersburg and all the
ports of the Baltic are frozen over
| for five months in the year The gov
ernment is trying to make harbors
on the White Sea. which does not
freeze over. and expects to keep
fleets at Archangel. Vardo and other
ports on the Artic Sea. which will be
| able to get into the Atlantic at any
| time their services may be needed to
re-enforce the fleets in Asia and on
| the Black and Caspian seas. Ever
1 fInf f.x
| Asiatic ports of Russia must now go
| through the Suez Canal.
For these reasons the Russians are
! suspected of coveting Sweden and
| Norway, and the Swedes and Nor
wegians are filled with alarm when
ever the White Bear looks in their di.
rection. They have no faith in the
pacific policy of the czar They be-
lieve it to be an affection of virtue
for the purpose of diverting attention
from the real intentions of his govern
ment, and are in constant apprehen-
sion lest he may seize their ports on
some pretext or another.
But there is scarcely a possibility
of such a thing. Germany England
and the other great powers of Eu-
rope would never permit it, and the
Russian ministry are too wise and
shrewd to waste their thoughts on
such impractical schemes Rus
sias future development lies in the
other direction and If she has war,
as l have said, 1t will be with Japan.
But nothing will happen until the ST.
berian Railway is completed and the
Russians have facilities for shipping
men and supplies to the seat of war.
The completion of the road was
promised in 1901. 1t is now promised
in 1903. but those who are familiar
with the situation predict IL still
further postponement, although most
of the construction material is now
on the ground. One train de luxe"
and two mail trains week are now
uDning from Moscow to Irkoutsh. the
capital of Siberia distance of about
3,400 miles, and it takes more than
eight days to make that dis-rce, for
the trains are very slow and seldom
run more than fifteen or sixteen miles
an hour. At Irkonock, Lake Balkal,
which is about fifty miles wide, is
VI oopCu Ill lOuI uOulS, tle pas
sengers resume the cars at Missovai,
and run about 900 miles in two and
half days to Stretensk. which is the
present terminus of the western sys-
TEN. There the road divides, one
line running to Vladivostock, the Pa
cific port of Siberia and the other
through the province of Manchui ia
to Port Arthur, which has been ced-
ed to Russia by the Chinese. The
Via livestock branch has been extend
ed 769 miles westward to Khadarovsk,
and trains are now running that dis
tance. Passengers are carried upon
boats on the Chilka and Amur rivers
from Stretensk to Khadarovsk, and
require from one to three weeks to
make the voyage according to the
state of the water. Sometimes they
run on sand bar and do not get
off for a week. Construction work
has been suspended upon the Vladi-
vostock branch and all the energy
of the engineers is directed to the
completion of the Manchuria line.
Notwithstanding the time and the
discomforts of the journey a good
many people cross Asia that way
Congressman Hill of Connecticut and
a party of friends have just come
through from Vladivostock in thirty
eight days. and brother OF Senator
Penrose of Pennsylvania has just
started from st. Petersburg for the
Pacific. Sentor Beveridge of Indiana
and Burton Holmes went across in
July, and / understand they had some
remarkable adventures and expert
ences on the way, although the de.
tails have not yet reached st. Peters
burg. Representative Hill says that
when he arrived at the terminus of
the railway journey from Vladivos-
stock the landlord of hotel would not
give him the rooms he wanted be-
cause they had been reserved for one
Of the most famous and imortant
statesman in America. who was hon
oring that country by his presence.
Upon little questioning Hill. dis
covered that the distinguished guest