The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1902-04-06

One of the most daring engineering
projects ever contemplated is that of a
tunnel under Behring strait, to connect
the Trans-Siberian railway with Aneri-
can lines. ChimericaI as the scheme may
at first appear, it's author, NJ. Loicq de
Lobel, says that within six years The
work will be practically realized The
European edition Of the New York Her
AID publishes an account of what has
been already done in an interview with M.
Maurice de Lobel who recently returned
to Paris after spending two years at
Behrirg strait and the shore Of the Arc
tic ocean.
M Maurice de Lobel has had some
thrilling experiences during the long
months he spent in the Arctic circle. To
carry out the task his father had set him
in the matter of sOundingS and measure
ments in the treacherous strip of water
that divides America and Asia he crossed
the strait twice in a small open boat,
with a single companion, a fact that had
never before been accomplished by
white man. The strait here is fourteen
miles wide ard about $50 feet deep.
Through this narrow channel the waters
of two oceans rush with never ending
change. The boat of the young explorer
was upset twice All his notes wore lost
and he escaped narrowly with his life.
He is now at work recOnStructing his
/
will have them again in hand.
A Dangerous Channe1.
The nature of the currents in the strait
and the drifting ice encumbering the wa
| ter most of the year would render a syS-
! tenn of giant ferries to carry the trains
! across, as was first intended, wholly in
j practicable. The tunnel, owing to the
nature Of the floor of the strait there, IS
declared entirely feasible.
| Il have instituted in France" said M.
Loicq de Lobel, in reply to my questions,
| "a committee Of patronage of my project,
comprising the names of the most emf
nent men of the senate, of the chamber of
deputies, CT the diplomatic corps, OF the
institute and the army. With such collabo-
rators there can be no doubt that l shah
receive in Russia the same warm well
come 1 received during my lest visit to
Seattle, San Francisco, Chicago, Wash
! ington and New York from the foremost
financiers of those Cities
This committee of patronage, said NJ.
de -Lobel, has designated three of its
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. General P2VOt,
Marquis de Roussy de Sales and Boran
F. de Lourmel du Hourmelin-to assist
him in his Russian interests. The Rus
sian press has been extremely cordial to
the enterprise, he said, and even the
German press, which might have been
expected to eyince some antipathy to thu
project, had thus far voiced nothing but
encouragement and admira ton
IF all the fOrmalities in Russia can
be gotten through with this year. con-
tinued M. Lobel, 1--WE shall be able to
commence the construction of the Trans
Alas kan-Siberian railway simultaneously
at three different points-one in Siberia
one at the Behring Straits and one at
Fort Cudahy, on the frontier of Alaska"
Where do you cross Canada?" l ask
ed.
For the moment we need not think Of
that" said NJ. Lobel. 1.-The White Pass
Railroad company will look out for that.
This line accomplishes one of the most
difficult parts of the route, and will con-
meet with our line at Fort Cudahy, where
construction is soon to be begun. The
road thus formed will tap a vast region
of almost unimaginable mineral wealth
People are prone to consider Klondike as
a word to conjure with, but this is mere
detail, almost insignificant in compari-
son with the rich area through which the
road runs. Not only gold, but copper
in vast quantities and iron are also there.