The sun., 1903-11-29
THE FORBIDDEN RAILROAD.

| Inc RUSSIAN COVER nfnent occabiohdi
supplies to distinguished foreign travellers
document granting to them free passa &c
over all the Imperial Russian railroads in
Europe and Asia with the exception OF the
Murghab branch Of the Caspian
Railroad" The Russians keep this line
absolutely secret and permission to travel
over 1t has never been granted to for
| eigner.
| 1t was supposed that the comprehensive
passes issued to the fortunate few always
included the qualifying phrase above quoted,
But it was omitted In the permit given to
| DR.. Sven Hedin when he left Europe for
| his last years OF exploration in Central Asia
| When he arrived at Meiv he thought it
would be an excellent idea to take run
| down the Murghab branch, look over the
frontier into Afghanistan and have a peep
at the region toward Herat; he tells about
1t In his latest book just published
He impaired his intentions to the Russian
Governor of the New Oasis, who told him
that travellers were not carried on the
Murghab branch. The explorer at once
produced his trump card, an unlimited pass
over all lines; but the Governor had in his
pocketbook a trump that beat 1t. 1t was
a telegram from the Minister OF War, read
ing:
In case DR.. Sven Hedln should contemplate
going to Kushk. please inform him that that line
Is closed to all travellers.
This was explicit. and the explorer was
further informed that the line was closed
to all ordinary Russians, and that only
those persons belonging to the garrison
at Kushkinski Post, the southern terminus
OF the railroad on the Russian -Afghanistan
frontier, were permitted to travel by it.
This railroad, which branches of from
the Trans-Caspian line at Merv, was opened
a month less than four years ago The
project was quietly conceived and silently
executed, and though the fact that it's con-
struction had begun was announced In the
London Times in 1895, 30 little has been
heard OF it that in two magazine articles
on the Trans-Caspian line, printed within
the past two years, no mention Is made
Of the Murghab branch.
The branch is, of course, nothing more
nor less than a strategical railway. 1t
steals south out of Merry, the nearest Rus
sian town of any size, to the Afghan frontier.
and winds along the verdureless bank of
the Murghab River 1917 miles to Kushkin-
ski Post, which is built on the very frontier
Passing through one Of the most desolate
of deserts, there Is not hamlet along the
line. II serves no trading or agricultural
interests 1t is purely military road,
connecting the modern town OF Merry,
which was entirely built by the Russians,
with the strong fort erected at Kushkinski,
overlooking the mountains Of northern
Afghanistan. The Murghab, rising among
those mountains, receives all the streams
from the northern slope of the Herat high
lands, supplies the locomotives Of the mill
tary road with water, gives fertility to the
Merry Oasis and loses itself in the sands
beyond
So Russia has a railroad capable OF pour
ing many thousands Of troops In the course
Of few weeks along the frontier within
thirty miles of the Afghan town Of Kushk
and within eighty miles Of Herat. At pres
ent only two regular trains week are run
ming. They move through the desert at
the rate of only ten miles an hour, reaching
the Afghan frontier in about nineteen
hours
Russian diplomacy was, of course, equal
to the task Of explaining the construction
Of this road when it seemed necessary to
say something on the subject. The road
was built, 1t was said, because il the Ameer
Of Afghanistan should die or otherwise
cease to reign there would probably be
disturbances in that country which might
affect the Russian border districts including
even Bokhara, and which the Indian Gov
ernment would be powerless to control or
prevent. 1t was necessary therefore for
Russia to take precautionary measures.
But to this day the British people accept
this explanation with somewhat sinister
reservations. Henry Norman. for ex-
ample, in his latest book a year ago as
serted that the Murghab branch was simply
deliberate military measure against
Great Britain and served only the purpose
of facilitating the invasion Of India and
Of placing Herat at the mercy OF Russia,
To-day all is quiet along the Murghab
branch The trains are few and SLOW and
no tourist cars are switched from the main
line to the southern road; but If war cloud
should some day spread over that region,
what transformation would be witnessed
along this little road as the hustle Of mill
tary movement should pervade it from end
to end, while Russian regiments were hur.
rying to the gateway leading to Herat.