Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1903-08-14
Two Great Railroad Schemes.


great railroad schemes which a few
years ago would have been regarded as
chimerical and impractical, but which
now seem likely to be consummated
within the next two decades.
One of these is the Transalaskan-
Siberian project. which, according to
the plans adopted, will connect the
railroad systems Of the eastern and
western hemispheres and give an all
rail route between New York and Paris
by way of tunnel under Boring strait.
This scheme has been talked of for the
last two years, and 1t now appears that
the project is taking definite form. A
number of great capitalists have sig
nified their purpose Of putting money
into it, while eminent engineers declare
that there are no physical obstacles
which cannot be surmounted.
The other project is that of the pan
American railway, which contemplates
the construction Of n continuous trunk
line from New York through Mexico,
the various states of Central and South
America which lie along the line Of
route. down to the southern limit Of the
South American continent. This scheme
was suggested twenty years ago and
was at first regarded by the public as
a mere visionary project Of an imprac-
ticable dreamer, though farseeing men
believed that ultimately it would be
accomplished. Among those who placed
faith In the feasibility Of the enterprise
were the late James G. Blaine, Senator
Davis of West Virginia and Andrew
| Carnegie, who in 1SS9-90 attended q
American conference held in Wash
ington. One of the results of this con-
ference was the appropriation by con-
gress Of sum of money for an inter-
national survey, and the several gov
ernments along the contemplated route
supplemented this sum by appropria-
lions Of their own to aid the work,
which has been going on quietly for
years. While the engineers engaged in
the work modestly referred to their en-
terprise as a simple reconnaissance, the
practical result of their labors is seen
In the fact that their international sur
vey has been followed in many places
by actual railway construction until
now, when it is estimated that the
building of 4,7OO miles more road will
close all the gaps between New York
and Buenos Ayres.
1t Is thought that $200,0O0,OO0 will
be sufficient to bring together the vari.
GUS separate and at present disunited
links in the great railway chain, and
moneyed men are beginning to take a
keen and active interest in an enter
prise which will ultimately link the
North and South American continents
in bands Of steel. With the completion
of line of railway reaching practically
from Cape Horn to the Canadian
boundary James G. Blaines great
dream of pan-American defensive
and commercial alliance may yet bt
realized.
There are marvellous possibilities IL
these two great railway schemes, ant
twenty years hence it may be possible
for traveller to enter train at Cape
Horn, traverse the length of South ant
Central America, north through tn,
western part Of the United States t
Alaska, across or under the Berinl
strait to the extreme northeastern
point of Asiatic Russia, thence west
ward toward st. Petersburg or Mos
COW, thence southwesterly to Berlil
and SO on to Paris. The person VIII,
twenty-five years ago would hav,
spoken Of this as thing likely to COM
to pass would have been regarded a
a visionary of the EXTREMIST type, bu
In this age Of science and progress tn
wild dreams Of today are the accom-
plishments of tomorrow.