The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1904-08-13
HOLY LANDS
DEVELOPMENT
COMMERCIAL EXPLOITATION OF
PALESTINE GOING ON.

PALESTINE GOING ON.
of the Country's Position
on the Great Land Routes of Travel
Railways Built and Projected
Results Of This Railway Building
and the Introduction of Agricul-
turaI Machinery.
New York Post
The commercial exploitation Of Pal
estine and Syria continues without in
remission. While this work is not
going forward with great rapidity, oW
ing to the obstacles thrown in the
way by the Ottoman government, the
progress Is real, and the day not far
distant when this land Of Bible story
will have new Importance to the world
Of affairs, not unlike that which it had
at the time Of it's ancient splendor.
From the earliest times down to A.
D. 70, when Jerusalem was taken by
Titus, Palestine was one Of the most
highly developed agricultural sections
in the world. Its productiveness did
not cease until after it's conquest by
the Mohammedans, the blight of
whose long-continued rule has made
it one sweeping desolation. Now that
the attention Of the great nations of
the world is being directed, for COM
mercial reasons, more and more to the
east, Palestine again becomes impor-
tant 1t Is on great land routes Of
travel. It Is near the entrance to the
Suez canal. by means Of which its
products, and those of the Asiatlc in
terror for many hundreds Of miles, can
be carried to the east coast of Africa.
1t commands cheap water carriage to
cob nnxU in, rorno IF
perfecting, if carried out, there will
again pour the commerce Of many
peoples.
Just at present there Is talk of
building a line of railway from the
eastern shore Of the Mediterranean
eastward thru India to the Pacific,
following the old caravan routes.
Such a line would be a competitor
Of the trans-Siberian railway, whose
commercial utility can never be GER
tain under a despotic form of govern
ment; but unlike that railway, it
would traverse countries teeming
with population. The theory on
which it is projected presupposes the
trans-shipment of goods from the
velopment of this character would
rehabilitate the entire country, and
would probably hasten the time when
"the lost sheep of the house Of Is
raeP' would again be gathered to-
gether, in realization of the dreams
Of the ardent Zionites.
Consular reports during the last
few months have called attention to
| various phases of the improvement
| now in progress in Syria and Pales-
| tine. Four lines of railway, for in
stance, are either built or building
| These will ultimately form connect
| ing links or feeders in, the proposed
| continental system already referred
| to. Most Of the capital for these
| railways has come from Belgium and
Germany.
First in point of interest is the rail-
way from Jaffa to Jerusalem, opened
for traffic in 1892. It is proposed, to
extend it in accordance with the
original plan, which looked to branch
lines to GAIA, Jericho and the Dead
sea, and an extension Of the main
| line from Jerusalem up the Jordan
valley to Damascus. 1t is also pro.
posed to connect the line with the
Yafa-Jerusalem line, now being built
The franchise for the railway from
Halfa to Damascus has been bought
back by the Turks, who are building
as rapidly as possible across the Jor-
dan eastward for a connection with
the Damascus-Mecca lire, running
north and south. This is building
with money raised by popular sub
scription among the Mohammedan il
all parts Of the world, including oul
own semi detached Moroland. I
will be the route for pilgrims going tt
will do away with the slow and un
sanitary caravans, which hereto
fore have furnished the only means O
reaching the burial place of thu
prophet. Much of. this line has al
ready been built, and the telegraph
4, T11,o
Jordan country, hitherto anothe
Tibet, will soon be opened to civiliza
ton. <.'
The railway from Beirut to Damas
Gus, a, French undertaking, is doing
thriving business. Lately new feed
er for it has been opened, known a
the Damascus-Hauram branch, run
to Baalbeck, HONS, and Klamath
and from this la.st-named point it /
continuing to the Euphrates. Start
} ing from HONS, tourists may no7
reach the ruins Of Palmyra after z
short carriage ride. The Beirut-Da
mascus line crosses the Lebano
m ountains.
In Damascus the chief event of eac
year is the departure and arrival G
t the pilgrims caravan for Mecca. TIL
superintendent of these pilgrimage!
: Abdul Rahman Pasha, is one of tn
rich and prominent men Of the cour
try. AS the owner of large estate
: he last season received from Indian
!, a modern steam threshing machin
the second ever sent to his countr,
: Consul Ravndal of Beirut says that Il
recent trtumphal march thru De
: mascus stirred UP the famous whit
city, Of the east from center to Gil
conference. On it's way to the countr
it broke bridges innumerable, bl
: pulled itself and train out Of tn
= creekbeds without much difficult
Z finally reaching the pasha's estate
none the worse for it's trip. The sci
q vice Of this machine Mr.. Ravnd
4. thinks will be Of incalculable bene1
to the country; and the introductio
: Of modern agricultural, machinel
:. generally would do much to amelio
: ate the industrial and social cond
tons Of the people. In a wide e.
: panse of territory near Mount Hermo
= where this new machine will be
i operation this year, the people lily
I and work as they did in the da,
: when Abraham crossed the fields wit
his Chaldean f1ocks. In that reggie
Il today thousands Of acres Of immens
T ly fertile land are lying idle, whic
II new machinery might reclaim, and il
= cidentally cause the further retir
= ment Of the predatory Bedouin tribe
Z which for centuries have made the;
waste places their home.
= Of the commercial development
y Palestine consequent on the intr