The Montgomery advertiser., 1904-03-28
KEY TO WAR
RUssTA's FATE IN TAR FAST DE- PENDs ON TRANS-S1BER-
 IAN ROAD. ..t
The Only Route for Her Troops Poorly Equipped and Construct ed for Enormous Task, Ex-
 perts Declare-Some
 .i Interesting Facts.

mobolIze quickly an immense army at points thousands of miles distant from the commercial centres of the nation, says s. Glen Andrus in The Chicago Record Herald Upon her ability to do this is very likely to depend the outcome of the Russo-Japanese war and, there fore by military and traffic experts the world over her efforts in this direction will be watched with intense interest
 Russia's sole means of mobilization is the 'Trans-Siberian Railway, which, with its connections, spans the empire from St. Petersburg on the Baltic to Vladivos- tok on the Japan Sea, 5.7O7 miles distant, and from Harbin through Manchuria to Port Arthur and Dalny. 5.s23 miles dis tant. Built with the triple purpose of peopling the great Siberian expanse, with It's tihable soil greater of area than the German and British empires and the French Republic combined; of opening the Oriental marts that they might pour forth their products to enrich the cof- fers of the Czar's domains. and last, but not least, with view of providing the greatest national military highway of the world; the Trans-Siberian Railway is about to play an important part in de- terndining the dominant civilization of the Eastf for centuries to come.
 Most Important Factor.
 lis longest single line of railway in the world, which has cost an empire nearly, If not quite half-billion of dol lars. is considered one of the most inn portant factors in the war. It is the keynote to the situation and upon 1t depends victory or defeat. even more than upon the control of the seas. The task which Russia has of gathering and maintaining an army thousands of miles away from the base of supplies has been likened to the task which the English had in subduing the Boers This Is not, however, a fair comparison. England had the uuobstructed ocean for a highway and an unlimited supply of transports and ships and could, therefore. count with certainty on rnobilizing a given number of troops, munitions and supplies within a certain stated time. Not so with Russia. Her means of communica- tion.with the seat of war is single track railway. laid through the most inhospita- bic cline imaginable and surrounded by conditions which make successful opera ton almost difficult problem.
 Herculean Task.
 Without an immediate knowledge of these conditions 1t Is difficult correctly to estimate the herculean task which con- fronts the Russian Government in the present war. In order to conquer Japan she must get several hundred thousand troops into Manchuria over the Trans Siberian Railway and maintain them there by the same means In a country like the United States. with its fairly equable climate, with its dense popuia- tipn, with It's means of providing almost unlimited supplies at every stage of the Journey and with it's many lines of rail- way providing unexcelled transportation facilities, 1t would be an undertaking of several months. at least, to transport 400, 900 troops and supplies from San Fran cisco to New York and back again. It took more than a month to mobilize 6c00e soldiers at Chickamauga during the Spanish war. and the Southern railways were eongested and paralyzed almost be- yond- hope. Yet many of the roads are double-tracked and are examples of high efficiency In the art of transportation. and the country through which the troops were taken was of character making 1t possible to minimize the transportation of supplies
 Differ as to Task.
 ,Trafic oficials differ widely as to the time, it will take and the possibility of the Russian Government mohl.izlng a sufficient number of troops to insure for them a successful outcome of the war. Accurate information regarding condi- tions Is impossible of acquisition, but in -'neral way the difficulties of the prob - 're known. It Is small wonder that
 \, 'rars-S Siberian Railway. temporlzed and used every art of diplomacy to obtain de- lay in actual hostilities. It can be taken for granted that during the time she had Russia did all the preparatory work possible toward the mobilization which she knew must be done. That 1t was not made or the preparations carried to a point where 1t could be made quickly and before Japan struck, Is proof of the Hkvy 0f hn Wanted Crisis Delayed.
 Local army officials familiar with the transportation of troops firmly believe, therefore, that Russia did not desire to have the crisis come in Eastern affairs under two years. Mobilization of large forces by means of a single track rail road perfectly equipped and running through country we'll populated and fertile is difficult undertaking. Asked how soon he would undertake to get lOO,- 600 soldiers from San Francisco to New York, using every railroad facility off, fered, an army man who has been en- gagged in moving troops for many years said that it could not be done under ninety days. Asked to accomplish the same task by using only a single line of railway with a single track and he de- clared- that it"could not be accomplished under four months. And this is only half the distance from St. Petersburg to Port Arthur and on railroads equipped like the Southern Pacific. which has 1000 locomotives. 24,5S5 freight cars. 800 4 cabooses and 1,OSO passenger coaches.
 Equipment Kept Secret.
 The equipment of the Trans-Siberian Railway is apparently a carefully guard ed secret. In the official guide, which the Russian Government issues hand somely bound and profuseIy engraved volume of 52O pa ges the only inkling re- garding the equipment is given in con nection with the statement of traffic upon the various divisions of the road, includ- Siberian Railway, which is that portion of the line from Cheliabinsk about BOO miles west of Moscow. to the river Ob about 300 miles east of the Chelia binsk was in 1899 blocked with 1000 wagons, or freight cars. carrying 1SO.600 tons of freight During 1898 this portion of the road transported 1Sso.OoO tons nf freight, es7 900 passengers and 1S50oO immigrants,
 The Mid-Siberian Railway. which is the name given to that portion of the road from the river Ob to Ikutsk, a distance of between HOO and 1,200 miles. transport ed in 1898 S96, ,0OO tons of freight and 476- 900 passengers. On the West Siberian Railway from the time of its opening until 1S9s passenger and freight trafic Increased over 50 per cent.
 Falls Below Demands.
 During 1900 the railway transported only 7sS, 600 tons of revenue freight and vet 1t could not carry all that was off,