Northern Wisconsin advertiser. [volume] (Wabeno, Wis.) 1898-1925, 1906-06-07
WHEN BUILT WILL BE LONGEST
IN WORLD.
BERlNG STRAIT TUNNEL
Alaskan Siberian is Being Pushed
at St. Petersburg by French En-
gineer-Project is Enormous, but
PossibIe-Europe, Asia and North
America Join.

iy surred as IL is by the pending &C
ton of the douma, finds itself drawn
none the less. to the extensive com
ments ON the proposed railroad which
is to connect America and Asia.
The outside world may well won
der how, amid the perplexities and
difficulties of the present hour, the
Russian government can lend it's en-
thusiastic approval. to the project AS
a matter of fact, this arGor seems not
at all dampened and the men promi-
nent in the councils of the empire are
loath to give up their dreams Of great
speculation. 1t lies in the Russian
character to build castles in the air
and pay little heed to the obstacles Of
practical life.
In the present instance, however,
the difficulty does not lie in the plan
itself. That is entirely feasible. 1t
is Russia's inability, under existing
conditions, to carry out the idea. Its
realization will require the aid of
foreign capital and of foreign in
dustry, and these will undoubtedly be
furnished before many years shall
have passed. The great captains of
the worlds industry cannot remain
Indifferent to the possibilities that lie
in the development of the almost
limitless mineral wealth of Siberia,
especially of Kamchatka, where gold
and other metals are believed to be
as plentiful as they are in Alaska.
The idea of an Alaskan-Siberian
railroad itself is not exactly new. In
the early eighties Of the past century
the question of uniting the cid world
with the new by this means was dis
cussed in European and American
periodicals. Serious doubt was ex-
pressed at that time as to the prac-
ticability of the plan. In 1886, how
ever, Mr.. j. w. Powell, director of
the United States geological survey,
was requested by our senate to report
to that body on the possibility of rail-
road communication between Alaska
and Siberia. Mr.. Powell reported that
his investigations and inquiries led
him to believe that the establishment
of railroad communication between
the United States and Asiatic Rus
sian and Japan would involve no
greater difficulties than were encount-
cred in the construction of the exist
ing transcontinental railroads. His
plan proposed that the road begin at
some suitable point on the northern
Pacific in Montana and lead through
the head waters of the Peace river to
the head waters of the Yukon. 1t
was to proceed thence to some con-
!. venient point on the shore of Boring
Sea. The region lying between the
Northern Pacific railroad and the
head waters of the Peace river, in
about latitude Sc deg north, is par
! TALLY within the United States. but
J mainly in British Columbia! The total
distance was estimated at 2,765 miles
I 4 branch road would be built from
the head waters of the Peace river to
the mouth of the Stikine river, in or
der to establish connection with
Sitka.
!, Siberian Road.
The building of the Siberian rail-
road. the ChinoJapanese war, and
the boxer uprising, which followed
one another rapidly, crowded this
plan into the background of the
worlds attention. In 1902, however,
, there came an awakening interest in
the intercontinental road M. Loncq
de Lobel. who Is now in st. Peters
burg. and is endeavoring to secure
concessions that would assure the
realization OF his plans, has published
in the French magazines number of
interesting articles on these regions.
: Having led several scientific expedi-
: tons to Alaska and the Klondike, he
I has acquired mass of information.
: which he Incorporated in part in his
reports to the Societe de Geographic
and other learned societies of Paris
These reports contained interesting
descriptions of his travels and studies
L on the natural resources of Alaska
The Paris newspaper Petit Parisien
some years ago published pictures of
y collection of garments, household
: utensils, implements. etc. of various
! Indian tribes and Eskimos gathered
! by NJ. de Lobel that formed valu-
+ able contribution to our knowledge OF
these peoples. II S+Yeared from his
: report that various American and
European travellers and explorers
whom he met on his Journeys were
quite enthusiastic over his railroad
! plans and promised to enlist the
support Of prominent societies and
capitalists. Soon after this. NJ. de
: Lobel made a survey OF railroad
line through Alaska from Circle City
h to Boring strait, remaining in sae
Polar regions for continuous period
(, OF eighteen months. Notwithstana-
ing the extremely low temperature
and the darkness OF the long Arctic