Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1906-07-05

A Russian steamship line is soon to
be started between Vladivostok, Siberia,
and San Francisco.
The Hudson Memorial Bridge to span
the Harlem ship canal, at Spuyten Duy-
The first section of the Transandine
railway, reaching to the foot of the noun
tains, where the tunnel begins, has been
inaugurated The new line will shorten
the time from Chill to Buenos Ayres six
hours.
Although junior in point of experience
in railroad construction to Europe, Amer
lea has far outstripped that continent in
the extent Of its railroad mileage, and a
comparison of the respective figures is
usually interesting. To make such we
will nave to take those for the year 1904,
since the European statistics for 1905 are
not yet completed. The worlds trackage
in 1904 was $4,000 miles, of which
America owns 211,000 miles. More than
5000 miles were added last year and in
consequence our entire mileage now ex-
ceeds 216000 miles. The most extensive
railway system in Europe is owned by
Russia, with $4,000 miles to her credit.
Germany comes next with $4,000, France
is third with $4,000, Austria Hungary
forth with $4,000 and the United King
dom fifth with $4,000 miles. England
supplied our first rails and locomotives
and to-day our total is almost ten times
the railroad mileage of Great Britain and
Ireland combined. We exceed the whole
of Europe by more than 10 per cent and
the superiority of our locomotives and
general equipment has given us the world
for d Gus re1l5r Indeed, it would be diff
cult to name d country in which at some
time or another American locomotives or
cars have not made inroads.
The plans and specifications for the
twin tunnels of the New York Central
lines under the Detroit river from Wind
sor to Detroit have been completed. The
tubes, when finished, will be nearly two
and a half miles long and will obyiate
the necessity of the car ferriage, which
now causes considerable delay.
The Southern Pacific and Santa Fe
railroads are to unite in the construction
| of a line 10 miles long from Sherwood
to Shively, in California. This line will
| open to the markets of the world the
great redwood forests of Mendocino and
| Humboldt counties.
Surveyors for the Chicago. Milwaukee
and st. Paul have finished the survey for
the extension from Pierre, S. D., to the
Pacific coast. Contracts have already
been let for parts of the line.
The kernel of the japanese policy for
! taking the lead in the commercial devel-
| opment of Manchuria has been disclosed
in the publishing of the ordinance author
izing the formation of the South Man
churian railway. 1t conforms to the
general line of the Russian lease from
China and the capital is placed at ST.
| 100000. 1t will take over the railways
and mines now held by Japan. The head
office will be at Toxic and a branch at
Dalny.
James J. Hill of the Great Northern
railroad, who is planning to construct a
| large railroad system in western Canada,
predicts that by 1910 the population of
the United States will have risen to one
hundred million, at which time the home
supply of wheat will be far from suffi-
Gent 10 supply the 613 bushels per in
habitant needed every year. At that time
be thinks Canada will be the granary of
the United States and he is planning to
anticipate the great stream of traffic
which must flow acros the boundary line
in coming years.
The freight tonnage of the 500 canal
for 1905 showed an increase over 1904 of
20 per cent.