The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-03-26


presents no insuperable engineering
difficulties. The greatest depth OF that
part of the strait which runs between
East Cape and Cape Prince of Wales is
only about thirty fathoms $50 feeU,
and the capes are only about thirty-six
miles apart. The construction of II
tunnel is further facilitated by the
existence of three islands, which are
situated nearly in The middle of the strait.
There would therefore be, strictly
speaking, not one tunnel but two tun-
nels, each of which would be about
eighteen miles long, or shorter than the
often suggested tunnel under the Strait
of Dover, and only about twice as long
as the Alpine tunnel under the st.
Gotthard, the length Of which is nine
and one-quarter miles. From Fast Cape,
the Russian terminus of the tunnel, a
railway some three thousand miles long
would be constructed through north
eastern Siberia to a point OF junction
with the Siberian line.
The project seems to have commended
itself to influential persons in st. Peters
burg on various grounds. In the first
place, a railway running through north
eastern Siberia would render accessible
and exploitable extensive estates belong
ing to members OF the imperial family,
estates which are believed to be rich in
mineral resources. 1t would also slim
ulate the flow of %emigrants to the vast
region that lies between the Amur River
and the Arctic Ocean. From a state
ment made to the commission by Cou
LAMsDoRF, Minister for Foreign Affairs,
it appears that the Russian Government
believes that the enterprise may have
far reaching political and international
results. According to a cabled extract
from the statement, Count LAMsDoRF
thinks that the investment Of American
capital in a northeastern Siberian rail-
way and in a tunnel under Boring Strait
United States into close financial, indus
trial and political relations. A con-
junction between Russian and American
interests would, in his opinion, serve to
paralyze any aggressive movement
against Russia in'the Far East. 1t GER
tainly would place her in a more indie
pendent position with regard to Japan
and China than che now occupies. In
a word, the Cars Ministers are inclined
to look upon the United States as Rus
sia's natural ally in the Far East.
Could such a railroad be made to pay?
Tl>a1 l. H. -,,enI;-n ,-ktnh xuoo ac1al in
the early sos, when it was proposed to
drive the Union Pacific Railway through
what was then called upon maps the
Great American Desert. 1t is certain
that a railway connecting southern
Alaska with the great transcontinental
lines should be profitable almost from
the start. Whether much business could
ever be done in northern Alaska is prob
lematical. That the longest section of
the road, that which would traverse
northeastern Siberia, would eventually
be lucrative there is no doubt, according
to Russian authorities. That the road
would aver be used to any considerable
extent by American travellers to Europe,
or rice versa, seems improbable, owing
to the length of time which the journey
would require. Now that the Atlantic
can be crossed in six days or less, few
New Workers. wishing to 60 to Paris
would be willing to spend a month in a
railway car. Now and then the journey
might be made from motives of curiosity,
but it would scarcely be repeated. While,
however, the passenger traffic would be
unlikely to prove remunerative, the
Alaska-Siberia railway-considered as
a freight carrying road-might eventu-
ally earn a fair rate of interest on the
capital invested,