Waterbury evening Democrat., 1907-01-31

Projected Bridge Over the eosphorus. fording speedy and direct routes to the holy city of Mecca.
 The Germans are anxious to have the Bagdad railway speedily finished to open. up new commerce for Ger many with the 300,00O,0 900 population of British India. The proposed rail. way system would cover large part of the distance on the direct road to India. When once completed from Constantinople through Asia Minor to the Persian gulf the line, with its Flu ropean connections, would enable the kaiser's. imperial train to make an unbroken journey from Berlin to Bag dad and the Persian gulf as well as to ancient cities of Palestine.
 The first section of 200 kilometers from Konia to Eregli least of Con stantinople). has been completed, and it is now proposed to begin work on three sections of the line of 200 kilo- meters each. It is estimated that the cost of each section will average about $1O,000.000.
 Notwithstanding Germany's failures sometimes in colonial policy. as re- gards Turkey and Asia Minor the kaiser certainly achieved brilliant commercial policy. In ten years her commerce in Asia Minor has in- creased more than tenfold. By her Bagdad concessions Germany has ac- quired vast strip of country through Asia Minor. It is about 2.S00 kilo- meters long by 40 broad. for the con- cession gives her rights of mineral and other developments for 20 kilo- meters on each side of the line. Ger many looks forward in the future to the development of the bituminous and petroleum yielding lands at Ker- kuk, about Babylon and the Tigris and Euphrates Valley, known to be able to furnish supply ten times that of the Baku oil fields. She calculates that Anatolia, Syria, Mesopotamia and Irak can, when developed, produce more corn than the whole of Russia.
 Already the German emperor has studied the carefully devised plans of the famous German engineer Sieges- mund Schneider for spanning the Bos- phorus with bridge uniting Europe with Asia. The sultan has seen the plans and approved them. and the mere question of raising the neces- sary money to complete the work along the railroad line will not keep the great monarchs awake O nights to any extent.
 Down in those vast plateaus and valleys along the Tigris and Euphrates are inexhaustible quantities of petrol cum and coal The road will awaken the echoes of the ancient world which built the greatest cities of history, among them Babylon and Nineveh, where vast armies overran the earth and palaces arose on every hand.
 The idea of such an enterprise bringing to life an ancient civilization is inspiring. Leaving Hamburg or Berlin, the passenger soon arrives at Vienna and takes his way down the continent through Budapest, passing through Austria. Hungary. servia. Bulgaria, down to the north of Greece. through Constantinople. across the Bosphorus, thence toward the Persian gulf. going little to the north of the ancient city of Troy and to the south of Armenia, called the cradle of the world;" Mount Ararat and the Persian capital, passing the branch lines lead ing to Damascus and the Holy Land. with Jerusalem on the one hand and Mecca on the other. until Bagdad is reached. Thence a short run takes the train to the seaports on the Per sian gulf.