Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1909-10-07
Washington Bureau OF
The Ottumwa Courier

Washington Bureau Of
The Ottumwa Courier
Washington, d. c., Oct. 5.
An interesting portrayal of the con-
ditions in the vast territory of Siberia
is given In report made by Consul
James w. Ragsdale of st. Peters
burg. Mr.. Ragsdale sets forth the
results of. mis- own observations made
while travelling from Tientsin, China,
to st. Petersburg. He presents a
striking picture of the development in
Siberia and the wonderful possibilities
there
Mr.. Ragsdale comments on the
ignorance that prevails throughout the
world as to Siberia He says those
who have never visited the country
have exaggerated ideas, gathered
from descriptions that picture Siberia
as cold, barren waste, swept by
storms. and of little value to anyone.
They think only of the long nights,
the storms, the ice fields that never
melt, the vast wildernesses of forests,
the prison pens with chained convicts
and the few inhabitants always dress
ed In furs." says Mr.. Ragsdale. They
cannot believe that Siberia has pop
ulation well on to 100000 and that
its agricultural wealth far exceeds
that of many other countries
That the winters are long and cold
there can be no doubt but they are no
worse than the winters in northern
Canada, now being SO rapidly settled
by people from all parts of the
world. The soil, too, of these vast ter
ritories is as rich and fertile as that of
"a ND roc h ae,
lands in the great states Of Illinois,
Iowa and Nebraska, except that it is
better watered and timbered'
Mr.. Ragsdale reminds one that ST.
IBERIA is an enormous territory, repre-
senting no less than 100000 square
miles, or much larger than the whole
of the United States, including Alaska.
AS to the magniflcence of distances,
he speaks of crossing the Manchurian
line and entering Siberia at Man
churia station, which is $40 miles west
of Hardin, which is well to the north
and west in Manchuria.
Leaving Manchuria behind" Mr.
Ragsdale says, "the train for the next
"a hours passed over plains and
through mountains that were carpeted
with the richest verdure and wild
| flowers of the rarest hue. Vast herds
of cattle and horses were observed on
every side; while few Of the richer
and more protected spots were dotted
with farms and houses of the pioneers.
Many beautiful streams were crossed
| whose banks were splendidly wooded.
The country Is beautiful from every
point of view and will some day be
| thickly populated. Here game is
plentiful and the trapper has a field
J that is richer in fur-bearing animals,
such as the black and other foxes,
ermine, sable of all kinds, otter, mink,
,marten, weasel, squirrel, lynx and
wolf. The furs of this locality find
the best markets in China, the
United States and England through
/ the Pacific ports. A better article,
found in Kanchatka and other parts Of
Siberia Is sent overland to Moscow,
whence it is distributed to the whole
4 of Russia, considerable quantity find
| ing its way to Leipzig.
4 From this on the train passed
through lands beautiful to the eye,
rich in soil, herds of all kinds, and
fields Of growing grain, wheat, oats,
rye, barley, timothy, flax, potatoes
and clover, while in the western part,
in addition to these crops, the sugar
beet thrives and adds to the wealth
of the country"
Mr.. Ragsdale describes the sub
stantial towns and villages along the
Siberian route. Irkutsk, for instance,
not far from Lake Baikal, has popu-
/ lation of $4,000, with fine stores,
hotels, restaurants, modern buildings
and an electric lighting plant. He de-
scribes the railway travelling as com
Portable and the food good. He says
without wine the passenger can live
we'll at a cost of $3.50 per day. AS to
railroad improvement MI. Ragsdale
observes:
"The railway company is double
tracking its line or rather building a
1 parallel road, shortening the distances
! in places and overcoming some of the
1 heavier grades of the old line. When
i completed the strain will be less and
| the time between Moscow and Vlad-
| ivostok can easily be lessened by 10 to
| IL hours or even more"
Mr.. Ragsdale then deals with the
subject of the extent of immigration
into Siberia. He describes the move
ment of emigrants from European
Russia as enormous. It has been
especially heavy since the close of the
Russo-Japanese war, and is encour
aged by the government. The year
1908, Mr. Ragsdale says, was marked
by very heavy movement Of popula
ton into Siberia, the governor oil
i Omsk reporting that on an average
4 5000 passed through that place alone
1 Discussing the mines of Siberia
| speaking of gold, Mr., Ragsdale says
/ gold is known to exist in almost every
district, both in quartz and placer, but
the methods are poor. Improved
methods would double the output. Elk
! ceedingly rich gold discoveries have
recently been reported on the Siberian
4 coast, territory as large as Cali
fornia and Oregon. 1t is said these
mines will prove as rich as the mines
! at Dawson and Nome. The find is
/ near the mouth of the Aqatir river
which is about 100 miles directly west
/ aorOsc the water from Nome The