Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-09-26
Chester Concessions in Turkey
Have Vast Possibilities.
OPENING UP OF AN empire
Fifteen Hundred Miles of Railway
Line to Be Built.
MINES ARE FABULOUSLY RICH
Deposits Of Minerals Estimated" to
Be Worth Hundreds Of Mil
lions Of Dollars.

BIZ WILLIAM e. CURTIS.
Special Correspondence Of The star and the
Chicago Record Herald.
CoNSTANTINoPbE.
August "a, 1910.
Shortly after the overthrow OF the
despotism in Turkey the new govern
ment formulated comprehensive
scheme Of public improvements intend
ed to promote the material development
Of the Ottoman empire. which was for
hidden for third of q century by Abb
dull Hamid, the late sultan. He SEEM
ed to think that progress and prosper
fty were inconsistent with the welfare
of = nation, or at least q menace to the
authority Of an autocrat, and as long
as he kept his subjects in poverty and
ignorance his scepter was safe in his
hands.
He adhered strictly to that policy. He
forbade the development OF mines or any
other OF the natural resources. and reluc-
family consented to the construction Of q
few lines OF railway, which were de-
manded by foreign commerce and were
built by foreign capital. The Germans
always had the preference In such mat
tiers, but there are also English and
French railway lines in Turkey. The
sultan would never permit Z telephone
or an electric light or = trolley car or
any other modern necessity OF commerce
and social life, and his subjects were
forbidden to travel from one place to An
other. even In their own province, with
out the permission of the police.
Admiral Chester a Bidder.
When the present government invited
proposals for the construction OF rail-
ways through the interior of Turkey ia
Asia ofie Of the most important plans
was submitted by sdmiral c. M Chester
of the United States Navy. retired, and
his associates: who are organized under:
the title Of THE Ottoman American De-
headquarters at IS Liberty street, New
York city, and among the members Of
the syndicate are Arthur r. Chester and
c. NJ. Chester, IT.. sons OF the admiral; c.
A. Moore, president OF the Arm of Man
ming, Maxwell & Moore; E. c. Converse.
president Of the Bankers Trust Com
pany: James l.. Laidlaw of Laiulaw &
Co.. bankers; Macarthur Bros, con-
tractors; Franklin Remington and other
men Of similar financial standing.
Their proposition was thoroughly in
vestigated by the Turkish government.
approved BY the department OF public
works and the council OF state and now,
only requires the ratification OF the Turk.
ish parliament to be complete. This
would have been done at the late session
of the parliament but for the Intervention
Of Baron Won Bieberstein. the German
ambassador, who protested on the ground
that the concession interfered with the
mining rights OF some German subjects
and was in violation OF a treaty made
between his government and the late
sultan guaranteeing that no further min
ing concessions would be granted in Tur-
key without the consent OF the German
government.
Protests Disavowed.
This Intervention. however, was only a
''bluff," and the ambassadors protest has
since been dlisavowed by his govern
ment, and the American ambassador at
Berlin has been assured that Germany
has no intention or desire to interfere
with the plans Of Admiral Chester's syn
dictate. Hence 1t may be expected that
the concession will be promptly ratified
when the Turkish parliament reassemblls
in November.
Baron Won Bieberstein's purpose seems
to have been to secure command Of the
situation and to obtain additional favors
for a company which was formed several
years ago to extend one Of the existing
railway lines from It's present terminus
in the, province Of Antolia to the Persian
gulf. It lis, suspected also that certain
German and Belgium capitalists would be
glad to secure a share Of the Chester
which ID very comprehensive
and involves variety Of. interests.
Although the Turkish ministry Is ex-
ceedingly anxious to close the arrange
ment and obtain the credit Of promoting
ct1 90 2r<A oil
it Is afraid of Ger
many: f1rst, on account OF the contro-
versy with Greece over Crete, and, sec
ond, for fear the kaiser will object to q
proposed increase in the Turkish tariff-
This situation lis complicated by the fact
that the kaiser's sister is the wife Of
the crown prince and the future King OF
Greece and the Turkish administration
cannot raise necessary revenue by adj
duties on imported goods 5 per:
cent, as Is now proposed. without the
consent OF the Ave European powers.
Therefore, Haiku Pasha, the prime min
lister. was afraid to insist upon the rati-
fcation Of the Chester concession during
the last week of the session OF parlia-
ment.
The German government having with
drawn it's objections, the concession will
be submitted for ratification Immediate
~ upon the reassembling OF the chamber
Of deputies.
Project an Important One.
II you will take your map Of Turkey
and let me explain the route OF the pro-
posed system OF railroads you will re-
alize how important the concession is
It involves the construction of about
! 800 miles OF track through Armenia,
Kurdistan and Mesopotamia and the
vilayets OF Trebizond. Sivas, Van. Diar-
bekr and Mossoul.
me road begins at the port Of snedis,
on the Mediterranean, at the mouth OF
the Ofontes FLYER about sixty miles
south of Alexandretta, and about thirty
miles from the ancient town OF Antioch
From there it runs eastward through
Aleppo, Urfa, Diarbekr Bitlis and other
populous cities, to Lake Van, and encir-
portant of all the interior bodies Of water
in Turkey. From Diarbekr, which is
to be a junction. one branch OF the
road will run northwest to the city or
Sivas, and another southwest to the Per
sian boundary at Suleinanieh, crossing
the valleys Of the Euphrates and the
Tigris rivers, and bisecting the province
to reclaim to agriculture, BY the recon-
strAction OF the vast systems Of irriga-
ton which were used BY the ancients,
and for some mysterious reason have
been allowed to go to waste.
The Turkish government is contem-
plating the construction of a railroad
from Sivas northward to Samsoun and
to extend the existing railroad from Con-
to Angora to connect with
the tracks Of the Chester syndicate at
Sivas.