The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1910-11-22
By Rail to India

A transcasplan railroad has been
dream of theorists. who would shorten
the distance around the world and Law
bare the unknown wllds. since tine Rus
SLAMS built railway into Bakh and
Batoum on the Caspian and Black seas
and the British projected lines along the
border III Bamchistan and the coast "t
the Arabian Sea. The realization meant
the crossing Of some = ,UnO miles of Per
sian territory. but tins for years appeared
impossible on account Of the political
, antaGonsm Of the two nations whose
frontiers would be- connected by tins
link The understanding between Eng
, land and Russia in the middle Fast has
revived this scheme Of the 'S0S and is
produced as reason not only that the
road should be but will be- built
Tn. Russians soon after the conquest
of the Caucasus began the development
of the region and eventually the building
OF a railway along the Caspian Sea from
Petroysk through Derbent 10 Baku, their
only important port on the coast They
then built line through Tiilis. with a
diNh w atNA " ai' w
Porte and Batoum on the Black Sea.
In their plans for southern advance
, they have included a network Of roads
from Baku and Erivan, which IL on
their southern frontier through northern
Persia They have recently secured a
monopoly OF railroad construction in this
region and expect soon 10 begin work
| Under British control 20 the nth Of
Persia and separate from il by Balu-
chistan is railway that runs from
karachi on the Arabian sea coast
through Quetta TO the Afghanistan
frontier. The proposed transcasplan
road would, according TO the plans OF its
and Baku on tho north. IL would run
through Teheran. the capital. and
kashan. Yezd and Kirman. great in
terror markets Of Persia. and thence
across Baluchstan. Baku is now con-
nected with Moscow by one of the best
| lines in the empire: a train with nn equip
ment of sleeping and dining cars similar
TO those on the transsiberian road is
operated bet ween the two cities in
about sixty hours. The completion of
few miles Of projected roads under
British control would make continu-
ous line from Quetta 20 Bombay The
transcaspian road would thus form link
between Moscow and western Europe
and bombay and 'he system of Indian
railways.
IL il generally admitted in Europe
that the purpose of the recent visit oil
the Gar TO Potsdsm was the establish
ing Of a political understanding with
special reference TO Persian affairs.
The Noros Vrsmyd of ~. Petersburg
states that II foreshadows Russo Ger
man agreement providing for june
ton at khanakin on the Turkish from
tier OF the Bagdad railway and the
projected north Persian railway TO he
constructed under Russian auspices
| II 10 believed that ths kaiser will offer
no objection 10 the transcaspian line.
as Germany would then have access TO
the very heart of the middle East. for
which she has recently been struggling
In this case there would be a through
line Of railway. broken only by the
Bosporus. be; ween Paris and Berlin and
the fur'hcst part OF British India.
The project. laws the Noros Ersmyd.
Is favored in Russia. in fact II j. pre-
sented 20 the British by a representative
of Russian group Of financiers Its
twofold appeal 10 Great Britain il that
il seems 10 offer rcmedv for the dis
ulrbed and unsettled condition OF south
ern Persia. which has caused IN" Gov
eminent much uneasIness and brings
by many hours her Indian possession
nearer 10 London