Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-07-18

:, AHe AuoSt interesting or all the knanates
thus conquered and annexed was Samark-
and. the home, the birthplace and the
tomb OF Tamerlane or Timur, the great
Tartar chieftain, who once conquered
the world. and ruled an empire extend:
ing from the Danube to the Ganges, and
from the Mediterranean to the Bay OF
Bengal. The Khan Of Samarkand was
fooiteh enough to resist the Russians and
lost his life. and the proudest capital in
ASA Is now ruled by Russian general.
Deserts Converted Into Gardens.
Within this immense area are various
climates and meteorological conditions. For
a larger part OF the distance the railway
runs through deserts. but wherever water
Is poured upon the soil It produces pro-
fusely. The hillsides are covered with
f1ocks and herds and the GASES are now
producing immense crops of raw cotton
from American seed which has been in
troduced by the Russian government.
There are no general industries eX-
cept those introduced by the Russians.
but the women OF every household are al
ways engaged at the loom, and produce
the finest rugs and carpets that are made
outside OF Persia. The Bokhara rugs, OF
course. are known to everybody
From this territory come those pelts
of fine curly black wool SO much in ia
vor for women's wraps known as Per-
sian lamb. Charjui is the center of the
trade. and trainloads of lambs skins are
shipped from their and neighboring towns
to Moscow, London. and other distributing
points.
great. Cyrus the Younger, boasting of
Persia said:
My fathers kingdom extends so far
to the south that men cannot live there
because of the heat, and so far to the
north that they cannot live there because
Of the cold.''
This is fair description Of the con-
trast between the torrid summers of the
Persian gulf and the frigid winters in
the mountains of Kara Dagh and other
points in northern Persia. and the same
might be said Of Turkestan. In the win
ter the tracks Of the railway have to be
protected by snovsheds, and in the sum-
mer the heat is terrific and almost in
tOlerable.
Difficulty of Construction.
There was great deal Of difficulty in
constructing the railway because of the
drifting sand, which lies in loose hillocks
in several places upon the desert and
drifts about with the. breeze without re-
gard to railway trains or caravans.
The grains are so fine that the sand is
difficult to handle. 1t cannot be trans
ported in a car because the motion of
the train creates such breeze that 1T is
blown away, and it cannot be shoveled
because it is so light that breath will
scatter it in every direction.
A similar difficulty prevails upcn the
o. r. and N track along the Columbia
river in Oregon, and on the Southern
railway in Peru.
The line is a fve-foot gauge, uniform
with the railways of European Russia.
Most Of the ties are of iron and the rails
are sixty-pound steel.
Built and Managed by Soldiers.
1t is entirely a military road. 1t was
surveyed and built and is managed by
soldiers. Civilians have been employed
as surveyors. architects and engineers,
but not only was the construction intrust-
ed to a lieutenant general, the famous
Annenkon. but the larger part of the
manual labor was performed by military
battalions selected for their aptitude or
experience in railway work.
The engineers are old soldiers. The sta
ton masters and attendants are veterans,
officers or. enlisted men who have been
wounded in battle Guards. conductors.
ticket collectors. telegraph operators and
all other employees are detailed from the
army or are on the retired or reserve
list
The unskilled labor was performed by
Turkomen. Bokharoits. Sards and other
employment had great deal to do with
the rapid paciflcation Of the country.
The rolling stock, rails and all other
materials came from Russia, most of them
other material to be had on the ground.
Scarcity of water was another serious
embarrassment.
Artesian wells were failures. Pipes
were laid from the mountains across the
desert wherever il was possible, and more
q mr. ia
transporting water where it cannot be
otherwise obtained.
Fifty-Six Bridges.
There are three tremendous rivers, but
only fifty-six bridges in all for a dis
lance of 200 miles, including those over
the bitches and dry water courses. The
largest bridge is that which crosses.
about a mile and half long. the ancient
Oxus river, now known as the Anu Daria,
near the city of Charjui. and there is
another at Nerve over the Murghab.
The station houses are solid structures
long platforms, which are filled with
curious natives, for the iron horse and
the vehicles 1t hauls have never lost their
interest All principal stations are pro-
veniences in the way of hot water. bread
and other simple foods for thirdclass
passengers.
The trains run slowly, the fastest not
more than twenty miles an hour: the
track is solid and smooth; the cars are
large and luxurious. To each Of the
through express trains a primitive dining
car is attached, which is not attractive in
appearance, but is of great convenience.
The bill Of fare is not suited to cpl
cures, but people who are not too par
ticular can get plenty OF fresh eggs, good
bread and excellent coffee and tea.