The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1914-08-30
with others az ike mind from other
regiments upon the place Of arms.


II.
whatever may be thought 81 the
good taste OF such investigation in a
land in which one Ia a guest, II must
pe acknowledged that very little es.
| cspes It's attention. Therefore we are
conscious that In these pages we are
obtaining an excellent and always
graphic record Of conditions in Siberia
as they existed up 20 the moment when
communication with the outside world
| was closed.
In the Urals Or. Goebel seems to have
| made a careful examination of the
mines. for his official report on the sub
ject Ia most exhaustive. In this volume
he discusses the mines and the miners
In regard OF affairs apart from mineral
ogy. the lack Of system Of development,
the difficulty OF communication and the
like. One incident which he recites at
length shows that in the Trails the
| mining promoter follows much the
same method as in other parts OF the
world where the lure Of gold is dangled.
A Russian appeared In tho markets
Of the west with specimens ~ gold,
some float and some from the gangue.
telling the story that he had vein
which Il would pay 20 work but that he
could not command the capital. The
project was buttressed. as such things
| alwaye are. by official documents show
ing the patent 20 the claim. The par.
ticular specimens exhibited were found
satisfactory. Two Englishmen leased
the claim on an option. Goebel found
them In the Trails when the swindle
l A.
had been pushed along the vein needed
to be unwatered and the original pumps
| were valueless. New pumps were i'm
ported at great expense and then It
was found that the shaft had never
been properly timbered and II would be
necessary 10 sink anew at some other
| point along the vein. To complete the
| disaster Il was discovered that the origi.
nal vendor had no title 20 the property
| and the rightful owner, his father-in-
law, declined 20 consider himself bound
in the fraud.
He is no less severe in his criticism OF
the management OF the Siberian rail
way. Its best train. the fortnightly in.
ternational express. runs on a schedule
which would drive an American train
dispatcher mad. 1t IL rarely on time
at the start. II loses time all along the
route and when It arrives at the Pacific
within two days of its schedule II IS
considered that Il has made a satisfac.
| tory run. At least II Is comfortable
It's coaches are Of the best European
type and Its dining service leaves little
| TO be desired.
But the intermediate express trains
those which the through passengers
know nothing about. are a scandal. The
only redeeming feature about them Is
that they are so infinitely better than
| the way trains. After he had left the
trails the author depended entirely
| upon local train service. He reveals
the shabbiness Of equipment. the disre
gard Of the comfort OF the traveller
the corruption OF the petty officials. Al
one of the stations where he resumed
his railway journey he had bought 4
ticket for the first class after much
dickering with the station master as
To the amount which he should hav,
to pay When the train came In. many
hours late. he found his compartment
crowded with men and none was willins
To give him the seat for which he hat
paid The guard and the station master
seemed powerless 10 clear the matter
| up, new computation was dduet
when a lady appeared and demanded .
place in the same first class compart
ment. She was voluble in insisting
upon her rights. In the end the station
policeman was called upon TO settle tn
dispute He examined the tickets of al
the men and found that DIT. Goebe
was the only one who had billet en-
ttling him to the first class. Protestin,
violently. the intruders were ouste,
and put in the second class coaches ant
thus was room made for the DISTURBING
lady. When the train was once NOR
in motion she showed her fellow trav
cler her own ticket. II also was for tn
second class.
No attempt IL made 10 facilitate
travel at division terminals wher
branch lines run of into the country
The passengers on the main line ar
dumped If into waiting rooms who's
only furniture is the orthodox ikor
There weary hours must be spent in
stuffy atmosphere waiting for the trail
to leave on the branch line. The autho
cites one case where the schedule ha
been arranged with so little forethough
that the trains connect with no les
an interval than TWENTY-FIVE hours