The Sunday telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1914-1927, 1915-09-26
lseail11ay IS So Blliif a s
q Keep fl1esPe opie Oft
that is What The .Geographer
Shows about Russia's New
RoadiDto Persia.
.asselAL % &c rsllaaAA,I

-
tngEeiAL TO TrE TslssaAh,
WASHINGTON. d. c.. Sept. 25-InI
view Of the unrest all along the Rus
eesP ersian border which, according to-
press dispatches, has grown more In
tense w1tn eacn passing month of the
sNkts q sketch Of Kussia's new route,
sAgrailway route, INTO Persia, takes on
timely interest. This
new line, planned and constructor
dust previous to the war, when Rus
sc 3 interest reached out beyond
southern Transcaucasfa into the
Northern parts OF the Weakening and
wildly governed territories Of the
Shah, ID described In q bulletin lust
!ssbued by the National Geographic
Society. As! roads In Transcaucasla
are built upon the Spanish principle
letS keeping people off OF them, this line
OF track has most important bear
silg upon the maintenance OF order at
the boundary. The bulletin reads:
X There are two routes from Europe
20 Ieheran. One through Russia toi
sakn the oil city on the Caspian,
Ithence by steamer to Resht, mad hnai-
~ by road to the Persian capital, a
road built and kept up by Russia.
This rcute is the older route. The
second way. made possible by rail-
way construction through southern
sYranscaucasia, which, today, has CON
siderable strategic value. Is the prod
net OF recent Russia labors. The
traveller by this route sets out from
'13nis, the capital OF the Caucasus.
takes train south over Alexandra.
POI and Eriyan, thence TO Nakhitche-
van. the first city founded by Noah
after abandoning the ark upon neigh
boring Ararat, and, passing down the
Talley OF the Araxes, where the Ar
9nenians place Eden. he passes the
International boundary at Diulfa.
From here, the traveller goes BY an;
other Russian road to Tabriz.
TRAINS Seldom ON Time.
Conditions OF travel upon the Max,
lhttchevan railway are very discourage
ing to people in experienced in Rus
sian branch lines. The trains seldom
arrive or leave anywhere according to
schedule, and their progress Is DELHI
crate in the extreme. The way lies
through a country densely hot during
g great part of the year. and the cars
used on the line are constructed after
the most advantageous manner for
catching and retaining all possible
heat. Moreover. the fares are cheap.
and the way is patronized heavily by
Iswarms of Asiatics, malordorous and
:neighborly.
The trains, In pre-war days, had a
way Of leaving important stations be-
tween three and six O'Clock in the
mornings. The wayside stations were
miserable shanties, where widest con-
fusion reigned. Buying tickets at the
small novels. which housed the ticket
Offices, meant the business of free
Tor all fight in the midst Of jostling
crew of excited orientals. Moreover,
one must go with the crowd on this
line to the Persian border, because mo-
'first class carriages are operated
thereon. Among other drawbacks,
snnet soon has the knowledge forced
upon him that hts fellow passengers
are verminous.
Cars Are Dirty.
The cars are dirty. They are old,
uncomfortable and Ill ventilated. The
seats are narrow and covered with
white canvas. the covering usually
turned brown and yellow with accum-
ulations Of evidence from the hands
and clothing OF the railways patrons.
The third class cars resemble the
American box car, only they are nIsi
smaller. Both the second class and
the third class cars are generally
packed as tightly as space will per-
Much of the scenery along the way
IN very beautiful. The way through
the Araxes valley, wide at first anu,
farther on. narrowing between rids.
ing mountains, lies, in the begin
ming through an inviting country Of
vineyard and orchard. Farther to-
ward the Persian border, the country
becomes desolate. Stations are few.
and. for the most part. are mere
Wooden sheds or disused freight cars.
Gaping Tartar and Persian thronss
lounge before them to see the occas-
lonal trains pass. At all stations. one
sees the frontier guarding Cossacks
and the blue clothed Russian police.
At each station. the traln. of peace
time stopped. at least. half an hour,
and often longer. From Ulukhanlu,
the Interior end Of this last lap Of the
border railway, to Djulfa is distance.
OF about 140 miles. In case of DIFF.
nrulties in her districts along the
Persian boundary. Russia could throw
protecting forces into this region In