Missouri Valley times. [volume] (Missouri Valley, Iowa) 1874-1931, 1915-04-01
SIBERIA GREAT STRETCH
OF RRAL OPPOR.
TUNlTlES

Like the Prairies Of the West
Here, II Nav he Agricul-
tural Empire.
General Greely's Report to-
the National Geographic
Society.
Washington, D c., March.
Siberia, the silver east, which
lies behind western Russia and
from which the car can draw
men and resources without
measure for the prosecution of
his wars, bears to Russia, though
on q much more magnificent
scale, the same relation as that
borne to the thirteen original
states by our own golden west.
Russia's future lies over the
plains to the agricultural, for
est and mineral wealth of 81
IBERIA; the strength which Rus
sia has before all other nations
she will become conscious of
through the development of
her wonderful east: and 80, in a
study made for the National
Geographical society, Maj ,r
General A w. Greedy, United
States army, desipnates the
Muscovite's east as "The Land
of Promise
General Greedy speaks of
Russia's first great step toward
making the resources of Siberia
accessible, that of building a
railway without parallel any
where, a railway extending
from east to west, a distance of
more than 6,400 miles, or near
ly one-third of the way around
the world. This wonderful rail
line was constructed, he tells
at q cost of 100000 600, which
makes it the most expensive
public utility ever attempted
with the exception of the Pana-
ma Interoceanic canal. Nor
are size and cost the only unique
elements Of this remarkable
railway. according to the writ
er, for it was built with record
setting rapidity. The strictly
Siberian sections of $500
miles were built in seven years,
1891 1898, the rate of construc-
ton approaching two miles for
each working day.
REMARKABLE FEAT
"It is the recognition of con-
ditions," the writer continues,
Ito say that the construction of
this great transcontinental rail.
way is one of the most remark
able feats of mans energy, per-
sistency and industry recorded
| in the annals of human his
tory" He adds that the rail-
way has brought Peking within
fourteen davs' Journey of Lon
don for fares, including sleep.
ing cars, of from $3.50 for sec.
ond. class and $3.50 for first. class
passengers. The time consum d
in the journey between Vladi-
vostok and Moscow, S, 426 miles,
is nine days and twenty-one
hours. According to statistics
| given by General Greeley, the
road has already begun to do a
| great business. having carried,
in 1910, 1,869,193 passengers
an average journey of 975 miles
besides handling some 7,508,675
tons of freight.
Limitless forests, great wa
terways and rich plains lie
along the line of rail. The
great Siberian plains or steppes,
the writer finds, greatly re-
semble the prairies Of Illinois,
Iowa. Kansas and Nebraska.
and they extend 1000 miles
from north to south and as far
from east to west. "Their soil
lis FERTILE" he says, "stock of all
kinds thrives, transportation
facilities are good, coal is
abundant. modern agricultural
methods largely obtain, markets
are accessible, and the popula-
ton is rapidly increasing.
FINE FOR AGRICULTURE
The Barbara region, a quiet,
luxuriant country extending
westward from the Ural noun
tains, is, according to General
Greedy, a stock raising and dali
~ farming country unusually
favored bv nature. It's ship
ments to foreign markets con-
sist almost entirely of meat and
butter. and of the latter it ships
more than 65. 600 tons annually,