The Birmingham age-herald., 1917-10-23
HELPING RUSSIAN RAILWAYS
By HOLLAND

New York, october 22.-(Special.) )--Upon high authority the statement was made . few days ago that In addition to the skilled experts In railway construction and operation which the United States has sent to France there are to be trans ported to Russia, probably by way of the highly expert railroad builders, as well as railroad operators. These experts are to go to Russia for the purpose of re- building badly worn Russian railroads and also constructing new lines as well as improving terminal facilities to the end that Russia by and by can with greater
 facility aid the allies.
 Few now recall the interesting history
 which tells us of the work done by an
 American engineer in constructing the
 first important railroad in Russia. He
 was Captain Whistler who was the engi- neer who, when Baltimore was consider ing the best method of offsetting the com-
 petition for the commerce of the. Ohio
 valley and the midwest which the open
 ing of the Erie canal made possible. was summoned to Baltimore by Alexander Brown and other public spirited citizens and instructed to lay out route for railroad from Baltimore over the Blue erward Captain Whistler was summoned by Boston capital to Massachusetts and instructed to solve very difficult prob lem of that day which the construction of railroad over the Berkshire noun tains to Albany entailed. While Captain Whistler was engaged in this work a commission sent by the Czar of Russia to the United States visited him and was so greatly impressed by the skill which he showed in building what became the Boston Albany railroad that they urged him in the name of the Czar to go to Rus sia to build an air line railroad from St. Petersburg to Moscow. Captain Whistler
 accepted this offer and carried out the instructions of the Czar to the letter. The railroad became famous and from that day to this Russia has esteemed American railway authorities so far as construction and operation of railroads
 
 are concerned, the best in the world.
 Partly on account of the tradition which still prevails in Russia of the suc- cess of American railway builders there and partly because Russia could turn to no other country for securing financlai assistance, highly skilled artisan labor and railroad equipment and supplies, an appeal was made to the government at , Wa shington to furnish men. supplies, ! equipment and in such large amount 1 that the Russian railway system could De in a comparatively short time well re l constructed and adequately expanded | The government at Washington was Tn
 such complete sympathy with Russia so far as railroad improvement is con cerned and so thoroughly recognized the
 necessity for such improvement of that
 kind, if Russia were again to become
 an important factor in the triumph oi
 the allies, that 1t warmly favored the extension of credit to Russia of nearl,
 s4oo. 100000 This money was to be used
 exclusively in improving the Russian railroad and in building new lines as 1ai as that was possible.
 The attitude of the government to-
 wards Russia with respect to the rail- 1 road situation there has entailed nQt the 1 slightest criticism. It has met with pub 1 lie approval. On the other hand there 1 is a strange contract between the at l titude of the government and the atti- tude of legislators toward American railroads and the position taken by the ! government in respect to the Russian | railroad.
 It is sometimes thought that ono o1 the best explanations for the decline ol tainly for the decline in the market |quotations for railroad securities, Is tc be found in the actual impasse in whict the railroads of the United States arc now placed.
 Frank Trumbull. who has served fol \ some years as chairman of the commit N tee of railway managers which wa.
 formed for the purpose of carrying or a campaign of education whereby th'
 true relations of the railroads to tht people and of the people to tho railroads
 could be learned, said recently that any thing which will help railroad credit al , a whole will also help government financing. But how can this help be op tained? The railroads of the United States. whose efficient work since tn first of April has been one of the mos
 remarkable of the striking phenomena
 loccasioned by our entrance into the war
 were compelled to pay nearly s2l0ooO,vu
 more for operating their roads betweel