Evening star., 1920-10-14
Camel ROUTE BEST
WAY INTO SIBERIA
Far East Travellers Enter
Russia on Road Famous for
Tea MiIIionaireS.

! LONDON, October 14.-An old-world
| Caravan route, north from Picking.
China-over mountains, past the an
cient wall of China, across the 700
| mile desert of Cobb and through the
foothills of the eastern Altai noun
tains, or down the .Selcnga river to
hne-Udinsk-is the only compare
lively free way into Siberia and Rus
sia from the far east. 1t is the route
taken by an Associated Press corre-
Spondent in a recent trip across Rus-
Sia.
Although involving great difficulties
in travel. the cross country trip is 10
be preferred to the Transsiberian rail-
way zone through northeastern Man
churia. for there factional strife be-
tween Russian forces-Cossacks, peas
ant volutionists, freebooters and
bandit chiefs-has kept the country
in state OF constant unrest since
the comparatively orderly state of
affairs which ended with Admiral
kolchak's complete downfall during
the fall of 1919.
From Peking the traveller may go
by train to Kalgan, 100 miles north
west of the Chinese capital. kalgan,
is the great trade mart of north
China. There the camel caravans
from Urga, across the great Gobi des-
ert. discharge their loads of wool and
furs from the north. and reload with
tea for the nomadic desert tribes OF
Mongolia and for Siberia. Before the
decline of trade with Russia. camel
caravans numbering thousands IN each
| left Kalgan weekly for the month
trip across the desert. Caravans mum
bering several hundreds of camels in
each continue TO make the trip.
Autos Replace Caravans.
But twentieth century commercial
! progress and American business
method have entered into compeu-
tion with the camel carriers across
! the desert. In 1917 an American
| business man in Kalgan drove a small
American automobile up the steep
Kalgan pass to the level OF the Mon
| golian plateau. across the COBB desert
/ and into the sacred Buddhist city of
Crga. Shortly afterward regular
! communication by automobile was es-
| tablished across the desert.
| Today automobiles owned by busi-
| ness establishments and by the Chi
! nese government make the trip from
! Kalgan to the Mongolian capital IN
| from three to five days. following the
F.! line Of telegraph poles across the des-
| ert Three small inns and numerous
! gasoline stations have been estao-
! lished along the route, and the living
god' of Crga, highest of the Buddhist
! priests of Mongolia, is himself the
1
| car.
From Urga the route to Siberia Is
| over the low ranges OF the hentel
mountains. The usual method OF
travel is by the Russian conveyance
| known as a "tarantass." vehicle not
unlike the old American stage coach.
Miuions In One Trip.
| Kiakhta and Troitzkosavsk, on the
Siberian side of the boundary, with
| the Chinese city of Mi-ma-sen, form
! the once prosperous trade center OF
southern Siberia. In the days Oh great
| commercial activity between CHINA
and Siberia tea millionaires, men
who made fortunes from one success
! full caravan trip from the south. were
! as numerous as the war millionaires OF
4 today.
| Selenga river takes the Traveller 10
iVerkhne-Cdinsk. most westerly mead
quarters of American troops OF the
1 recent Siberian expedition. and where
i travel over the Transsiberian railway
| into Russia proper again is possible
4