The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1920-10-18
OLD WORLD CARAVAN
ROUTE USED AGAIN
TO ENTER RUSSIA
(By Associated Press)

LONDON, Oct. 1S.--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 mouE-
tains or down the Selenga river IL
Verkhne- Udinsk. is the only compar'
atively free way into Siberia and Rus-
STA from the far east. 1t is the route
taken by the Associated Press CORES.
pondent in a recent trip across Rus
STA.
Although involving great difficulties
in travel the cross-country trip is 10
be preferred to the Trans-Sibe1iar
railway zone through northeastern
Manchuria, for there factional STRIFE
between Russian forces-cossackG,
peasant revolutionists, freebooters and
bandit chiefs-has kept the country
in a state of affairs which ended with
Admiral kolchak's complete downfall
during the fall of 1919.
Caravans Use Route.
From Picking the traveller may so
by train to Kalgan. 100 miles north
west of the Chinese capital. Kalgan
is the great trade mart of Mott
China There the camel caravans
lIOLu oiSd, dCloSS tlic HICdl NooA W.
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. In
crossing the desert the traveller
passes several of these slowly NOV
ing caravans daily.
But the twentieth century CONNER
rcial progress and American business
methods have entered into compeH-
ton with the camel carriers across the
sdesert In 1917 an American business
man in Kalgan drove a small Ameri-
kcan automobile up the steep Kalgan
pass to the level of the Monaghan
plateau, across the Cobb desert, and
into the sacred Buddhist city Of Urga.
Shortly afterward regular comnrunica-
ton by automobile was established
across the desert.
Automobiles Invade Country.
Today automobiles owned by bust
ness establishments and by the CHI
nese government make the trip from
kalgan to the Monaghan capital L.
from three to five days, following the
line of telegraph poles across the des-
ert Three small inns and numerous
gasoline stations have been establish
ed along the route, and the Living
God" of Urga, highest of Buddhist
priests, is himself the proud owner
of an American motor car.
From Urga the route to Siberia is
~f ho nylt les
mountains The usual method of travel
is by the Russian conveyance known
as "tarantass", vehicle not unlike
the old American stagecoach. The
country between Urga and kiakhta IS
infested by native bandits and with
Chinese brigands who have deserted
from the Chinese and cossack armies
and taken to the free life of the hills
Southern Trade Center.
Kiabhta 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 of great
commercial activity between Chin.
and Siberia, tea mililOnaireS," men
who made fortunes from one success
full caravan trip from the south, were
as numerous as the war millionaires
of today. The glory of kiakhta, how
ever, like that of the caravan owners
of former days, has passed during the
years of revolution and civil war il
Siberia, and life in the border city is
as in the other parts of Siberia, &
daily struggle for the Fundamental
necessities of life, food and clothing
A days trip down the swift-flowir.s
Selenga river takes the traveller to
Verkhne- Udinsk, most westerly head
quarters of American troops of III
recent Siberian expedition, and where
travel over the Trans-Siberian rail-
way into Russia proper again is pos
sible.