RUSSIA'S BIG HOAD.
GREAT TRANS-SI 3E Rl AN
WAY SYSTtM.
RAIL-
Whan the Czar's StupenJuoiu Project
la Completca Our rnc'.fic Coast May
Become More Important thjii the
Atlantic.
The Russian minister of railroads Is
quoted In recent St. Petersburg dis
patches as saying that there Is no
longer doubt that the traus-Siberlan
road will be finished next year and
that when It is completed It will be pos
sible to make the trip around the world
in thirty-three days. In this same dis
patch Rromeu is taken for the Euro
pean starting point, for the reason that
It is reached by steamer from New
York; thence the route indicated Is
from Bremen to St. Petersburg in one
and a half days; St. Petersburg to Vla
divostock, ten days; Vladivostock to
San Francisco by steamer, four and
one-half days; San Francisco to Chi
cago, three and one-half days; Chicago
to New York, one day; New York to
Bremen, seven days.
Should this longest railroad In the
GREAT RAILWAY SYSTEM
world be completed next year it will
have been nine years in course of con
struction. The preliminary plan of its
construction was outlined by the late
Emperor Alexander III. of Russia In
his rescript addressed in May, 1891, to
the Czarowltz. Surveys were made for
portions of this cortiuuous trans-Siberian
road In 1SS7-S8. Designed to be
gin at Chelabinsk, near the boundary
between European and Asiatic Russia,
It was to end in Vladivostock on the
Pacific ocean and, together with the
system of Russian railroads, was des
tined for comic, ting the Baltic Sea with
the PacllU'. For the sake of facility of
construction it was divided into seven
lines under the following names, re
ppectively: The Western Sil e.-au Rail
road, SNri miles; the Central Siberian,
.1,1-1!) miles; the Baikal Loop Line, 103
miles; the Trans-Baikal Railroad, 080
miles; the A moor, 1,111 miles; the
North (Missouri, -27 miles, and the
South ("Missouri, '2X2 miles. So that the
total length of the railroad in Asiatic
Russia was designed to bo 4,."U7 miles,
nnd the total distance from St. Peters
burg to Vladivostock, or from the lal-
RAILWAY AC1I0SS TI1K STl'.l'l'KS.
tic Sea to the Pacilic, was estimated at
G,Z"'l miles. This gigantic work has
been prosecuted with marvelous vigor
and steadiness and a year ago was de
clared to be Hearing completion,
(haute In the Line.
Changes have been necessitated In
the line by recent events In China
originally only one port on the Pacific
was thought of, Vladivostock, and that
was to be reached, first, by a northerly
nnd then by a southerly bend entirely
through Russian territory. But owing
to Interests obtained by Russia hi Mau
chui'la It was deemed Inexpedient to
follow the line as It was originally sur
veyed, and accordingly a new line di
rect from Irkutsk southwest to Vladi
vostock was adopted. Still more recent
events in China have caused another
change In the main lino to be made, and
In consequence not Vladivostock but
Port Arthur will be the terminus on
the Pacific. So that the trans Siberian
Railroad divides into three prongs as
near approach Is made to the Pacific.
One prong goes straight on to Vladi
vostock, another strikes down through
Manchuria and a third bears In n south
erly direction down to Port Arthur.
Either of these latter Is n shorter cut
to the sea by several hundred miles, the
Port Arthur route being the shortest
cf the three. Vladivostock Is not to be
abandoned; It will have its railroad and
Im made In consequence a commercial
place of Importance, but It has the dis
advantage of being during one-half the
year under snow and Ice. Port Arthur
Is open the year round. But this latter
port Is In China and before Russia de
tided to exteud its trans-Slborlan Rall-
k rX W
rwid thither Russia must have come to
a satisfactory understanding with
China. Within the present year, then,
St. Petersburg will be connected by
rail not only with Vladivostock, but
with Port Arthur, and probably within
next year by branch roads with Can
ton and Tekln.
It is estimated that after the road is
;vpaired after the first few years of
traffic the Journey from St. Petersburg
to Pelvin will be made in five days.
From London the most important har
bor on the Japan Sea will be seventeen
and a half days. It is now possible by
the "North Express" to go from Lon
don to St. Petersburg in two days and
four hours. It will therefore be possible
to reach Pekin from Loudon in seven or
eight days. But this In the future.
While the road Is newand stiff the speed
at which the trains will run will not
be greater than twenty miles an hour,
but even so It will be possible to go
from London to Japan in sixteen days
and to Cbina In seventeen days. The
shortest cut at present from London
to those countries is across the At
lantic, across the United States or
Canada and across the Pacific,
and with the best of luck It takes
from thirty to thirty-five days to make
it. At first thought this pr jmis3d short
ening of the time would seem to bode
THAT RUSSIA IS BUILDING.
anything but good to the transconti
nental traffic of the United States and
Canada which has been heretofore af
forded by England in her commerce
with Asiatic countries. But the intense
rivalry existing between England and
Russia Is to be taken Into account. The
trans-Siberian road will not be extens
ively patronized by England it will be
supported by Russian traffic and, in a
degree, by German, Time, it is true,
is a valuable element in commerce, but
it will be lost sight of by the English
while pushing their own Interests In
opposition to those of their most dan
gerous rival. England, at any rate
until the Nicaraguan canal is construct
ed, will continue to support the Cana
dian Pacific Railroad by her shipments,
and at the same time and from the
same source the transcontinental lines
within the United States will have
each a share of benefits.
Course of I'mpire Turned Heck.
It is for other reasons not to be feared
that the course of commerce of em
pirewill be changed, turned back on
Itself, and made to move toward the
east. It has ever been westward go
ing, and there Is every reason to be
lieve that it will continue In that direc
tion. Civilization, so far ns we know,
began In the Euphrates valley, moved
to the Nile valley, and then to the east
end of the Mediterranean. Rome took
it up and spread It entirely around the
Mediterranean, and afterward It drift
ed out Into the Atlantic. There was
never any change or shadow of turn
ing In the course civilization would
pursue In Its march over the world.
Meanwhile eastern trade was bad by
the advancing nations first Venice
possessed It, then Spain and Portugal,
and next Holland and England. Venice
ceased as a world power, and her suc
cessors to the trade of the Orient,
while continuing in the rich traffic,
looked ever out toward the west. At
length nations surrendered that trade
to commercial companies, and them
selves sought more and more to dis
cover nnd occupy new lands In the dis
tant west. Exac;ly three centuries
ngo England Incorporated the East In
dia company, when England was en
gaged in making conquests on the
American continent. "Westward the
course of empire takes Its way." It
was pursuing that course when It left
the Atlantic States of this republic nnd
made Its way over the Alleghenies and
Into the Mississippi valley. Again it
wns pursuing that course when, In
lSlO-IiO, the Pacific coast was reached,
and the intermediate country began to
be occupied by Intelligent people. Our
Interest In "empire" Is, or wns until
recently, limited to these United
States. How far that Interest may ex
tend nnd how permanently nobody
Just now can say. But it Is absolutely
certain that the part the United States
nre to hnve lu the trade nnd commerce
of the beyond of nil the Asiatic countries-Is
to be Immense nnd soon to be
realized. The completion of the trans
Siberian railroad Is nil event of the
greatest significance to this country.
It means, first, that Siberia, a country
ns large ns nil North America nnd
nbout ns diversified ns respects cli
mate nnd soil and general fertility ns
large portions of North America, will
be filJ'-'d up with Industrious people,
and that before the twentieth century
is half out all Asia will be teeming
with new life "and sharing modern
prosperity. Secondly, It means that
the United States will then exchange
products on a large scale with Siberia,
China and every other country in that
quarter of the globe. Then the Facific
Ocean will be white with steam and
sail, as the Atlantic now is and our
Pacific States will be populated per
haps not less densely than Japan. The
civilization on the Pacific coast will bo
the best on this continent, and the
splendor of its trading and commercial
achievements will ec'.ipse anything that
has been known in the past on the east
ern side of this continent. Only the
United States hesitates to face about
and face the Pacific and the Orient.
It Is Already Profitable.
Such sections of the Siberian railroad
as are being operated are reported to
be earning operating expenses. The
first, or western, section earned ex
penses the first year, which was 1894.
It carried of first, second, third and
fourth class passengers 132,315. It
brought 189,000 settlers into the coun
try, besides 33,000 workmen and 2,258
convicts. In 1890 the connecting, or
Omsk-Obi, section carried into the
country 37,500 passengers of the differ
ent classes and 110,02iJ settlers. In
1S90 on the third section, the Chela
binsk., were carried ?3,"'!S pnrnprn
and 3,072 settlers. That was thought
to be a good beginning, but it is stated
that since 1S90, the road having been
enormously extended and old stations
improved and new stations established,
the passenger business has largely in
creased. Official tables are not at hand,
but It Is believed that during the last
two years not less than 350,000 emi
grants have arrived in Siberia. From
all accounts the most of them are con
tented and doing fairly well. The total
receipts last year for transportation of
passengers and freights were upward
of $3,500,000. These figures will serve
to change the Ideas many hold of that
country. Siberia has ever been re
garded as a frozen waste, uninhabited
except by exiles and quite uninhabit
able. A country that can furnish such
an amount of business to a new rail
road Is plainly something very different
from that.
When the road is completed the pas
senger business will be largely In
creased, for the way passenger traffic
will Increase, and it is certain that
thousands every year will prefer to go
all-rail around the world, especially
ns that way It is cheaper nnd quicker.
Tickets from Warsaw to Vladivostock
cost 120 rubles, or $82. 40. From Lon
don to Vladivostock the cost of a ticket
Is $119, first-class; a second-class ticket
is considerably cheaper. A Chicago
person knowing the fare to New York
and London can easily calculate the
cost of transportation from his city
through Europe to Vladivostock. The
price of a first-class ticket by the Suez
canal to Japan is $428. Add the price
of sleeping berth, twelve nights, by the
1 II!
AROUND THE WORLD
Siberian route, nnd still there Is a sav
ing of $100. It Is estimated that 100,
000 first-class passengers will use the
new route annually. Expectations
equally high nre entertalued of the
freight trntllc. Goods going over the
road to the east nnd those coming west
will be those that can pay the highest
rates, such ns furs, gold, silver, plat
inum nnd tea. As the estimated cost
of building nnd equipping the road Is
$100,000,000, the highest earnings it
inny be capable of will be needed to
pay a profit ou the investment. But
ns the rond is owned by the Russian
Government and as above nil things a
military road, pecuniary profits are
not what nre mainly sought.
Many Drnnch Ron1,
From almost the first the activity
of the Russians in Siberia has not been
confined to building the main line.
Brauch roads were early contemplated
and some of them are completed. Thu
Russian railroad from Ekntrlnburg t
the navigable part of the Dwiaa is
nearly completed and the products of
Siberia will thus have an important
outlet to the White Sea, nnd hand
in hand with the building of the main
Siberian water ways connecting with
the railroad Is progressing, and surveys
are nreimring for the Dunning ol
branch roads to all the more Important
towns of the various provinces and to
the mininsr districts. Few ol tnese
branches will be built, however, until
the trunk line is completed, for most
of the energy and money will be de
voted to the main road until the great
project is an accomplished fact.
An enormous part of the country tnat
Is tributary to the Siberian Railroad is
amply blessed by nature nnd is capa
ble of supporting an enormous popu
lation. Tills road will be the main fac'
tor in the next century in the develop
ment of an important fraction of the
earth's surface. We have only to
glance over the list of the projected
lines connecting the Siberian road witii
China to net an idea of the Immense in
fluence which Russia is certain to wield
over all the Interests of Eastern Asia.
Naming the Child.
"Among the plantation negroes In the
old times," writes a correspondent,
"the namli'g of a child was a matter of
great moment. Since they all had the
same surname, the distinction had to
be made in some other way. And since
there were 100 or more to be named,
the Bible, classics, literature nnd his
tory were culled from very freely by
the master or some other member of
the family to assist the parents in this
matter. Among the various names I
recall this was the most original one:
Elijah the Trophet Lucius K. Polk
Mars Abberth L . The later name
was a compliment to one of the young
masters, and not to have given the
title would have been an act of dis
courtesy. The name, however, was
abbreviated to 'Prop,' and he was so
called." New York Tribune.
Brain Stimulant.
Sleep is the best brain stimulant.
The best possible thing for a man to
do when he feels too weak to carry
anything through is to go direct to bed,
and to stop there as long as he can.
Sleep Is the only recuperator of brain
power. During sleep the brain is in a
state of rest, in a condition to receive
and appropriate particles of nutriment
from the blood, which takes the place
of those which have been consumed
by previous labor, since every act of
thinking burns up solid particles Just
as every turn of the wheel or screw of
a steamer is the result of consumption
by fire of fuel In the furnace.
Siberian Gentleman's LTe.
"For five months of the year the Sibe
rian man of fashion lives in the open
air, either at the mining camp or in the
hunting field," says Thomas G. Allen,
Jr., in Ladies' Home Journal, "lie Is
an early bird under all circumstances,
and invariably rises between 7 and 8
o'clock, although he may have had but
IN THIRTY-THREE DAYS
a couple of hours' rest. Nearly every
meal is succeeded by a nap. However,
dressing operations do not take very
long, for when he retires the Siberian
only divests himself of his coat and
boots. Shirts are unknown in Siberia,
nnd in many houses beds, nlso. The
samovar Is set on the dining-room table
at S a, m together with eggs, black
and white bread, sardines, Jam and
cakes, etc. Breakfast Is eaten, nnd
washed down by five or six glasses of
tea stired up with sugar, cream nnd
sometimes Jam. At 1 o'clock dinner is
served, nnd nt 5 in the afternoon nn
other small meal, much like that of the
morning, is taken. A meat supper fol
lows at 0 o'clock.
The smaller the woman the easier It
is for her to twist a big man around
her finger.
Adam was not bom. Probably that'
why he never wrote poetry.
1 '"rum r
'""liilllllilllllll
Durability is
Better Than Show'
The ivealih of the multi-millionaires &
not equal to good health. Kxhes tvitkoui
health aie a curse, and yet the rich, the
middle classes and the poor alike hzvc, in
Hood's Sarsaparilh, a valuable assist
in getting and maintaining perfect health,
3i0cdti SaMapmifft
KITS FKOSI A ItltUA I.
The value of the fruit consumed in
Great Britain every year is estimated
at 10,000,000.
The queen of Italy, says a gossip,
weighs 170 pounds; Queen Victoria'
171 pounds; the queen of Spain, I45
pounds, and the queen of Belgium, 143
pounds.
There is a quicksilver mine in Peru
170 fathoms in circumference and 480
feet deep. In this profound nbyes are
streets, equates, and a chapel where
religions worship is held.
It appears that they nre to have a
new form of field sport in England, as
several gentlemen are busying them
selves in the process of training man
hunting bloodhounds. As the sport is
followed on horseback it, will pr'b:'.b!"
bo supplementary to if not a substi
tute for fox-hunting. It is not men
tioned what is to be dono with the
man when lie is run down. He can
hardly be treated in the same way as
the fox now is.
a wis nr.
The young man who prefers to owe
a tailor rather than to wear a Piiit
which has boon taken from the coun
ters of a clothing store, says that he
never cared for a counter fit anyway.
Boston Advertiser.
SHAKE INTO l'OCR SIIOE9
Allen's Foot-Ease, a powder for the feet,
It cures painful, swollen, smarting, ner
vous feet and instantly takes thestingout
of corns and bunions. It's the greatest
comfort discovery of the age. Allen's Foot
Ease makes tight or new shoes leel casv.
It is a certain cure for Ingrowing Knife,
sweating, callous and hot, tired, aching
feet. We have over 30,000 testimonials.
Try it todiy. Sold by all druggists and
shoe stores. By mail for 2"e. in stamps.
Trial package FREE. Address, Allen 3.
Oimslud, Le Roy, N. Y.
A silk factory in which only women
nre employed lias been opened in a sub
urb of London.
There was a young man' from Ignore,
Who boldly went off to the war;
The "beef'1 made him sick,
lie recovered quite quick
Ly the prompt use of old Jesse Moore.
Reports from 23 British towns ehow
that London, the only one supplied
with river water, lias almost the lowest
deatli rate from fever 07 per million.
The rate at Plymouth is 40,, wliiie at
Glasgow it is 184, and at Belfast it
roaches 1,667.
Chronic ('nHtltiitlii Cured.
The most Important discovery ot recent yenrs
Is the positive remedy for coimtipiitiuii, Ins
emets Candy Cutlia'rtii'. Cure guaranteed.
Llruct'ists, 10c, 25c, Mc.
Nearly 20,000 pound a of bread aie
daily eaten in the Sultan of Turkey'e
household.
An Excellent Combination.
The pleasant method and beneficial
effects of the well known remedy,
Syrup op Figs, manufactured by the
California Fio Syrup Co., illustrate
the value of obtaining the liquid laxa
tive principles of plants known to be
medicinally laxative and presenting
them in the form most refreshing to the
taste and acceptable to the system. It
is the one perfect strengthening laxa
tive, cleansing the system effectually,
dispelling colds, headaches and fevers
gently yet promptly and enabling one
to overcome habitual constipation per
manently. Its perfect freedom from
every objectionable quality and sub
stance, and its acting on tlie kidneys,
liver and bowels, without weakening
or irritating them, make it the ideal
laxative.
In the process of manufacturing figs
are used, as thev are pleasant to the
taste, but the medicinal qualities of the
remedy are obtained from senna and
other aromatic plants, by a method
known to the California Fig Sykup
Co. only. In order to get its beneficial
effects and to avoid imitations, please
remember the full name of the Company
printed on the front of every package.
CALIFORNIA FIG SYRUP CO.
BAN FRANCISCO. CAL.
LOUISVILLE. KT. NEW YORK, N. T
For sale by all DruggUU.-Price 50c. per bottle
CUKtS WHIHfc ALL ELSE FAIL
Best
oyrup. Tastvs liooU,
in tmio. (inld br rtrimiflmik.
44
'llr 1P
ru
cm n