RUSSIA TO NEW YORK BY RAILWAY.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XLVII, Issue 8132, 12 June 1906, Page 4

RUSSIA TO NEW YORK BY RAILWAY.

A GIGANTIC SCHEME. £54,000,000 INVOLVED. Prominent among the colossal schemes which will follow upon the restoration j of permanent tranquility in Russia is an America-Asia railway line, which has been long projected by Americans, but was uniformly discountenanced by the Russian Government in oonsequence of the conditions upon which the former insisted, including the cession of a large strip of territory.

The persevering foreign capitalists having considerably modified the terms which they originally demanded, have again presented their plan to the special commission of the Hallway Department, ana have had it considered afresh, this IU „ a io commission took up an awi-

on may be described as favourau7J u.uug mainly to the circumstances that the authors of the scheme have declared themselves willing to begin work at both ends simultaneously, to distribute a certain portion of their orders among Russian firms, and to give u.ue weigut, to local Russian needs in irauiug me route. The Asiatic section of the line would begin at the railway station of Kansk, situated at the extremity oi the West Siberian line, and distant 3710 miles from St. Petersburg. Having reached North-Eastern Cape, in Siberia, the line would descend below the bed of Belirmg ouwts where a tunnel would be excavated between the Asiatic and Amencan shores, and would then connect Alaska ■with Vancouver. _ According to a stipulation in the projected concession, Russian workmen would construct about 3700 miles of the ra Thele American capitalists profess their ability and readings to find a sum of £54,000,000 sterling for the enterprise, which woukf need no guarantee whatever from the Russian State.

According to recent issues of the Jsew York newspapers, the above-mentioned scheme is being promoted by a syndicate, of which M. Ix»cq de'Lobel s the guiding spirit, who has had the idea in his mind since 1888, when he visited Alaska. The total length of railway necessary to link up the existing systems of Asia and America, and thus place New York in direct communication with Paris 'by railway, is 5000, viz., 3300 on the Siberian side of Behnng Straits and 1200 on the Alaskan side. The tiinnol under the straits would have a total length of about thirtyeight miles, including the approaches, and the fact that there are two islands in the straits, it is alleged, would We an important influence on the caso with which the ivork could be carried out, as, in addition to the shafts sunk at each shore end, it -would be possible also to drive shafts down through the islands, and thus keep six gangs of men at work instead of only two. It is declared that the tunnel would involve no greater amount of excavation than was necessary in constructing the great New York subway. The material through which the Behring tunnel would have to be driven is stated to be rock throughout.