POLAR EXPEDITION BY RAIL.

Temuka Leader, Issue 405, 25 June 1881, Page 2

POLAR EXPEDITION BY RAIL.

The Liverpool Mercury of February 19th says:—" A. polar expedition by rail via Hudson's By and Smith's Sound is. among the contingencies of future exploration. For the first time, tlie idea of' mak'.ng a traction bed for locomotives has; been acted on in ihe Gulf of Finland. As nsaal at this period of the year, the navigation of the great sea which stretches from Denmark to St. Petersburg is' stopped by the ice The setting in of the frost always Mocks up' vast stores of goods awaiting shipment, and leads to a stagnation of trade, which is severely felt when the winter is protracted. In a flight of genius some Russian engineer hit upon a 'happy thought.' If ships could not plough the billows of the Gulf of Finland'in thejwinter months, whytffflr -■■■ the locomotive ? The idea was seized upon, and a line of rails has be§?tf Laid down from the is'and of Orariienbaum, a port on the coast of the provinhe of St. Petersburg, the distance between tho two placea being' some fifteen miles. The experiment seems to have proved successful. The formal opening of the ' line 'f took place on Surl day, February 13th, a gala party starting from Oauienbaum. When half the journey to Cronstadt bad' been accomplished . the train was brought to a itatndsfeuS

•whilst, in true Russian fashion, a service of prayer was held. The regular traffic wa3to be opened on Monday, when an outlet would thus be provided for an immense store of produce and other goods thai had been accumulating at Croristadt when navigation was so unexpectedly closed by the ica last year; - *