EUSSIl'S BIG HOAD.
GREAT TRANS-SIBERIAN RAIL
WAY SYSTEM.
"When the Czar's Stupcndnous Project
Is Completed Our Pacific Coast May
Become More Important than 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 trans-Siberian
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 this dispatch
an thirty-three days. same
patch Bremen 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
-aul 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 THAT RUSSIA IS BUILDING.
'
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
bis rescript addressed in May , 1S91 , to
the Czarowitz. Surveys were made for
portions of this continuous trans-Sibe
rian road in 1SS7-SS. Designed to be
gin at Chelabiusk , 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 destined -
-tined for connecting the Baltic Sea with
the Pacific. For the sake of facility of
construction it was divided into seven
lines under the following names , re
spectively : The Western Siberian Rail
road. SS3 miles ; the Central Siberian.
" "
* 1.14 ! ) miles : the Baikal Loop Line , 193
miles ; the Trans-Baikal Railroad , OS9
miles ; the Amoor , 1.111 miles ; the
North Oussouri , 227 miles , and the
South Oussouri. 232 miles. So that the
total length of the railroad in Asiatic
Russia was designed to be 4,507 miles ,
and the total distance from St. Peters-
Tnirg to Vladivostock , or from the Bal-
KAIT/NVAY ACHOSS THE STEPPES.
tic- Sea to the Pacific , was estimated at
C.L''IH miles. This gigantic work has
lioen prosecuted with marvelous vigor
and steadiness and a year ago was declared -
clared to be uearing completion.
Changes 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
Avas to be reached , first , by a northerly
and then by a southerly bend entirely
through Russian territory. But owing
to interests obtained by Russia in Manchuria -
churia 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 line to be made , and
in consequence not Vladivostock but
Port Arthur will be the terminus on
the Pacific. So that the trans-Siberian
Uailroad 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 a south
erly direction down to Port Arthur.
Either of these latter is a shorter cut
to the sea by several hundred miles , the
Port Arthur route being the shortest
of the three. Vladivostock is not to be
abandoned ; it will have its railroad and
be made in consequence a commercial
iplare 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
cided to extend its trans-Siberian Rail
road thither Russia must have conic tea
a satisfactory understanding with
-China. Within the present year , tliei ? . ,
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 Pelcin.
It is estimated that after the road is
paired after the first few years of
traffic the journey from St. Petersburg
to Pekin will be made in five days.
From London the most important har-
Ijor 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 Peklu from London in seven or
eight days. But this in the future ,
While the road is newand stiff thespeed
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 China 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-live days to make
it. At first thought this promisad short
ening of the time would seem to bode
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 Nicaragua ! ! 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 Kmpire Turned Back.
It is for other reasons not to be feared
that the course of commerce of em
pire will 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 as 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 had by
the advancing nations first Venice
possessed it , then Spain and Portugal ,
and next Holland ami 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 and occupy new lauds in the dis
tant west. Exactly three ce-nturies
ago 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 and
made its way over the Alleghenies and
into the Mississippi valley. Again it
was pursuing that course when , in
1S41)0 ) , the Pacific coast was reached ,
and the intermediate country began to
be occupied by intelligent people. Our
interest in "empire" is , or was until
recently , limited to these United
States , now far that interest may ex
tend and how permanently nobody
just now can say. But it is absolutely
certain that the part the United States
are to have in the trade and commerce
of the beyond of all the Asiatic coun
tries is to be immense and soon to be
realized. The completion of the trans-
Siberian railroad is an event of the
greatest significance to this country.
It means , first , that Siberia , a country
as large as all North -America and
about as diversified as respects cli
mate and soil and general fertility as
large portions of North America , will
be filled 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 Pacific
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 be
the best on this continent , and the
splendor of its trading and commercial
achievements will eclipse anything that
has been known in the past on the east
ern side of this continent. Only the
United States hesitates to race 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 152,313. It
, brought 159,000 settlers into the coun-
j try , besides 33,000 workmen and 2.23S
I j convicts. In 1S90 the connecting , or
I j Omsk-Obi , section carried into the
j country 37,300 passengers of the differ
ent classes and lG,02i > settlers. In
1S9G on the third section , the Chela-
binsk , , were carried 23,708 passengers
and 3,072 settlers. That was thought
to be a good beginning , but it is stated
that since 1890 , the road having been
enormously extended and old Nations
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 $3,000,000. 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
as that way it is cheaper and quicker.
Tickets from Warsaw to Vladivostock
cost 120 rubles , or $82.40. From Lon
don to Vladivostock the cost of a ticket
is 8119 , first-class ; a second-class ticket
is considerably , cheaper. A Chicago
person knowing the fare to New York
and Londoa 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
Siberian route , and still there is a sav
ing of $190. It is estimated that 100-
000 first-class passengers will use the
new route annually. Expectations
equally high are entertained of the
freight traffic. Goods going over the
road to the east and those coming west
will be those that can pay the highest
rates , such as furs , gold , silver , plat
inum and tea. As the estimated cost
of building and equipping the road is
$100,000,000 , the highest earnings it
may be capable of will be needed to
pay a profit on the investment. But
as the road is owned by the Russian
Government and as above all things a
military road , pecuniary profits are
not what are mainly sought.
Many Branch Roads.
From almost the first the activity
of the Russians in Siberia has not been
confined to building the main line.
Branch roads were earty contemplated
and some of them are completed. The
Russian railroad from Ekatrinburg to
the navigable part of the Dwina is
nearly completed and the products of
Siberia will thus have an important
outlet to the White Sea , and hand
AROUND THE WORLD IN THIRTY-THREE DAYS.
in hand with the building of the main
Siberian water ways connecting with
the railroad is progressing , and surveys
are preparing for the building of
branch roads to all the more important
towns of the various provinces and to
the mining districts. Few of these
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 that
is tributary to the Siberian Railroad is
amply blessed by nature and Is capa
ble of supporting an enormous popu
lation. This 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 with
China to get an idea of the immense in
fluence which Russia is certain to wield
over all the interests of Eastern Asia.
WINDOW-GAZERS EARN MONEY.
Method Employed by Merchants
to Attract Attention.
"Modern conditions , needs and com
petition develop many queer pursuits , "
said the State street merchant. "The
business of carrying signs about the
street 'sandwiching' it is called is a
century old. Merchants used to ad
vertise their goods , you know , by hir
ing a man to go about ringing a bell
and crying the wares of his patron.
That is one of the street noises we have
lost. I sometimes think it would be a
good scheme to revive it. It would pay
while its novelty lasts. The queerest
profession of all professions , 1 think , is
the professional window gazer. All
pursuits are 'professions' these da 'S ,
as you are aware. We haven't any
'trades' left. Never heard of a window
gazer ?
"There are many in Chicago , and al
though they don't get rich they are paid
enough to keep body and soul together.
A window gazer , as the name implies ,
is a man or woman who makes a living
by gazing into a window. You know
that if you stand in State street. look
fixedly at the twelfth story of a build
ing across the way , you will have a
sidewalk blocking crowd about you in
no time at all. Well , that is what the
window gazer does. lie strolls casual
ly along until opposite his employer's
window. Then he stops and gazes with
an appearance of deepest interest. In
five minutes a crowd is gazing with
him. As individuals of this crowd get
enough and move on others will take
their places for possibly half an hour.
From a near-by street corner the orig
inator of the audience is looking on.
When the crowd has melted away to
tally he gathers another by the same
simple method. He works from 10 in
the morning until 9 at night , and he is
paid $2 a day. This may seem a large
sum for such work , but it is not when
the character of the window gazer is
taken into consideration. He must be
a gentleman in appearance. To dress
well is a desideratum with -him. You
will perceive that a man fitted out like
a tramp might look into a window for
an hour without exciting any attention
or inducing anyone to stop and look
with him. The nearer a window gazer
can approach to the ensemble of a man
of leisure and wealth out for a stroll
the more valuable his services are. The
same things hold good of women gaz
ers. They are generally placed in front
of the displays in the finer millinery
shops of the department stores. You
can spot one at any time by taking the
trouble to hang about any establish
ment of this character and keeping
your eyes open. " Chicago Chronicle.
Siberian Gentleman's Life.
"For five mouths of the year the Sibe
rian man of fashion lives in the open
air , cither at the mining camp or in the
hunting field , " says Thomas G. Allen ,
Jr. , in Ladies' Home Journal. "He is
an early bird under all circumstances ,
and invariably rises between 7 and 8
o'clock , although he may have had but
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 ,
and in many houses beds , also. The
samovar is set on the dining-room table
at 8 a. m. , together with eggs , black
and white bread , sardines , jam and
cakes , etc. Breakfast is eaten , and
washed down by five or six glasses of
tea stired up with sugar , cream and
sometimes jam. At 1 o'clock dinner is
served , and at 5 in the afternoon an
other small meal , much like that of the
morning , is taken. A meat supper fol
lows at 9 o'clock.
Nam ins tne Child.
"Among the plantation negroes in the
old times , " writes a correspondent ,
"the naming 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 and 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 Prophet 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.
Some men consider that they are not
dressed up unless they have a white
handkerchief showing in their upper
coat pockets.
If a man avoids scraping acquaint
ances he misses lots of scrapes ac
quaintances get u man in Lo
AN ECCENTRIC BAROr ? .
lie Prefers a Tree to a House as a Place
of .Residence.
In the neighborhood of Huis ten
Bosch , wlie o the peace conference met
in Holland , lives Baron Van Ilyusseu ,
an eccentric "Holland nobleman who
prefers a tree to a house as a residence.
His "nest" is a shanty ten feet high ,
eight feet broad and ten deep , stand
ing fifteen feet above the ground
among the branches of a mighty oak
in. the thickest part of the forest. Baron
Van Hyussen says his house is cool in
summer , being protected by the green
roof , and not too cold in winter. He
wouldn't exchange it for any palace in
the world.
He reaches it by ladder , but nobody
else does , as he has no friends and is
not on visiting terms with his rela
tives. When he leaves his refuge to
walk among the trees or to fetch feeder
or water he lets down his ladder-draw
bridge and immediately pulls it up
again by a special contrivance. When
THE BAKON'S HOME.
he is at home the ladder is always up ,
and no amount of calling , shouting or
other noise can make the baron lower
it or persuade him to poke his head out
of the door.
When , fifteen years ago , he moved up
among the trees the servants he then
employed brought to the nest a small
folding bed , a rocking chair , a tiny
table , a cooking stove and a safe.
These things are known to be in the
shanty whether there is anything
more besides the baron's fierce watch
dog nobody knows.
It is surmised , however , that Van
Ilyussen keeps much money , gold and
silver , on hand , for he is a miser. Passersby
ers-by , it is said , often hear the click-
click of coins coming from the leafy
dome ; on such occasions the baron is
supposed to be counting over his treas
ure , but whether this surmise is true is
a question. Perhaps he is merely try
ing his gun. Shooting is the only pleas
ure he allows himself , and , being the
owner of the forest where he lives , he
provides all the meat for his table.
Wonderful stories are in circulation re
specting the man's skill as a crack shot.
Maybe that is one reason why he never
yet was molested by burglars or rob
bers.
Twenty years ago Baron Van Ilyus-
SPII held the post of chamberlain at the
court of old King William. He Avas
then one of the gayest dogs in the king
dom and aided his royal master in
many an escapade , for he was full of
money and health. Suddenlj" , in the
midst of pleasures , he withdrew him
self from society , appointed an ad
ministrator for his estates and went to
the forest , where he spent a month put
ting up the house shown in the illustra
tion. That done , he discharged his ser
vants , sold his horses , carriages and
furniture and said "good-by" to the
world. He has rarely spoken to any
one since.
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.
AVfaen Leap Years Will Be No More.
Within eight more centuries leap
year will have become a relic of the
present time. By that time the extra
eleven days lost to make up the chang
es from the old Julian calendar to that
of the present day will all have been
duly accounted for. and the world will
run around in just 303 days , and no
more.
Ventilated AVaterprool' Goods.
The experiments made by Mr. Ber-
thier of Paris have resulted in the dis
covery of a simple method of imparting
to clothing fabrics the quality of re
pelling water and yet admitting air for
ventilation , the basis in this case be
ing the use of wool which still contains
the animal grease.
Italy's Crown Prince.
There is no more daring rider among
European royalties than the heir to the
throne of Italy , the Prince of Naples.
He is a keen sportsman , and has very
few equals in the hunting field.
The smaller the woman the easier it
is for her to twist a big man around
her finger.
"I wonder if that girl next door plays
by oar ? " "No , by the hour. " Chicago
Daily News.
He "What are you two girls talking
about ? " She "Nothing ; are your ears
burning ? " Yonkers Statesman.
"Jones got broke of walking in his
sleep. " "How ? " "His wife made hits
carry the baby. " Philadelphia Bulle
tin.
"How di'l you succeed in your
speech' : " "When I sat down they said
it was the best thing I ever did. "
Judy.
He "Was your brother engaged in
the late war ? " She "No ; not until
after he came home. " Yonkers States
man.
"Dasher didn't weigh his chances
when he went into that enterprise. "
'And yet lie speculated on a large
scale. " Moonshine.
"I saw you waltzimr around your
lawn this morning. " "Excuse me , that
wasn't a waltz it was a hose reel. "
Cleveland Plain Dealer.
Adalbert And so I am the first man
that you have ever kissed ? Guinevere
Yes ; Adalbert ; the others took the
initiative. Chicago Daily News.
"Do you think strong dring shortens
a man's life ? " "It may , but I never
saw a toper who didn't live out the full
ness of his days. " Philadelphia Bulle
tin.
"Who's that horrid little man over
the way ? " "Oh , that's my brother. "
"How stupid of me , dear ; I ought to
have known by the likeness. " Ally
Sloper.
Listening to a speaker , you can tell
every school teacher in the audience
by the way they look when lie mispro
nounces a word. Washington Demo
crat.
Surprising. Mr. Gotham " "Here. sir.
is some whisky which I have had in
my cellar for twenty years. " Col. Kain-
tuck "Well ! How did it get lost ? "
New York Weekly.
Browne "Waiter , bring me a dozen
oysters on the half shell. " Waiter
"Sorry , sah , but Ave'se all out. of shell
fish , sah , 'ceptin' aigs. " Rochester
Union and Advertiser.
"I would like a straw with this lem
onade , " said the lady at the table.
"Hey ? " ejaculated the waiter , who was
hard of hearing. "No ; straw , I said. "
Yonkers Statesman.
Birdcage Bill W'ot is a loafer ? Why.
a loafer is a feller dat loafs of course !
The Bowery Chicken Dat shows your
ignorance. A loafer is a feller dat loafs
and has no bank account.
Maude "You wouldn't know my
fiance now if you met him. " Nell
"Why , has he changed so much as
that ? " Maude "That isn't it , exactly.
I've changed him. " Pick Me Up.
Mrs. Murphy "Now , which wan oC
youse byes trim that ball t'ro me base
ment windy ? " The Pitcher "All kicks
must be registered with the umpire ,
leddy. Play ball , fellers ! " Up-to-Date.
The Wife "If you object tc giving
me money always , why don't you givu
int so much a year and have done with
it ? " The Husband "I do give you 'so
much. ' That's just what I object to. "
Judy.
Salesman "This is the fashionable
color , madame. " Mine. Parvenu
"Very likely but can't 3-011 let me have
a cloth of that 'local color' the painters
talk so much about ? " Le Journal
Amusant.
Young Optician "It seems to be a
complication of coujunctivities , pres
byopia and astigmatism. " The patient
"Say , mister , how many pairs o *
specs'll it take to euro 'em ? " The
Jeweler's Weekly.
"Johnny , are your people going to
take you with them on that trip across
the ocean ? " "Yes'm. " "Aren't you
afraid ? " "Nome. Ain't afraid of noth-
iu' . I've been vaccinated an' baptized. "
Chicago Tribune.
"Your voice , " said the commanding
officer , "is decidedly rasping. " "Yes ,
sir , " replied the subordinate , touching
his hat. "I have been out roughing it
with a file of soldiers all the morning. "
Chicago Tribune.
"I hear that Mr. Whiflletrce has se
cured a divorce from his wife , " said
Mr. Birmingham. "He has been mus
tered out of the matrimonial army , "
replied Mr. Manchester. Pittsburg
Chronicle-Telegraph.
Benevolent Stranger ( to little boy
who is looking about for something on
the ground ) "What are you searching
for , my dear ? What have you lost ? "
Little Boy "My balance , sir ; I tum
bled off er that fence jest now , and
muvver sed as how I'd lost it , so I
thought I'd try and find it afore father
came home. " Ally Slcper.
Inventor I've hit a money-making
thing at last. The preachers will go
wild over it. and it will sell like hot
cakes. It's a church contribution box.
Friend What good is that ? Inventor
It's a triumph. The coins fall through
slots of different sizes , and half-crowns ,
shillings and sixpences land on velvet ;
but the pennies and half-pennies drop
on to a Chinese gong. Tit-Bits.
"Golf is such an expensive game that
I really can't afford to play , " sighed
ilrs. Quiverfull. "That's where you
make a great mistake , " said Mrs.
Bowser. "I found it a great economy.
I don't have to keep a nurse any more ,
as the children are always on the links
with me ; we don't have any more doc
tors' bills ; and besides all that , I don't
have to buy any more expensive delica
cies to tempt my husband's appetite.
He talks so much about his game at
dinner that he doesn't know what
eating. " Haruer's Bazar.
