Full resolution (JPEG) - On this page / på denna sida - I. To the Gate of Siberia
<< prev. page << föreg. sida << >> nästa sida >> next page >>
Below is the raw OCR text
from the above scanned image.
Do you see an error? Proofread the page now!
Här nedan syns maskintolkade texten från faksimilbilden ovan.
Ser du något fel? Korrekturläs sidan nu!
This page has been proofread at least once.
(diff)
(history)
Denna sida har korrekturlästs minst en gång.
(skillnad)
(historik)
we finally arrived at Tschelàbinsk, the “Western Gate of
Siberia,” and the terminus of the great Trans-Siberian
railroad.
This first station on the Siberian railway is beautifully
situated among birch-groves in a valley on the eastern
slopes of the Ural mountains, near the border between Asia
and Europe. Formerly a small posting-station, Tschelàbinsk,
since the opening of the western part of the Siberian
railroad, has grown rapidly in importance. Like most
centres of population in Siberia, the town is situated a few
kilometres from the railroad. The railway-station is
altogether too small to answer the growing requirements of
traffic, and we found it the scene of incredible crowding
and confusion. For a great distance along the line there
were piles upon piles of various kinds of goods lying in the
open, or sheltered only by primitive sheds or by tarpaulin.
It was said by persons competent to judge that there were
about 4000 waggon-loads of goods—cereals, hides, tallow,
furs, etc., awaiting transport. This hopeless blocking of
goods here and at other places on the Siberian railway is a
problem not easily solved. The construction of the line
throughout is as yet only of a temporary character, and it
therefore cannot stand a forced traffic before thorough
reconstruction and the laying of new rails has taken place.
Yet specialists consider that even now the traffic might be
increased considerably on the Siberian line. The greatest
hindrances, however, are not in Siberia itself, but west of
the Siberian border, on the Slatoust-Samara line which passes
<< prev. page << föreg. sida << >> nästa sida >> next page >>
