HISTOKICAL SKETCH. 2 I 



His Imperial Higluit'ss, the Tsarevich, in his voyage tlirongh the whole of Siberia 

 from Vladivostok to the Urals, became personally acquainted with many of the immediate 

 needs of this distant portion of the Empire and from that time the problem of the realiza- 

 tion of this colossal work took a practical form. The construction was started simultaneously 

 from the two opposite extremities of Siberia and as its completion necessitated numerous other 

 subsidiary woiks having both the oljject of facilitating the actual construction and the peopling 

 and industrial development of the districts adjoining the line, it was therefore decided at 

 the end of 1892 to institute a special committee at St.-Petersburg under the title of the 

 «Committee of the Siberian Railway* and to concentrate the entire direction of the matter in 

 this Committee. His Imperial Highness the Tsarevich named by Imperial decree the Presi- 

 dent of this Committee, has already instituted a series of practical measures for the most 

 rapid realization of this line connecting the Russian railway system with the Pacific coasts 

 of Siberia. 



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