• THE GEEAT SIBERIAN RAILWAY. 25.7 



composite consisting of passenger and freight cars; the engines are to be eight-wheeled: the 

 passenger cars, partly eight-wheeled and partly six-wheeled, and the freight cars, four 

 wheeled. 



On account of the importance of the water supply to the traffic of the line and the 

 difficulty of increasing it ultimately, it has been decided to arrange it only at the stations, 

 that is, at distances of 59 vcrsts, but to provide sufficient water for the passage of 7 sets 

 of trains. In order to increase the water supply when required a supplementary apparatus of 

 the simplest type may be provided at points between the stations. 



Based upon these technical conditions, a preliminary estimate of the cost of building 

 the Great Siberian Railway has been calculated, including rails, fastenings, rolling stock and 

 permanent bridges across the large rivers. The distribution of the expenses according to the 

 class of work is shown in the table on the following pages. 



The estimate of the cost of constructing the Great Siberian Railway, as shown by the 

 following table, does not however include all the expenses which this entcu-prise entails. In 

 order that this undertaking might with greater ease fulfill the numerous obligations which 

 devolve upon it, it has been deemed advisable to assist in the accomplishment of a number 

 of auxiliary measures in conjunction with it, with the object on the one hand, of facilitating 

 and diminishing the cost of the line itself, and on the other hand of increasing .the economic 

 and progressive influence which it will excercise on the prosperity of Siberia. The 

 first of these auxiliary works is the construction of a branch line between the Siberian and 

 I'ral railways, in order to make use of the products of the Ural metallurgical works, 

 as much as possible, for building the main line. Furthermore it has been decided to build 

 some river wharves and lay branch lines to them; to improve the Siberian rivers in order to 

 facilitate the transport of building materials; to assist the development of river steam navi- 

 gation upon those river systems which adjoin the Siberian railway, and which are capable of being 

 closely connected with it; to establish a route through the Northern Ocean to the mouths of 

 the Obi and Yenisei; to assist colonization on the Siberian land in the region near the line: 

 to encourage the iron woiks which may be established in Siberia near the railway; to form 

 geological expeditions for continuing the geological investigation of the country which has 

 already been commenced; to make an exhaustive description of the Amour district, et cetera. 



To carry out these auxiliary enterprises during the time appointed for completing 

 the sections of the first stage a sum of 14 million roubles has been put aside out of the 

 Siberian railway building fund. When the work of the second and third stages is commenced, 

 in all probability special sums will be in like manner appointed for carrying out the aux- 

 iliary enterprises, exclusive of the estimate of the cost of building the Great Siberian 

 Railway. 



17 



