Rensselaer Journal, Volume 11, Number 9, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 8 August 1901 — PLAN TO LINK CONTINENTS BY RAIL AND FERRY. [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

PLAN TO LINK CONTINENTS BY RAIL AND FERRY.

A gigantic trans-Alaskan and Siberian railroad project is to be unuertaken by French, Russian and American capitalists within the next few years, according to plans outlined by L. De Lobel, a French mining engineer. who left Paris July 13 and started from Tacoma, Wash., for the Klondike Sunday night on the Dolphin. He says a company with a capital /Of $200,000,000 is planned to build nearly 4,000 miles of railroad, besides spanning Behring Sea with immense steam ferries. The United States government will be asked for a land grant in the Yukon country and M. De Lobel on

his return will visit President McKinley to ask him to recommend to Congress the granting of the concessions. In order to build the road it will be necessary for the United States to annex that part of Canada known as British Columbia. The proposed road Is to start at Circle City, Alaska, and run 2,000 miles to Behring Sea. After crossing the straits by car ferry, from the Siberian coast to Vladivostock 1,800 miles of road will be required. Ferries are to be constructed large enough tq transport loaded trains, making it possible to go from Circle City to Moscow and Paris by railroad.