The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1876-07-27
The First Chinese Railroad.

The Moscow Nei0S publishes letter
from its correspondent at Shanghai,
dated March q, in which an account is
given of railway, IL English miles in
length, which has just been finished,
and now connects Shanghai with the
village of Oussoon. The line runs along
the borders of the RiverVan Poo, of which
the navigation between Shanghai and
OussUon is impeded by sand-bank, al
ways an obstacle, and sometimes an in
superable one. 1t was proposed some
time ago by the foreign merchants at
Shanghai to build a railway from Shang-
hal to Oussoon; but the Chinese
authorities refused to grant the neces-
sary permission. Flattery, bribery, the
"abuse of the English local papers" all
failed to move the stubborn admins
tration. At last it was determined,
without consulting the Chinese, to form
company for exploring the forbidden
route. The requisite capital was sub
scribed without delay, and on the
survey being made, it appeared that,
with the exception of three little creeks
which it would be necessary to bridge
over, and few hollows which would
have to be filled up, the line presented
no engineering difficulties" of any
kind. 1t was then determined to go
on, at all risks, with the railway. The
Governor Of the district was prevailed
upon to give his authorization for the
making of Suitable road, " which he
did the more willingly inasmuch as
large numbers of work people had con-
stantly to make the journey from Gus
soon to Shanghai. Then the land had
to be bought; also the right of building
bridges over the creeks. The Chinese
proprietors were afraid to without
first obtaining the sanction of the au
thorities but as some sort of road
was wanted by every one, no objection
was made to the proposed purchase.
Having acquired the ownership Of the
land on which it was intended to con-
struct the railway, the Shanghai mer-
chants sent to England for rails, which
in due time arrived. Meanwhile the
woodwork had been completed, and in
the middle of January last the engi-
neers began to lay the rails down. Still
the officials looked calmly on; until ION
the 10th of March, it was found posi-
BILE to make a trial trip along the line
of railway three miles in length. The
English directors and shareholders
travelled in the carriages, and the lug
gage vans were filled with Chinese, who
seemed to make the journey with great
satisfaction to themselves, the more so
as, besides being carried for nothing,
they were, according to the Russian
correspondent, further propitiated with
"roast beef and sherry" When the
Governor of the district was
informed that the railway was
partly completed, and that engines
were running over portion of the line,
he at first treated the report with con-
tempt" But it was confirmed again
and again by eye-witnesses; and ulti-
mately the great man went QUITO see
for himself, and in presence of an ex-
cited crowd, ordered the rails to be
taken up. The chairman of the COM
pany, however, begged him before re-
curing the execution of such an ex-
treme measure to consider the matter
in private; and the two went together
to the Government house, where the
Governors own permission to construct
suitable road" was shown to him.
The discussion was thus narrowed to the
question whether the road of iron be-
tween OussoOn and Shanghai was real
ly 90 suitable" one, and the Governor
at last consented 10 submit this point to
the superior officials at Pekin. Before
an answer could be received trains were
running all the way from Shanghai to
Oussoon.
1t was rumored yesterday, concludes
the correspondent Chat is, on the Goth
of March), that an authorization had
arrived from Pekin to tolerate what the
foreigners had already completed
which gave them the right of keeping
open the entire line. Two Cinnamon,
imprisoned for having aided the for
eigners in the construction of the rail-
way, had been suddenly liberated; and
it was thought that the Chinese Gov
eminent would, in the end, purchase
the line so as to keep it entirely under
their own control. In any case the hos
tility of the Chinese Government to
railways no longer exists in its old force,
and locomotives may, ere long, be
looked upon as no more danger
Gus than steam vessels. Already
1000 Chinese are travelling daily be-
tween Oussoon and Shanghai-for the
most part by the third-class at a charge
of only five cents for the journey. The
correspondent remembers the running
of the first railway train in Russia, be-
tween ST Petersburg and Paulovskv
when it was the general opinion of the
lookers-on that the devil was inside the
engine, and he can not help thinking
that the Chinese of the towns in the
present day are more intelligent than
were the Russians of St. Petel sburg in
1910