Union County courier. [volume] (Elk Point, Union County, D.T. [S.D.]) 187?-1913, 1878-09-11
CHINESE VEHICLES.
The Na-chay," }" or Two-Wheelsd Dart,
and the !" Chotsxe," or wheel Barrow


The "Ha-chay," }" or Two-Wheeled Dart
and the "Chotsxe," or Wheel Barrow
Sedan.
The utmost that the country can boas
of in the way Of horsed vehicles is th.
ma-chay," or two wheeled cart, ths
appearance, comfort, and the speed ol
which may be imagined if the reader
can picture to himself one of the old
Bath sedans with the bottom cut short
of, and then mounted upon q springlese,
clumsy frame, rolling upon two as clum-
sy wheels, and drawn by sorry worn
out mule or pony, over roads to which
the application of the name corduroy F"
would be q euphemism. Taking stop.
pages, owing to the condition of the
road, hunger and thirst of driver and
beast, accidents, &C., into consideration,
the speed at which such q machine
would cover the ground might be hand.
somely estimated at from five to six
miles the hour. These vehicles are
mostly used in north China, and the
gentlemen as we'll as the ladies who have
the henor of representing European
states at Pekin and thereabout might, if
questioned, be able to give some very in
teresting, not to say melancholy, remin-
iscences of their experiences of travel
after this sort. To Chinese, however,
this sedan-cart, or cartsedan, whichever
it may be termed, is quite stylish turn
out, mandarins of the highest grade in
dulging in their use, and they may con.
stantly be seen curtained and lined with
tho Huncf n1r<k os1k and ovvoh Snr rnl
with the softest and costliest of furs.
Their one great lack is springs, and curl
ously enough, the invention of John
Chinaman, practical as it is in most
cases, has not compassed the idea of sav.
ing his skin and bones to this extent,
whether as regards the body or the shafts
of the conveyance. Another wheeled
vehicle, equally characteristic, but afro
cious with the cart sedan, is the wheeled
barrow, or "chotsze." Not anything
like the machine with terminal wheel
and box-like capacity which we are &C
customed to associate with the name;
but much more ingenious conveyance,
in which the passengers sit nearly back to
back, with their faces outward, and legs
pendant, luggage, &C., cleverly packed
alongside of them. Could an Irish car
be reduced to miniature size, its two
wheels removed, and q huge centre
wheel substituted, running under and
between the two seats, and could q Chi
naman be placed between the shafts, face
toward the car, and driving it backward,
the metamorphosis would come nearer
representing the Chinese wheelbarrow
than anything we can describe. these
barrows carry both passengers and goods.
and are constructed of two sizes-the
smaller driven by one man, and having
carrying capacity of four passengers,
or three to four hundredweight, and the
larger, requiring track in front, in the
shape of man or donkey, and equal to
the conveyance of double that quantity.
Often in long journeys, the passengers
for consideration get the driver to fit
over their heads hood of oiled paper,
stretched upon bamboo framework, to
keep out the rain and dust; and at times
the driver eases his load by planting q
stanchion on either side, and making
sail, when the wind proves conductive,
thus giving practical exemplifcation of
the truth of the lines
-"On the barren plains
OF SeFicana, where Chinese drive
With sails and wind thier cauny wagons light"
A striking popularity of this class of
conveyance is the excruciating shrek
which they invariably give vent to when
ON the move, owing to the fact that both
axle and box are made of wood. Chi
nese passengers appreciate this music,
but it was found so torturing in the
foreign settlement of Shanghai, that the
municipal council was compelled to pass
statute forbidding the noise, on pain
of forfeiture of the barrow; and it was
always amusing to observe how careful
John Chinaman was to stop his barrow
on entering municipal limits, tilt it on
end, and grease up previously to ventur-
ing upon foreign policed territory.
Wheelbarrows, like their congeners the
carts, are confined to certain tracts of
the country only, and constitute, as
rule, the vehicle of the midland provin-
ces. In Shanghai itself they have been
obliged to give way to q great extent to
the Ginrickshaw," or man-cart, o.
japanese introduction of recent date,
which is q light two-wheeled spring gig,
drawn with ease at a rapid trot BY one
man, and capable of holding two passen.
gers. The facility of jumping in and
out of this conveyance, and the speed at
which it may be bowled along the excel
lent roads Of Shanghai, combine to re-
commend its use to the shrewd China
man, slow although he be as rule to
take up with new-fangled and foreign
notions. The fares paid to the wheel
barrow-drivers are wonderfully low.
Their remuneration depends much upon
the level and condition of road traversed,
- we'll ~ upon the load carried; but
fair idea of its reasonable character may
Be gathered from the fact that one pas
senger can be conveyed from one end of
the Shanghai settlements to the other,
distance Of about two miles, for the ridi.
culous sum of Is cash, equal to about
penny of our money.-Co CornAiu Magazine.
A Donkoy's Untimsly Intrusion.
Under the heading Of "A Midnight
n