The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1884-11-15
TELEGRAPHY IN CHINA.
The Imperial Chinese ~Company's Telegraph
0hiee-HOw tine Work Is Done.
Shnnrhni Lettnr in Nnw York prihnna

Ohiee-HOw tine Work Is Done.
Shanghai Letter in New York Tribune.
had some curiosity to see how the Chinese
managed a telegraph office, and through the in
fuence of a Danish friend was admitted yester-
day to that OF the Imperial Chinese Company.
1t is in a handsome building in the usually mass
i've style of banks and business houses in
Shanghai, which often have an arched balcony
running around each story. When space be
comes valuable these balconies are closed in,
which darkens the inner rooms. The general re-
suit is n structure which is cross between the
Alhambra and the residence of a Southern plan
ter. The building in question was used by Rus
sell & Co. before they moved into the larger and
Shower one they now occupy.
In the first room | entered there were a num-
Der of Chinese clerks, whose duty it was to re
eeive messages and send them by elevator to the
operating room. Directly behind was the room
Of the barelagged coolie messengers. Other
rooms on this floor were occupied for various
subordinate purposes. On the second floor were
the business manager. assistant manager, chief
clerk, electricians, operating room and reception
room Tn reception room had Chinese furni-
ture about the sides, there being a table between
every tHo chairs for tea, without which no bust
ness can be transacted in China On one side
was a raised divan, large enough to accommodate
two Mandarins, also with q little elevated table
for tea. The walls were ornalnented with marble
slabs, the veins Of which we're supposed to rep
resent trees and mountains. There was hardly
a room in the building, not excepting that occu-
pied by the messengers, in which there was not
a tea-table.
The operating room bore little resemblance 2
the large noisy rooms with their several hundred
operators which one sees in America. In front
Of the windows on one side of it were some half
a dozen or more Siemens machines, and near
them three or four brown, round faced Chinese
boys Of fifteen or sixteen years. These we're OPP
orators. AS there happened to be a lul in war
news they rose respectfully and listened to our
conversation. One machine was for the business
Of fhQ WTNn Gnnr fArf. anO46or, 1a,naot fha cat
Element with Woo Sung village and was chiefly
patronized by Chinese merchants; others be-
longed seVerally to Foo-Chow, Nan King,
including other Yang Use ports. and Pc
King and intermediate points. Nan King
is the capital of this province and the headquar-
ters of the Viceroy Tseng. uncle of the Marquis
Tseng. ! had reason TO believe he kept his line
busy, for the boy in charge Of the Tien Tsin and
Pc King wire had little repose. The anxiety Of
Chinese officials to know what is going on is
great, and as their telegraph connections are
limited they are obliged often to depend on for
eigners for information. In commercial dis
patches less was doing.
The operators learn telegraphy and English in
schools established for the purpose in Shanghai,
Foo Chow and Tien Tsin. They do not speak
English, but read it and understand it when
spoken. The officers in talking to one another
over the wire always use English. All dis
patches except those in Chinese are sent and re-
ceived as handed into the Office for
sending. For the Chinese dispatches a
code of numerals is used, the figures running
from one to ten thousand, and each figure rep
resenting a Chinese word. The code book is
voluminous. The same system has been EN-
ployed for some time in Europe to avoid lingual
difficulties which would otherwise seem insur-
mountable. Before this method was employed
Chinese dispatches had TO be translated in Eng
lish before transmission. 1t will be a fortunate
day for China when she is covered with a net
work of telegraphs and railways. Every intelli-
gent Chinaman believes in railroads now, since
the present war has shown their absolute neces-
sity. This telegraph Office is the only business
enterprise of Importance in which the Chinese
have vet succeeded with the officers and nearly
all the employees natives. The company
has no cables except in crossing large rivers
like the Yang Use. The lines were constructed
under the direction of Danish engineers, a few
Of whom are still employed in important posi-
tons in the main offices. A Danish company
has a cable to Hong Kong gand Vladiyostock, and
st. Petersburg, touching at Japan The East
ern Teiegras IL Company, owned by Engilshuen,
has also a cable to Hong Kong and Australia,
and is building a land line to Foo Chow. These
are all the telegraph lines so far possessed by
China. Railroads are certain to be built
present war closes. The first, it is reported,
viii be from Picking and TieD Tsin to Ching
keang, in the province of Shi Lung, a distance
of 600 miles. Representatives of Shanghai
firms are now at Tien Tsin looking for contracts.
Other roads are sure to be built later, giving
employment TO an immense amount of foreign
talent and foreign capital. Money will be
looked for in Europe. American capital can be
too profitably used in America to seek such in
vestment as this in the far East, but much of
the money expended will find its way into the
pockets of American contractors who have am
pie experience ana 0lenty of energy for the
work.