The record-union., 1893-04-17
FROM THE ORIENT.
FAMINE PREVAILING IN MCNGO-
Liza AND SHANSI.
People Dying of Observation-Disclosures
Miners Buried in an Avalanche
in Japan.
Special to the RECoRp-UNIoN.

special 10 The RECoRD-UNIoN.
SAN FRANCISCO, April 16.-The Pacific
Mail steamship China arrived yesterday.
| bringing Hongkong news to March 18th
and Yokohama advices to March 25th.
Famine prevails in Mongolia and in
Shansi, and the outlook is even worse than
in the memorable year that followed the
big overflow of the Yellow River. A ma
tive report coming from Kalgan gives
gruesome details of the horrors of famine
in the districts between that place and
Mongolia. For $50 miles not SO much as
g single grain of wheat has been raised
by the Inhabitants, so that after thew had
consumed their reserves nothing more
could be done than to lie down and die or
leave the country for the South. Nearly
three-fifths accepted the latter alternative.
but those who died from exhaustion in
the exodus outnumbered those who snc-
ceeded.
The latter were the young and strong.
but in what miserable condition did
they present themselves! They remind
ed one on looking at them like so many
skeletons, with faces as sharp and pointed
as the eagle. The rich in the famine dis
tricts stayed at home, of course, but thew
had to economic their scanty stocks of
oil and wheat, while those either too old
or poor to leave the country were fortu-
nate if they could find herbs and roots of
trees and plants to satisfy the cravings of
starvation. lie must have had heart of
iron not to have wept tears whenever
his eyes rested on the hundreds of bodies
lying on the roads and by-paths. either
in dying condition or stiff and lifeless
And the bitter cold! Which of these two
cruel enemies took away the most-cold
or hunger?
The crafty graindealers of Shansi made
enormous profits out of the poor suffer-
ers, some of whom, having no money to
buy the precious cereals, sold or gave in
exchange their children in barter. For
instance, child of was worth many
hundred cash, and marriageable girls
were bartered in exchange for a cancels
load of wheat or 400 catties.
A correspondent from North Sbansi
says that DR.. Stuart reports that near
Ningwu Hsieg he met seventeen loads
of young women and girls on the
way toward the south to be soId
Each load had an average of twenty
persons, all from one district. The
people of the Kueihua Hsien viii
lagos say that out of every three
persons two will die before the end of
the second month of next year. This
year the oat and wheat crops were
practically failure, and the millet
crop was not more than one-half
as large as usual. A few million
aires in the neighborhood are do
ing all they can to help those about them,
but the most they can do is but little.
They can at the best save but few out of
the many. Every day in Tait'ung Flu
the missionaries see two and even more
lying dead in the streets near by.
An avalanche attended with fatal re-
suits is reported from Ishikawa Ken,
Japan, about March 18th. 1t took place
in the Koya coal mine, burying about
eighty miners. A large gang of workmen
were Immediately set to work unearthing
the imprisoned men, and eighteen were
rescued, five of them, however expiring
afterward. The rest of the unfortunate
men were beyond rescue, being buried
under forty feet of snow, and the recov-
cry of their bodies must await the melt
ing of the snow, we are told.