The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1894-08-19

no carriages co1sd easily be driven asous
:. aus y aza. on the side Ezcsax tie roan-
Try. cFe1e4Aatsd bats4esners wffh ko8@s
aARKa sn02Rn for 1ts cesens4era 20 saoo.
1hro1zh With arFoBs There are ~ cannon
UPON * ana X viii be nc means o. DE-
- &sAanst TIE batteries 0f the Chinese
OF the 1spAsn the present stwury.e Ia
oaly pse IN tate years has bs4u Z, ger ous
tAs tigers 2a1 leop4rts This sal i
HsoFe than SIX miles Ia leugtA IL Is
PlSfce1 oy eight gates, tae arches OF
snica are - beautifully laia and cas A
these 81 any stone work yon wsn fnd ia
ne Daited states. Esch % these great
srcaes has carved roof Of black tiles.
his rests upon carved wo0dea pillars,
when use above the tops Of the walls and
which form watch towers for the sngsff~rn.
DTsf the great south gale. the main en-
trance 10 the capital. there are tao such
roots. one above the other. which are
k11Fde1 a thesr corners bY miniature de-
mons OF porcelain. Eh0 seem 10 fps crawling
siong the efges % the structure. II woal3
not take fauch more than Gazing gun 20
Daster down the heavy doors By which
these arches are closed These doors are
bigger than those of any bAra in our
eosntry- They are swung uu-on utvots
faads oy pins hitting into Il. masonry az
the top and the bottom They are
saeAtned with plates OF iron riysfed on
with BIG bolts, aad mp until now the COM
mon Koreans have thought them q de-
tense against the enemy. They have a.
much ceremony connected With them as
other nations with their forts. and there
are oilcefs IN charge Of them who would
lose their heads II they failed in their
daty-. Every night just at sundown these
gates are closed, and they are not opened
again until about in the morning.
The signal Of their closing and opening
= TIE ringing OF massive bell IN the exact
center OF the city. After this those who
are IN cannot get out, and those who are
outside cannot get in.
The greatest care Is taken Of the KEYS 20
these gates. The locks close with aspiring
and the keys are kept IN the kings palace
except At the time that they are used at
the gates. The locks themselves are
guarded AL day al the palace and are only
brought 10 the gates . short tine before
closing the city. / wish / could show Won
one Of these locks. Each gate has two Of
them and they are each as heavy rs To-
year-oid boy. IL - all that one ran can
do % carry them from one part Of the city
10 the other. and when | tried to lift one
iound my back strained. They are OF mar
siye iron They are made in the share Of
box and are two feet wide and AZ least a
foot thick. They lock with q spring much
like that Of a paddock and it takes ham
mer TO put them together
When lifted the lock the gatekeeper
with horror warned me 10 iet il alone.
lie pointed 10 my neck and drew his
finger rapidly around his own in order
10 let me know .hat I was in danger OF
losing my head. | still held i. aud he
rushed toward me as though he would
seize IL from my hand. As he came
up dropped il on the stones Ii clat-
tered and i stopped over and tried to
raise IL again. AS / did so / stood il on
end and the rod of iron which was par
tally thrust into the iron box rested on
the ground The Korean gatekesper,s face
became ashy. He grabbed the lock from
me, and as be did 80 I could see the reason
for his fear. The rod on which the lock
rested on the ground formed the means of
locking IL. and had pushed down upon il
the spring would have caught lie would
have been unable 20 lock the gate that
night without going TO the palace to get
the key and might have lost his head for
his carelessness- Ny interpreter showed
me the trouble and be told me that the
king would surely punish the man il he
knew that the lock had been cut Of bis
possession. then went on to the gate
and looked at the clumsy fastening into
which this lock went. The bar which
have spoken of was as big as an old
fashioned poker and the lock Joined chains
made of links of wrought iron, which were
as big around as the blceps OF black
smith, the rings being as thick as your
thumb.
II was just after this that the hour for
closing the gates of the city approached.
waited and watched. First two men came
from the gatehouse and sang out in Korean
the words that the gates were closing and
the time was short. Their voices were as
shriil as those OF an imam of Moham-
medsn mosque when he calls out the hour
of prayer from the minarsts. aud they held
on TO their nnal tones for the space of
twelve seconds by my watch. As they
cried there was a grand rush for the gates.
Hundreds of men in black hats and white
gowns ran ghost-like through the cAFK-
ness. Bareheaded coolies dragged great
bullocks with packs on their backs through
the doors. and porters by the scores. loaded
down with all sorts of wares, came STUN
bling along. There were coolies bearing
closed boxes, In which were their mis-
tresses. 1nerewere officials on horseback
and mobiles on fooi all pushing aud soram-
bling 10 get in before the gates closed. As
| watched the big bell pealed out its kneli,
and the two men grasped the great doors
and pulled them together With bang. liz
took the strength of both 10 move each
one Of them, and the gates locked with
spring. The kay. which remains with the
King over night Is not brought back from
massive bar of iron, and IL taxes a sledge
hammer TO drive is into the lock. Similar
locks are on the gates 10 the wall which
ineIoses the palace Of the king and ON
each of the eight gates OF the city.
Inside this great wall. within this set
ting OF mountains. lies the city of Seoul
IL Is town bigger than Cincinnati, Clsve-
land. Louisville. Washington Clty, Buffalo
or Detroit II contains more than SO COO
people and il has scarcely house that is
more than one story high. II Is city Of
vide streets and narrow. winding alleys
IL isa city OF thatched huts and tiled one
story buildings. On one side Of IL are the
palaces OF the king. They cover al area as
large as that Of n l.ooo-acre farm. and they
are massive one-story buildings surrounded
By great walls aud laid out with al the
regularity Of city. As you stand on the
walls OF Seoul and look over this medley
Of buildings, your hrst impression - that
you are IA the midst Of a vast hay heid,
interpreted here and there with tiled
barns. and the three biggest streets that
cut through these myriad haycocSs look
Ike road through the fields. You note
the shape Of the matched houses. They
are All formed like hoFseshoes With the
heel 81 the shoe resting oB The street. ne
roofs are tied on With strings. aud the
thatch has grown old. and under the soit
light OF the setting sun Il assumes the
rich color Of brosn plush. and taere Is
xetyety softness 10 the whole. As you
look closer you see that the citf Is III
ytdeA IN into streets. and that these nAr-
ro~ and widen and twist aud t1Fn with
ont regularity or order. one part OF the
city Is made almost entirely OF tiled
buildings These are the hames at the
swells. and over there not far from the