Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-12-29

on the kang. but the trouble 1 found with
them was that when they were fired up
they roasted me, and as soon as the fire
went out the kang became cold as
stone. / slept on them many nights dur
ing my interior trip. and was continually
afflicted with a cold. Had the fuel been
with straw they were worse than no fires
at all. The stoves Of China are usually OF
clay, and charcoal is largely used for cook
ing. There is said to be coal in nearly all
parts of the empire. but only little Is
mined. All of that brought into Picking is
carried on the backs Of camels, and / saw
many coal merchants who sold nothing but
coal dust. They mixed the powdered coal
with dirt, and nodded 1t up into Jumps of
about the size and shape Of base ball.
1t was sold by the basket, and 1t brought
high prices.
Chinas Immense Coal Mines.
Still, China has some of the largest coal
fields In the world, and German geologist
who has examined into the matter says
that the extent of the workable coal beds
of China is greater than that of any other
country. There is coal right near Hankow.
which is now being used in the making OF
iron, and every province in the empire Is
said to have coal In 1t. There is, however.
only one mine which Is being operated on
anything like scientific principles This Is
at Tong Shan, about eighty miles from Tfen-
Tsin, and the Chinese have been mining
about two thousand tons of coal a day here
for years. / visited the works last summer,
and took look at the miners. They re-
oeive about sixty-three cents a week, or
nine cents a day. and the mines pay very
we'll. The coal Ia bitumnous, and 1t was
about the only source Of supply which
China had during the trouble with the
Japanese The railroad runs right through
this region. and 1t was first built to carry
this coal to the sea. There Is said to be
good anthracite coal In the hills near
Picking. and when China is covered with
railroads coal will be the cheapest Of fuel.
How the Rich Freeze.
I was surprised at the way the richer
Chinese suffer from the cold I almost
froze during my talk with Ii Hung Chang.
and he wore a fur gown during my inter-
view. In some Of the Chinese homes which
I visited there were little bowls OF char
coal in the best rooms. but there were no
signs of open fires anywhere, and the Chi
nese know nothing of the joys of the fire.
side Their buildings have many draughts,
and the windows and doors seldom fit well.
When trey get out of order. they are al
loved to remain so. and nearly all Of the
old houses are shabby and dilapidated.
took a trip over the great plain from
Peking to the mountains of Mongolia on
the edge Of the winter, and l nearly froze
to death In the hotels. During this time l
passed many Of the Mongols riding on the
great woolly canels which are common to
north China, and which you find, l think,
nowhere else In the world. These camels
have wool about a foot long. and 1t hangs
down in great fringes from their necks and
their bellies. They have two humps, and
they are usually Of a tan color. The Mon
gols upon them were all dressed In furs.
and both men and women wore pantaloons.
Both sexes rode astride. and they were
very insolent and rough In their greetings.
They are dirty and greasy. and they eat all
sorts OF fats They carry great quantities
of brick tea from Picking into Mongolia,
and they make q tea soup which they
strengthen with mutton tallow. Some Of
them have on robes of sheepskin with the
wool Of the sheep turned inward. and these
fall from their necks to their ankles. They
wear shaggy fur caps with earlaps. and
they sometimes put their feet into bags of
wolfskin, or other fur, to keep out the cold.
The Japanese I'm China.
A great deal of sympathy Is being wasted