Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1894-10-29
CYCLING ACROSS CHINA.
THE REM ARNAELE JOURNEY OF
TWO YOUNG AMERICANS.
Threading the Desert OF Cobb on the
Silent Steed-Money Hidden i'll
Pneumatic Tires.

hnd SacntleDeu, was the crossing OF
the Desert of Cobb. They describe
this part of their tour in the Century.
At Kuldia they were detained, await
ing the arrival of the necessary pass
ports and supplies. They utilized the
time in studying the Chinese Ian
guages, and in giving the final touches
to their outfit
'Our work of preparation was
principally n process Of elimination.
We now had to prepare for forced
march in case of necessity. Handle
bars and seat-posts were shortened to
save weight, and even the leather bag
gage carriers, fitting in the frames of
the machines, which we ourselves had
| patented before leaving England, were
replaced by couple OF sleeping bags
made for us out of woolen shawls and
Chinese oiled canvas. The cutting off
OF buttons and extra parts of our
clothing, as we'll as the shaving of our
heads and faces, was also included by
our friends in the list OF curtailments
For the same reason one of our
came eras, which we always carried on
our backs, and refilled at night under
the bed-clothes, we sold to Chinese
photographer at Suidun, to make
loom for an extra provision bag.
"And now the money problem was
the most perplexing of all. This
alone said the Russian Consul, If
nothing else, will defeat your plans
Those Western bankers who adver-
tiso to furnish letters of credit to
any part of the world, are, to say the
least, rather sweeping in their asser-
tions. At any rate, our own London
letter was of no use beyond the Bos-
porous, except with the Persian i'm
perial banks run by an English syn
dictate. At the American Bible House
ut Constantinople we were allowed,
AS a personal favor, to buy drafts on
the various missionaries along the
route through Asiatic Turkey. But
in Central A ia we found that the
Russian bankers and merchants would
not handle English paper, and We
were therefore compelled to send our
letter Of credit by mail to Moscow
Thither we had recently sent it on
leaving Taskhend, with instructions
to remit the currency to Irkutsk,
Siberia. We now had to telegraph to
that point to reiorward over the
Kiakhta post-route to Peking. With
the cash on hand, and the proceeds of
the camera, sold for more than ha Ii
its weight in silver, four and one
third pounds, We thought we had
sufficient money to carry us, or,
rather, as much as we could carry,
to that point for the weight OF the
Chinese money nee essary for n journey
of over three thousand miles was, as
the Russian Consul thought, one of
the greatest of our almost insur-
mountable obstacles.
''There being no banks or exchanges
in the interior We were obliged to pur-
chase at Kuldja all the silver we would
need for the entire journey of over
5000 miles. How much would it
1 take?' was the question that our past
experience in Asiatic travel now aided
us to answer. That our calculations
were close is proved by the fact that
we reached Pelin with silver in our
| pockets to the value of half dollar.
Our money now constituted the prin.
clpal part of our luggage, which with
camera and film weighed just twenty
five pounds apiece. Most of the sill
yer was chopped up into small bits
and placed III the hollow tubing of
the machines to conceal it from Chi
nese inquisitivencss. if not something
worse. We are glnd to say, however,
that no attempt at robbery was ever
discovered, although efforts at eXtor-
ton were frequent, and sometimes, as
will appear, of serious nature"
When the young men finally entered
the desert, their real trials began.
Zone stretch of fifteen miles, which
it took us six hours to cover, was as
formidable as any part OF the Turko-
man desert along the Transcaspian
Railway. At an altitude OF only six
hundred feet above the sea, accord
ing to our aneroid barometer, and be-
meath the rays OF II July sun against
which even our felt caps were not
much protection, we were half drag
! EiHob hNit puouiHSs our WnStli
through foot of sand, and swapping
at the mosquitoes swarming upon our
necks and faces. These pests, which
throughout this low country are the
largest and most numerous we have
ever met, are bred in the informed,
late swamps, which exist only through
the negligence of the neighborin9
villagers. AT night smoldering fires
which half sutfocate the human in
mates, are built before the doors ano
windows to keep out the intruding in.
sects. All travellers wear gloves, ano
a huge hood covering the head ant
face up to the eyes, and in their hands
carry II horse tail switch to lash bach
and forth over their shoulders. Being
without such protection we suffereJ
both day and night.
THE mountain freshets all along
the road to Urumtsi were more fire.
quent and dangerous than any We
have yet encountered. Toward even
ing the melting SHOWS. and the con
/ IenSlnU purrnntc Frnn, tho ,,lain bpat