The evening herald. [volume] (Shenandoah, Pa.) 1891-1966, 1896-09-07
'EARL Il GETS A SHOCK
The Chinese Statesman Mon
keyed with Electricity,
IT RESULTED III A GOOD SCARE

Further Than That No Harm Was Done to
the Nations Guest-The Distinguished |
Statesman Continues His Quest for
knowledge by Asking Questions.
NIAGARA FALLS, Sept. 7ss-The special
train bearing Lii Hung Chang and his
party arrived here atnoon yesterday. Rain
was falling at the time and the visitors
dampened their silk blouses and gold lace
somewhat in the journey to the Cataract
House, where rooms had been engaged.
When the rain ceased carriages were
quickly summoned, and the visitors spent
two hours in inspecting the wonders of
Niagara.
At the electric power house of the Mag
ara Falls Power company the distin-
guished visitor had his first experience
with American electricity, the result be-
ing as startling as 1t was unexpected
With his usual curiosity and desire to in
vestigate the machinery before him he
pointed at a switch board with his walk
ing stick. The metal ferule closed cir
cult instantly, and Lii stick was violently
thrown from his grasp. He was naturally
much astonished at the effect of the sticks
contact with the switch board, but fortu-
nately he suffered no damage but n good
score. However, he decided that he had
seen enough, and he went to his room,
where he remained until bed time.
Saturday night Lii and his party passed
their first night in an American sleeping
car. Before this novelty they enjoyed
dinner in a dining car This meal, which
was especially prepared by the Pennsyl-
vania railroad dining car people, was quite
elaborate. The menu card was decorated
with the American and Chinese flags in
tertwined, and fac simile Of the auto
graph of Earl Ii, done in yellow.
After eating a rather hearty supper Ii
sent for George w. Boyd, assistant general
| passenger agent of the Pennsylvania Rail
road company, who piloted the train over
the lines or his company, and spent about
two hours questioning him about rail
roads He had map of the United States
before him, and once he branched off to
the war of the rebellion, asking the name
of the states that seeded from the Union.
Ii asked particularly about the battles in
which Grant participated and all of them
were indicated on the map for his benefit
The deep interest Ii shows in railroad
matters convinces those who have paid at
tention to the subject that his principal
| object in visiting this country is to study
| American railway construction and man
! agement with a view to the adoption Of
! some of the features in proposed general
| extension of the Chinese railway system
! In fact, the viceroy intimated that he is
negotiating for the services of an Ameri-
can civil engineer, who, If he accepts the
offer made him, will go to China in the
near future and take charge of the rail
way extension scheme now being out
| lined. Ii says there are only about POO
miles of single track railroad in China at
present.
At Lis request no effort has been made
at fast running, an even speed of about
thirty miles an hour being maintained.
Even on the train the earl's body guard
slept outside the door of his state room.
. At Canandaigua the train left the Penn
sylvania line and passed on to the tracks
of the New York Central At Rochester
General Passenger Agent George H.
Daniels, of the New York Central, and
Edison j. Weeks, his chief assistant,
boarded the train. These gentlemen were
presented to Lii and then he settled him
self comfortably in his arm chair in the
observation compartment of his car and
with Mr. Boyd and Mr.. Daniels on either
side and Interpreter Marks at his elbow
indulged in his favorite pastime of cross
questioning for nearly three hours
After ascertaining Mr.. Daniels age and
salary he inquired how much President
Depew received, and was astonished to
learn that his salary is equal TO that OF
the president of the United States. Ii
said that if he had some money he would
invest it in American railway stocks. He
declared he was too poor, and could not
raise $40, ,0OO" This statement from the
man popularly regarded as the richest
person in the world caused a smile.
The run to this point was without spe.
cial incident. General Manager j. NJ
Toucey, of the New York Central, was at
the station to meet the party, and after Ii
paused long enough to ask him his age and
salary the procession started for the hotel
Ii Hung Chang is not a teetotaler. He
drinks single glass of claret with his
dinner, and at bedtime takes small
quantity of Chinese wine, famed for it:
medicinal value. His secretaries declare
that he cannot understand English at all
He has learned the words How do yor
doY" and always greets his visitors witt
this sentence.
At 9 o'clock this morning the start fol
Canada was made Sir Henry G. Jolly dt
Lotbiniere welcomed the travellers on be
half of the Canadian government, anC
General Ruger ceased his official connec
ton with the viceroy as the representative
of President Cleveland,