The islander. [volume] (Friday Harbor, Wash.) 1891-1899, 1896-09-17
THE VICEROY SHOCKED
Ii Hung Changes Experience
With Electricity.
CURIOSITY CAUSED HIMTROUBLE
Tho Ambassador Takes Particular In
terest In Railroads-First Night
In q Sleeping-Car.

In q Sleeping-Ca Car.
Niagara Falls, Sept. S.-The special
train bearing Ii Hung Chang and his
party arrived here at noon today.
Rain was failing 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. Immediately upon
arriving here, Lii sat for dentist, and
had his teeth examined. The rain was
a great disappointment, as the viceroy
was very DESTROYS of visiting the Ameri-
can Falls in the afternoon. There was
no cessation in the downpour until at
ter O'Clock, when the sun struggled
through the clouds. Carriages were
summoned, and the visitors spent two
hours in inspecting the wonders of
Niagara.
At the electric power.house of the
Niagara Falls Power Company, the
distinguished visitor had an experience
with American electricity, the result
being as startling as it was unexpected.
With his usual curiosity and desire
to make personal investigation of the
machinery before him, he poked at
switchb board with his walking stick.
The metal ferule closed the circuit in
stantly, and Lis stick was violently
torn from his grasp. He was naturally
much astonished at the effect of the
sticks contact with the switchboard,
but fortunately he suffered no damage
beyond good scare. However. he
decided that he had seen enough, and
went to his rooms, where he remained
until bedtime.
Last night Lii and party passed their
first night in an American sleeping
car. Their meal, which was especially
prepared by the Pennsylvania dining
Car people, was quite elaborate. The
menu card was decorated with the
American and Chinese flags intertwined
and fac-simile of the autograph of
Earl Lii, done in yellow.
After eating a rather hearty supper,
Lii sent for George w. Boyd, assistant.
general passenger agent of the Penn
sylvania Company, who piloted the
trains over the lines of his company and
spent about two hours questioning him
about railroads. He had a map of the
United States before him, and once he
branched off to the war of the Rebel
lion, asking the names of the states
that seeded from the Union. Lii asked
particularly about the battles in which
Grant participated, and all of them
were indicated on the map for his bene-
fit. He dwelt long on this subject,
and marveled that, although the South
ern forces succeeded in approaching
quite close to Washington, they were
never able to capture that important
point. The story of the assassination
of Lincoln also interested him greatly.
He inquired what became of Booth,
and where Lincoln is buried, and then
queried:
"Do not the American people regard
Lincoln as very good MANI"
The deep interest he shows in rail.
road matters convinced those who paid
attention to the subject that his prin-
cipal object in visiting this country is
to study American railroad construc-
ton and management. with view to
the adoption of some of the features in
a proposed general extension of the
Chinese railway sytem. In fact, the
viceroy intimated today that he is ne
gotiating for the service of an Ameri-
can civil engineer. who, if he accepts
the offer made him, would go to
China in the near future and take
charge of the railway extension scheme
now being outlined. Ii says there are
only about 200 miles of single-track
railroad in China at present. Only
three trains are run each day, and
there is no traffic at night, the system
being crude and the liability to acct
dent constant menace.