The herald., 1896-11-05
RAILROADS THROUGH BAR.
BARISM

During the closing quarter of this CEN
tury North America, particularly that
portion of it known as the United States,
has attracted more of the attention and
work of railroad promoters and build
ers than any similar area of the world.
While, of course, other civilized parts of
the earth have not failed to furnish that
evidence of progress which is found In
a substantial measure of railroad con-
struction, to the northern part of the
western continent must be awarded the
credit for the greatest utilization of the
transportation instrumentalities which
mechanical science, skill and industry
have offered humanity in the period
noted
But there are other competitors in the
field for the enterprise and capital of the
men who promote, build and operate
highways for the steed of metal and
steam. Barbaric Asia and well-nigh al
together savage Africa are bidding as
fields of exploitators. The scene of ac-
tual as we'll as contemplated railroad ac-
tivity in Asia is the Chinese empire. A
number of enterprises are in the forma-
tive stage, but three important ones
have already been decided on and the
preliminary steps in them taken A line
is to be built from Peking to Tien Tsin,
distance of eighty miles; another from
Shanghai to Foochoo, and another, sew
eral hundred miles long, from Peking
to Hankow To an American accus.
toned to single lines stretching half
way across the continent, distance of
1000 or more miles, these Chinese enter
prises may not appear of any moment,
but when they are considered in the
light of the fact that China is practically
devoid of such means of transportation
as they promise, although for centuries
one of the greatest producing countries
of the earth, and bristling with possibil-
tiles for the augmentation of her pro-
ductiveness, they assume considerable
significance. The enterprises com
menced in China constitute but the en-
tering wedge, the initiative of railroad
development there. Railroads are at
tracted by population and production;
their construction is predicated on the
presence of, or the promise of the pres
ence of, people and things in the selected
territory China has the people, to the
point Of overflowing, and natural re-
sources of wonderful extent and value.
the essential factors in the production Of
great wealth are there, and all that is
needed to make the country one of the
greatest wealth producers in the family
Of nations are enlightened Industrial and
commercial policies that will encourage
the coming of railroads and the other
utilities of advancing civilization. CO.
nf ta 6nd In,
mercial sense, of countries, is also soon
to hear the snort of the locomotive. A
syndicate of Americans has obtained
the right of way for the construction of
line from Seoul. the capital, to Che
mulpo, the principal seaport. and some
concessions of similar character have
been made to citizens of France and Rus
,Sia.
Africa looms up as great theater for
the performance Of the railroader, and
he has already appeared on the stage
there. In area this continent nearly
quadruples the United States, and Its
population is nearly double that of this
country. Up to the present, only abou.
5000 miles of railroad have been built.
against $4,000 miles in the United
States. These 5000 miles of railroad. with
the exception of a few miles on the west
coast, lie near either the extreme north
or the extreme south coast of the con-
tinent. The great interior is unpene-
trated, ard the transportation. and there
is vast amount of it, therein is of the
most primitive kind, on the backs of
human beings. But the invasion by rail-
road of the interior of the Dark CONT
nent is to commence soon. The Uganda
railroad, between 600 and 700 miles long
and running from Mombassa OF the
Indian ocean overland to the north
shore of Victoria Nyanza, is determined
on. This line will go through a region
of remarkable fertility. inhabited by
about 20.000,000 people. The German
government is also in the railway busi-
uess In Africa. 1t has announced its In