The Kootenai herald. [volume] (Kootenai, Idaho) 1891-1904, 1896-04-25
ON A CHINESE RAILWAY
PAYS IT'S EXPENSES But DECLARES
NO DIVIDENDS.
Native Firenien Receive From 50 80
$50 per Month; section Hands.
T4-The shops.

With the outlook for the establishment
of several now lines of steamers to cross
the Pacific ocean, the industrial develop
ment in Japan, and the recently reported
arrangements looking to the extension of
the rudimentary railway system in Chi
ma. constitute ground plans of whit
promises to be an especially active com
mercial and industrial exploitation in the
eastern hemisphere during the next few
decades, says Bradstreets's.
Not least significant in this direction is
the fact that since the recent war be-
tween China and Japan, the Chinese gov
eminent has so far reconstructed it's ideas
of where the real interests of China lie as
to provide for the construction of rail-
ways, so that great interior and almost
unknown districts of the empire may be
brought into closer communication with
the ports. The American consul at Tien-
Tsin reports that about II years ago there
was in the whole empire of China only
one short railway, 10 miles in length, the
tracks being, of course, of iron, extend
ing from the Kaiping coal mines towards
Tien-Tsin on the seacOast ultimately be-
ing completed to that point, so miles lis
tant. When this original 10 miles of rail-
way We're constructed it is not stated, but
it may be interesting to add that the
tive power employed on that road at
that time was coolies, who pushed the
loaded cars up and down the tracks, IL
or II hours each day, at 10 cents each
daily as wages
1t was about that time that the indus
trial enterprise was put in charge of an
English engineer, who not approaching
or regarding what may be called Chinese
! conservatism. started in to revolutionize
what may be called the railway system
of China, which action the authorities at
! Pekin promptly vetoed. They did not nc
complsh this in time however, to pre-
vent his procuring locomotive, which
! he made himself with four driving wheels
ordered from the United States. an old
disabled stationary engine boiler and cyl
inders from a broken down winding
| CINE
The appearance of this locomotive on
the Chinese coal railway with yellow
dragons emblazoned on it's sides, pro-
duced CONSERVATION throughout that
portion of the Chinese empire which
| heard of it, and the locomotive was sup
pressed 1t was used however inside
the yard about the mines, and at length
gradually extended it's travels out on to
the railway once more. The Chinese
discovered that war. pestilence and
famine We're not being spread broadcast
by the engine, and imperial permission
was finally secured to use it, The bull
der of that locomotive II years ago is
today chief engineer and general mana
ger of the Imperial Chinese railroads
an American, c. w. Kinder
EXTENSION SURVEYED
The Chinese railway, as at present
finished, begins at Tien-Tsin, and the
first station is at Tongku, 81 miles dis
tant, six miles from the mouth of the
Gulf of Pechihli. From Tongku the
road extends northeast to Shan-Hai-
Kuan, the present terminus of the por-
ton which is operated and the termin-
us on the Pechihle at the Great Wall,
about $50 miles distant from Tongku.
But surveys have been made for an
extension of the road 200 miles beyond
the gap in the Great Wall at Shan
Hai-Kuan, 10 miles of which is COM
pleted. The road. when finished. viii
! lead to Kirin, the center of Manchuria.
and branch will extend thence to the
head of the Gulf of Liao-Tung where
there is a good harbor. The principal
interest attaching to information re-
garding this route and these plans is
due to the fact that the territory thus
: to be opened constitutes a portion Of
, that with which Americans became
acquainted during the great warlike
operations in China to prevent the in
vasion by the Japanese. In fact, work
\ on this road was interrupted at this
time. and had not been resumed up tc
6 the close of the last year.
p In view of comparatively recent an
nouncements of concessions in China
e for the construction of lines Of railway
4 some account of the Shan-Hai-Kua
d railway presents points of interest. Al
k the foreigners employed ARE either
+ English or Scotch" and English meth
- DDS of railroading therefore largely pre-,
i vail
= The greater part of the line run,
though a fiat alluvial country, which
during the rainy season, is subject t
heavy floods The sharpest curve ha.
a radius of 1000 feet caused by two
S private cemeteries that could not b,
molested.
j. The country from Tien-Tsin to Shan
C Hai-Kuan contains no large towns Ol
cities, but great number of mud vii
d lagos. AS yet. it is strictly an agri
J. cultural country. The staple produc
is corn, insufiiciently produced to sup
NJ port the natives. The Kaiping Goa
I; mines. about so miles from flemish
= on the road, comprise the only mininl
Industry as yet in operation, although
- there are deposits of coal. iron, golC
n and silver awaiting the intelligent ap
|. plication of capital.
$ The natives are very poor at anC
around Tong-Shan, the center of tn,
I Cd A..