The record-union. [volume] (Sacramento, Calif.) 1891-1903, 1898-02-16
SECRET OF TkLIEA- WAN.
RUSSIA WANTS TO PROTECT
HER RAILROAD.
The Story of MISUNDERSTANDING In
Chinatown the First Road Was
Demolished and the First Loco
motive Built of Scrap Iron
New Lines Projected-A Poor
Outlook for Work.

New Lines Projected-A Foor
Outlook for Work.
The remark that this is the age OF
the engineer is again JUSTIFIED. Inc
resent troubles, or threats OF troubles,
in the far East, have their origin IN
engineering rivalry. The railroad con-
structor rather than the diplomat is
behind them all. Russia is pressing TO
completion the greatest railroad ever
undertaken. For its perfect working
she has secured lien upon a part or
China through which she proposes to
run the road to a terminal port that
shall be as strong as Gibraltar and also
shall be open and free from ice all the
year round. That port is Port Arthur,
at the extremity of the Regents Sword
Peninsula But now Great Britain,
while not Directing in the least to this
plan of Russia's, asks as one of the
conditions on which she will lend China
the money the latter needs that the
port If Talien-Wan shall be made by
China treaty port" that is, thrown
open to the commerce of all nations, as
some two dozen other Chinese ports
have already been. AS Great Britain
asks no special privileges at that port,
the request would be entirely unobjec-
tionable to the other powers were It
not for Russia's plans, already describ-
ed, and the strategic relation of Talien-
Wan thereto.
Talien-Wan is on the eastern side of
the Regents Sword, not far from Port
Arthur, land commanding the approaches
to the latter at the rear or landWard
side. If it were made an open port
Russia's commercial facilities at Port
Arthur would not be impaired But
her dream of making a new Gibraltar
there would be dissolved in thin air.
1t is that consideration that impels
Russia not only to protest against the
opening of Talien- Wan, but actually to
threaten China with force to prevent
her from making such a concession.
She does not wish to find, after build
ing a railroad from the Trials to the
Yellow Sea, the only satisfactory termi-
nus check by jowl with a port throng-
ed with British and Japanese ships. On
the other hand, Great Britain and ia
pan, while granting Russia's right 10
access to those waters, may persistent
" and not unreasonably object to her
having a monopoly of the northern bull
warks of the entrance way to Picking
for the undisguised purpose of trans
ironing them into a Russian fortress.
While this controversy is being
thrashed out, it is of interest to observe
that the work of the engineer is being
pushed in various parts of the empire
which was so long sealed against such
innovations. It was as long ago as 1868
that the first Chinese railroad was pro-
iected. but it was never built, the op-
position of the Mandarins proving too
strong. The second attempt was at
first successful A line was built in
1876 from Shanghai to WooSung, and
actually put into operation. But the
natives We're scandalized by such an
exhibition of the black arts of the for
eign devils" and literally rose in rebel
lion against it, so that for the sake Of
peace the rails had TO be torn up and
the whole enterprise abolished. Some
of the plant was sent to Formosa and
laid Gown there, but the bulk of 1t was
thrown into the Yang Use Kiang, and
still lies rusting at the bottom of that
river 1t was perhaps a good thing that
the road did not prosper, for il was of
narrow gauge-only two feet six inches
to have that established as the standard
gauge throughout the empire.
The first successful railroad was built
by Ii Hung Chang in the eighties.
That far-seeing statesman determines
to introduce into the empire what he
recognized to be one of the most val
liable adjuncts of civilization and he
undertook to do it on his own account
To
some iron mines at Lin-Si, in the north
in 1881, and built a tramway to con
meet them with the nearest canal. This
was worked by horse power. but II
demonstrated the value of such road
way Then. in 1888, ne had the tram
awy transformed into a steam rail-
road The story of that work is a
most romantic one. The chief en-
gineer was an Englishman, M.
Kinder. He was compelled to work oy
stealth, as though he were committing
some great crime. He had to build the
first locomotive secretly, out of such
scraps of machinery as he could pick
up. He got some small driving wheels
as scrap castings and boiler from a
WORKOUT stationary engine, while A
local winding engine furnished him
with a cylinder and piston. When the
thing was only half done the authori-
ties got wind of it, and ordered the
work stopped at once, and 1t took al
of Lis tact and influence TO get the or
der revoked and permission given fo-
he completion Of the line on his own
private grounds.
1t was not long before the DowagaT
Empress became interested in the en-
terprise, and she and Ii together got
the Government to consent to an ex-
tension of the line under official control
1t was first extended to Lu-Tai, then
to Peh-Tang and Taku then to TEN
Tsin. and finally TO a point about ten
miles beyond Shan Hal Kwan, its
present limit. 1t is now, however, to
be prolonged northward and eastward,
TO connect with the Russian system at
Kirin. 1t is a curious indication of the
Anticipated influences that still prevail
in that empire that the building of this
extension was decided upon for the
sake of the convenience of the Empero,
when he goes to visit the tombs of mis-
ancestors Those tombs are at Monk
den. the sacred city Of Manchuria and
the religious Capital of the empire For
q single member of the imperial fam