The age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1897-1902, 1898-04-21
YANKEES BUILD A
RAILROAD IN COREA
Steel Bridge for the River Man Is
Now Being Constructed.
BEING SHIPPED IN SECTIONS
Americans VIII Run the First Train Ever Pass
Ing Through Historic corea-Eugines
Now at Dunkirk, NY.

Dunkirk, N. Y, April Am American
nrm Is now engaged in building the first
railway In Corea- The contract was se-
cured by the Yankees against British, Ger
man and Russian competition. The rail-
road VIII be twenty-five miles In length,
running from the chief port of the king
dom, Chemulpo, to Seoul, the capital
1t will follow practically the line of the
Old highway over which all the traffic from
the capital to the seaport has heretofore
passed. Many deep rock cuttings will have
to be made to allow the passage of the
railroad The River Han will be spannsd
by steel bridge half a mile long,
This great bridge is now being construct
ed in the United tates, and when it is COM
pleted will be shipped to Corea in sec
lions. 1t will consist of eighteen spans
and will be an engineering job of conSid-
cradle magnitude. The railway will be of
standard guage, and the contract calls for
complete equipment of the line, includiIl g
stations, repair shops, car and engi e
houses, turntables, ETC..
Pictures of the Works
The engines for the road have been blu 1t
by the Brooks Locomotive works, in Dun
kirk, N. Y. and will be shipped out so as
to be on hand to begin running the Il, o.
ment the rails are laid. The American
firm of Collbran g. James is building the
roadbed and equipping 1t with stations,
repair shops, etc. This firm will also con-
Struct the telegraph line.
One Of the pictures given herewith shows
a party of Americans taking a trip for
amusement over the hastily laid temper
airy railway which the contractors have
put down for grading and construction
purposes. Swarms of native 1aborers are
employed in the building of the road. and
one of the pictures shows a deep-rock cut
filled with them. Some of those in the
foreground 1t will be observed, have seen
the approach of the man with the camera
and have stopped work to have their pic
lures taken.
VIII Open Up the Country
The building of this railroad from the
seacoast to the capital of what a few
years ago was called the Hermit Nation
marks a great stride forward In the prog
on a surveying party from the American
fleet because the party was taking sound
ings In the river, and in revenge Admiral
Rogers landed force of marines and blue
Jackets which captured the forts and killed
a large number of the defenders after a
desperate hand-to-hand conflict.
The flag of the Tiger Hunters. supposed
to be the fiercest fighters in all Corea now
hangs In the museum of the Military Serv-
ice institution on Governors Island, and
an American firm is building Corea's first
railway.
Corea made her first commercial treaty
with the United States in 1882, the first one
she ever made with a non-Asiatic nation.
The United States may be said to have
opened Corea to the commerce of the
world, as she did Japan.
Corea is reported to be a country OF
great mineral resources. and it must be
only short time, now that railroads have
arrived there, before the hidden wealth
will be exploited.