New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1898-07-25

estimable old Chinese woman whose land
crossed by the railway attempted to pull an
engine off the track. They gathered her up ten
derby and walked slowly TO the cemetery behind
a fractional corpse. Her husband duly charged
the engineer with murder and by the order Of Il
mandarin his head was chopped off. Litigation
endless. Every device Of the Ingenious
Chinese was Invented TO impede the operation OF
the line and the convenient laws OF the country
lent them able assistance. In the end the
harassed syndicate sold 10 the Government,
which bought simply to destroy the line TO APP
pease popular demand. The contract OF sale re-
quired the Government TO keep the line in opera
ton for certain length OF time. and before day
light on the morning that the contract expired
the work OF destruction began. The populaco
assisted. and when their work was done not a
vestige Of the railway remained. 1t was holi-
day for the coolie. who participated in the de-
struction with barbaric glee.
Gradually the hand OF progress has touched
Woo-Sung and now the godowns of commerce
are to occupy the sites OF the old mud forts that
stand where the Woo-Sung joins the Yang-tse
Kang and where the cooe once hoed his rice
the commerce OF the world Will find highway.
WoO-Sung has been made a treaty port. and the
Chinese Government has hung out For sale
signs on the old site The Krupp and other
modern guns are being dismantled and carted
away. Poor China needs no national defences
now. for she is In the hands OF Europe. The inn
provements at the mouth OF the river include a
series OF wharves ard docks. and with the rail-
way to Shanghai. the methods Of handling
freight will be revoutionized. Shanghai is In
measure handicapped by the bars In the SHIFT
ing Woo-Sung River. and the new concession
with It's improvements will aid in its develop
ment and growth
The charmed traveller I'm Japan goes 10 Maya
saki to find disenchantment. There he sees the
fair Japanese maiden labor az coal-passer and
at longshore work. 1t makes one Of the
strangest sights Of the queer Orient. with its
teemng millions OF peculiar people. to see Gfty
or hundred women at work with an equal
number of men cooling ship in the pretty har-
Dor Of that city. II Is sad that at one time the
work was done almost exclusively by women.
but that latteriy the girls and women have been
gradually giving way TO their co0lie brothers or
sons. Many continue at the work. however and
IL will probably he years before the custom dis
appears. The coaling at Nagasaki is done from
lighters. and a series OF elevated and inclined
platforms that resemble a step-laddcr are az
fixed to the side Of the vessel. They reach from
the deck Of the lighter to the mpin deck of the
steamer or ship. The coal Ii handled In small
baskets that VIII hold from thirty TO forty
pounds The coolies form In line on the ladder
like scafod and the baskets are quickly passed
from one TO another. The best home iIlustra-
lion OF the process is TO be found In the old
American bucket brigade working on roof fire.
The coai-passers work very quickly. and one
gang Of mixed coolies working from several
lighters has been known to give ship Va tons
in an hour. In the distribution Of the work
among a gang 81 coolies the woman gets no
favors Al the bottom Of the line the first lit
becomes longer the coal recedes In the lighter
ard 1T th Of the line the HIT the iail Is