The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-12-25
RAILWAY RISKS IN CHINA.
Amusing and Painful Experiences Of
Engineers on China Roads.

London News.
The heading does not refer to risk to pas
SengerS or capitalists, but to those run by
foreign employees. A railway engineers life
in north China, for instance, is truly an
adventurous one. Besides natural ana
routine difficulties to be met with in all
countries, he has to cope with mandar1ns
intrigues, village opposition mutinous rail-
way coolies, turbulent soldiery, and, besides
professional skill he, therefore, needs inn
some measures the qualities OF a diplo-
matist, soldier, linguist and philosopher.
Mr. Cox who was recently assaulted near
Picking. has had many similar experiences
during the dozen years he mas been rallroao
building in the Chill provinces, and has
only extricated himself by dint or TACT
pluck and good humor. He has practically
for years carried his life in his hand.
In 1890, for instance, during FOODS, q mops
led by the soldiery OF Dutsl military
camp near Tien Tsin, cut the railway en-
bankment and destroyed seven miles or
the enlightened viceroy, Ii Hung Chang; IN
his Yamen a few miles off, ''layin' low
and sayin' nuffin' The cause alleged was
that the embankment prevented the nooo
water from running off, which, as there
were frequent outlets, was utter nonsense.
Previous to that attempts had been madR
To wreck trains, and the lives or the foreign
EMPLOYEES were constantly threatened
The life too. of a foreign guard on q
train is not always a haPpy one .a, NIL raa.
session of q first-class carriage, eat, drink,
sIeeD and perform other functions or nature
in it, Perhaps they light pan OF cnarc2aA
TO warm themselves II the weather IS cold
Ssbarcoai has certain asphyxiating effectss
the other passengers complain, ana tnS
servants have to be elected. Too much
Violence might lead to a general attack on
foreigners and another Tien-Tsin massacre,
while too little would not be effective Tae
unhappy guard has to follow the happy
mean between a good, hard push and a mild
knock-down blow. -,
There have of course, been many ludi-
crous as we'll as dangerous incidents ON
the North China line. When II was nrsb
onened Chinese would come to the DOCK
ing office and try to bargain for tickets
When told the fare they would oIIer mar,
and gradually raise their bid, much dis
g1sted that they should not, in a business
spirit be met half way. -
One day a country gentleman, on MS
first ride i'm a train, seeing his house mid
liberately opened the door and stepped QUE
into space At the pace the train was go
ing a European would certainly have been
killed but the supple Celestial, AFTER
a prolonged period Of somersauits, was
seen to pick himself and bundle up, dust
fields-much pleased with his short cut and
the convenience of the ''fire-wheel carriage.
An unfortunate railway coolie, equally
Ignorant of the laws OF mechanics, Cid
not get off so well. Seeing two trucks COM
ing at a snaiPs pace down a sldlng, ne
placed his foot on the rail- TO STOP them.
tn his establishment it was cut OFT, ana
he learned like Stevenson's COW, that mo-
mentum is made up OF mass as Wen as
But. in spite of everything railways are
hound to prosper In a country where trav-
cling is otherwise slow and so diff
ficuit-cars and ponies in the north and
boats in the south never doing more than
thirty or forty miles between dawn ana