The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1899-07-11
GREAT CHINESE WALL,

one OF the Most stupendous Works
ofman, Is 70 be Torn DoWn-one of
the Greatest FOIlles ofTime.
New York Journal: The great Chi
nese wall is to be torn down. This IA
NOUS feature Of the celestial kingdom.
known to every school BOY and school
girl in America, one OF the wonders OF
the world is at last to make way for
maiden progress.
The dowager empress Of China has
decreed it, and contracting firms In
New York and Chicago have undertake
en- to do the stupendOus work.
The tearing down of the great wall
along ChIna's northern frontier is ike
the task of razing all the buildings OF
New York, Boston. Philadelphia and
Chicago.
The Chinese wall Is 1900 miles long.
II would extend from New York to the
CITY OF ST. Paul, MINI. In many plac-
Is it ID thirty feet high, twenty-five teet
thick at the base and fifteen feet vice
at the top. $50.
1t Is the greatest example Oh uselesS
labor and oriental stupidity ana eH-
cIuslveness ever exhibited. BY TINS
means the Chinese in the year "a g. y
-2.l00 years ago-thought 10 renee IN
their kingdom and forever keep out IN
Yadlng strangers and foreign c9stg 9gaa;
Now the shrewd empress has decided
TO turn the great wall into some use:
It's stones and bricks and mortar VIII
be used to build levees along the rivers
which yi2rly deylstate China's most
fertile valleys and bring starvation TO
myriads Of her people.
Where the great wall runs near cues
Its material will be used tor the con-
struction Of long needed public build
Ings, aqueducts and other public I'M
It is estimated that there is enough
material in the great wall to build one
hundred cities the size OF Picking Chi-
mas capital. besides constructing al
the leYees and aqueductS needed In
northern China.
would probably take another 1000 years
to accomplish these things by oriental
methods. Now they are letting con-
tracts to American firms on the condi-
ton that this great work shall be done
in Eve years.
Already steam drills are at work at
the huge wall. and dynamite charges
are breaking up the masonry that has
withstood twenty centuries OF progress.
The great wall was built BY the EN-
peror Tsin Chl-hwangti, two centuries
before the Christian era, In order to re-
pei the Tartar hordes or horsemen from
the north, and 10 keep out all foreign
influence from his empire. This idea
Of shutting China up within wall was
not altogether original with this EN-
peror. Other rulers had built walls
along certain exposed frontiers TO keep
out invaders. Tradition hxes the date
OF these earlier walls at $50 B. c. Tsin
ChI-hwangu determined to Join all
these Notifications together into one
mighty barrier.
II took ten years to do this, and the
labor Of two million OF men during that
time. This same mighty emperor who
built this great wall Is also notable for
another deed. He burned all the books
and written records of China in order
that the written history OF the empire
should date from his reign.
The wall forms a dividing line be-
tween the rocky hills Of China and the
barren plains OF Mongolia. Along the
mountain SUBMITS ana ZigzagRing up
and down their Sides runs this endless
chain OF masonry until lost to view on
the fnrthest ridge. In this way 1t eN-
tends in an irregular line across valleys
and mountains from the Pechill Gulf
an arm OF the Yellow sea on the east,
TO the Cobb Desert Of Siberia on the
west.
In some OF the most distant parts the
wall degenerates into n simple stone
and brick masonry. The middle portion
Is filled in with earth and broken
stones. On top OF this a pavement Of
large square bricks is laid. These
bricks are put together in the form OF
steps wherever the wall makes steep
ascent OF a mountain. At intervals are
large square parapets, giving 1t a most
formidable appearance as fOrtifica-
ton.
The frosts and changing seasons of
two thousand years have made but lit
tie impression on this mighty. but use
less work. From time to time Chinese
rulers Of the Christian era have repair
ed and built additions to the great wall.
In the seventh century 100000 men
were employed in strengthening the
part OF the wall which crosses the Nam
kow Pass Just northwest Of Peking. At
the same time 200, 1000 men renewed an.
other portion OF It. Again hve hum
bred years ago in the dynasty Of the
Ming emperOrs, vast armies were em-
ployed in building additions to the wall
and adding new battlements and para
pets.
In explanation Of the present Chi
nese governments change OF policy In
dicated by the tearing down Of the an
mandarin from Picking. who was In
New York last week, made this state
ment:
THE mighty undertaking that is be-
fore our government in this destruction
of the eighth wonder Of the world is
n proof OF that China Is about TO take
n giant stride toward better and a
stronger civilization. The mighty wall
created by the emperor TsIn two thou
sand years ago is no longer a safeguard
against the assaults of an army arm
ed with the weapons Of to-day.
For many years the Chinese govern
ment has studied and pondered the
utility Of the great wall, and It is now
conceded that II Is no longer needed.
The immense amount OF material In
Its composition viii suffice to build
twenty cities Ike New York.
In the northern portion OF our vast
empire there are mighty rivers that
traverse regions thickly populated with
towns and villages. In the rainy sea
sons these rivers frequently overflow
their BANKS and carry death and devns-
tntlon to thousands OF families. Short
ly after one OF these disasters. about a
year ago, the empress sent Ii Hung
Chang to visit the scene of the great
food and advise what ought to be done.
ION his return to the capital he told
her imperial majesty OF the mighty riv-
a. - H..