Arizona republican., 1899-05-12

| from Shanghai, at a short distance from the coast, is a British line to connect the treaty ports of Wenchow, Ningpo and Hangchow with Shang- hai. and which is likely to ba ex> tended to the treaty ports farther down the coast and finally to Hong Kong, or rather the recently acquired British territory adjacent to Hocg Kong. where it would connect with short British line new under con struction and with the great southern commercial center of Canton The length of this line now projected, and for which concessions have been
 ade. is about 200 miles. From Shanghai westwardly there is also short British line proposed to eX- tend to So0chow and Nankin.
 AMERICAN CONCESSIONS.
 American railway concessions in China are up to the present time con fined to a single but very important line which is to connect Canton, the great commercial center of southern China, with Hankow, the great inter- for city and commercial center al- feady described. Iris line, which is about 600 miles in length, passes through a rich and important ag-i- cultural section having a population equal to that of the United States, and at it's center taps an important iron and coal area. The direction of the proposed line is almost due north and south, and while it practically touches the seaboard at it's southern terminus, where it reaches the YangtZa at the north is several hundred miles inter-
 for. thus bringing to the great port Of Canton the products of the Upper Yangtze valley, which section is quite similar. to that of the Upper Missis- sippi in our own country. At HanlZ0w the proposed AneGican line will con meet the proposed Belgian line, which will bring it into direct communica- ton with Pebin, the capital of the en- Iire, thus placing in direct communi- cation the capital of the empire at the north, the great commercial cen- ter, Hankow. in the interior, and the great producing center in the western interior, with the great seaport at the south, Canton. This concession was granted to American capitalists Tn April, 1898, under an agreement ex- ecuted after due imperial sanction by the present Chinese minister at Wash ington, and corps of engineers and officials is now in China, under the charge of MT. W B. Parsons of New York, engaged in an elaborate survey of the route, which it is expected will be completed within 9 few weeks. Tha Railway Age recently gave the names of the Americans most prominently connected with this enterprise as Hugh J. Grant, Samuel Thomas and Thurlow Weed Barnes, of New York; George J. Bippers, of Indiana, and the Carnegie Steel company, of Pennsylvania The sum to be ad- vaDced by this company is named as s2O,0O0,oO0 for the Canton-Hankow road, and s25.OOO,00 for the Hankow- Pekin road, should that contract be also given them, as recent reports in- dicate may be the case American en- teTprise in railway building seems to be well recognized by the Chinese, who, in July, 1898, selected Captain ". Rider, of the United States as chief engineer Of the Chinese Imperial rail- way system, and during the year or dered several locomotives from Amer ican work shops and Q quantity Of rails through an American contractor
 Ill the extreme south Of China 1 French interests are proposing sun- dry railway lines to connect the | ports and navigabie rivers Of Tonkin 1 with the cities and provinces of south ern China. These proposed lines not | only connect the French territory of | Tonkin with the treaty ports of | MengtZe, Woochow and Pkahoi, but 1 also the important points of Yunnan. | and the navigable waters Of i the West river, which forms a connec- 1 hon with the port of Canton and the | railway lines that are to center there, | and thus give connection with the | great railway system of China
 THE LARGEST PROVINCE.
 Lying several hundred miles west of |
 
 British line to connect the province Of Szechuan in the west of China with | Canton and Hong Kong. Szechuan is the largest, the most populous, and | perhaps the most productive of the | provinces of China, being an elevated | table land lying at the head of naviga- | ton on the Yangtze, and whose varied | and enterprising popula- ton give it a character quite similar to that region of the upper Mississippi | -n the United States. Tkis proposed | British line connects Chengtoo, the | capital of Szechuan, with Wuchow on | the West river, which has recently l been opened to commerce, and from which point traffic will reach Canton | either by the West river or by an ai- |