Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-11-24

The roads are forced to wind this way ana
that to avoid the hahitaurns OF Sptflts
Thy must be carried about through grave
yards and make many detours. The spirits
of good and Lad luck known as the FenS
Shut, IRE everywhere. and the Chinese
think it is death to disturb them. Not long
ago on he Hankow road it was necessary
to bridge a river at a point where there
was island of the shape of a fish. me
Chinese insisted that nothing be cut from
the island it would hurt the fish and
bring bad luck. The result was that plies
were erected and the bridge carried on tn m
along the shore. While taey We're working
a flood came, and an excavation had to be
made in the island to save the DrIuge.
Hereupon the people made a great cutlery
and the engineers were forced to bring dirt
from the mainland and fill up the ole.
In another case there was ridge near a
village. The natural course of the railroad
was across the ridge, but the villagers said
that the track must go around it, as in the
rluge lived the Feng Shut, or spirit, which
brought good or bad luck to them. They
said they would permit the railroad to pass
not touch the ridge. The superstition was
SO strong that the road was carried little
out of its way t" aNoid the ridge.
Eyes for Locomotives.
When the Kaiping railroad was first built
Mr.. c. w. Kinder. the famous railroad en-
glneer, ordered some locomotives repainted.
The Chinese VINO did the work copied the
old painting with the exception of the
smokestacks. Upon these they put two
great eyes, one on each side the stack.
When asked why they did so, ley replica:
Engine must have eye. No have eye, no
can see. No can. see how can walker"
Mr.. Kinder said he would risk it, and or
dered the eyes taken off.
1t was superstition that destroyed China's
first railroad. This road ran from Shang-
hal to Woosung, over much the same line
that 1 travelled yesterday. 1t was built by
the English started as tramway and then
operated with small engines.
The road was coming money, but the Chi
n9se Whereabouts attributed all their mis-
crtunes to it, and they wanted to get rid
of it. They bought the railroad at "a high
price and then paid man 500 to throw
himself in front of the engines and be
killed by it. he 500 went to his family
The killing created a sensation and the
owners of the road ordered that it be re-
moved. They took its rolling stock, rails
and machinery over to Formosa and
dumped them on the shores.
Some his Railroad Schemes.
Other big railroad schemes are those of
the Pekin syndicate. Jardine- Matheson G.
Company, the British Chinese CORPORATION
the Anglo-Chinese Railway Company and
others. The Pekin syndicate has an enor-
nous coal concession in Shansi 1t has
probably the richest coal field of the world
to develop, and there is second COMPANY
connected with it which claims to have
$3o,OO6,NW capital as an operating fund
This syndicate proposes to build about $50
miles Of railway to connect its coal beds
with the Yangtse system, and 1t will need
other lines.
The British Chinese Corporation has
concession for a road from Soochow via
Hangchow to Ningpo. This would also tap
the silk regions and give them a railroad
outlet to the sea.
Another company proposes a road from
Shanghai to Tien Tsin. Then there is an
Anglo-Chinese railway company which is
said to have concession for a road from
Canton to Chengtu, in southwestern China
and another TO connect the Burmese system
with Chunsking, on the Yangtse. This last
railroad will be very profitable, as it will
probably form the tea route for much of the
crop of central China. 1t is desirable to
get the tea very quickly to the market and
by this route the long journey from Sh: ng-
hal round through the Straits of MaIacca
would be cut off and the tea would be sip
ped direct from Maulmain and Rangoon
Burmah. on the bay Of Bengal.
ChunkinS is 1000 miles up the Yangtse,
with steam communication to the Pacific
1t will some day be great railroad center
ped via the Yangtse and the Burmese rail-
road. This same road will pass through the
rich mineral province of Yunnan.
Still further south a French line has been
planned to run from Canton through the
province of Kwangsi and on through Yum
nan into Tongkin.
Chinese-Russian Schemes.
The Russians have their fingers in nearly
everything that is going on in China. They
have their steamers on the Yangtse. and
they own large tea factories at Hankow
which is as far inland as Pittsburg is dis
tant from New York. They are said to own
a large amount of stock In the Pekin- Han
kow scheme, and they have concession
for 40 miles Of railroad from Tayuen-fu,
the capital Of Shansi to Chenting-fu, in
Chilli. This will probably be a great coal
railroad. and it may be that the Russians
are planning it in order to bring the Shansi