The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1900-07-13

Pei-ho. The commerce is confined to junk:
and light-draught craft.
European merchants have taken advan
tage of these conditions and built
staunch and compact steamers drawing
from eight to fourteen feet of water fol
| this particular service. The Chinese
themselves have one large steamship
company, known as the China Merchants
line. Two English firms have fleets OF
not less than thirty steamers each. The
Japanese have three companies which run
steamers from Japan and Korea to Tier
Tsin, the ermans one small campany, an6
in addition to these there are about one
hundred tramp steamers which ply along
| the China coast
The river at Tien Tsin is narrow and
thanks to the merchants, is kept in good
condition for commerce. There is a bund
| or river street, as in nearly every Chinese
city, where cargo is collected and dis
charged and which is a busy place while
/ the river is open In winter everything
| is frozen up, and for three months at
! least Tien Tsin and the surrounding coun-
try are imprisoned in vast structure of
very dull and uneventful, but the intro
duction of the telegraph brought it into
communication with the rest of the world
and of late years the opening of the rail-
way service to Pe1in on the one side and
Taku and Shan Hal Kwan on the other
have enlarged the opportunities Of the
population. Telegraph tolls are very low
and the Reuter- Press sends bries but
comprehensive messages of all that is
transpirng in other lands. The Imperial
Post, now under the control OF the I'm
perial Chinese customs, gives a service
which will compare favorably with that
Of our own country.
A visit to Tien Tsin shows that the city
IS not handsome from European view
point. Compared with municipalities in
the western world it is very dirtw, even
filthy, but when cOntrasted with such
cities as Annoy, Flu Chau and Canton, it
is a miracle Of cleanliness. Although
there are no sewers, the natural drainage
is excellent The land is fiat, sloping
sloping slightly to the various waterways,
and the soil is largely sand and gravel,
which enables the surface water to drain
off rapidly. The streets are wide from
the Monaghan point of view. and the
houses small strongly built and wind and
water tight There is little pretension 10
architectural beauty, nearly all the edi-
fees being square brick structures unre-
lieved by color or by ornament. The
charm of the place lies in its industrial
features. It is the favorite market of
the breeders of the stanch little Chinese
pony. These wonderful brutes are about
the size of the Exmoor pony, and are
notable for their strength, speed, and en-
DURANGO They are popular throughout
China, and are exported by horse-lovers
10 Japan, the Philippines. and even 10
Java and the Strait Settlements. No
prettier sight can be seen than on a mar
ket day at Tien Tsin, when a dozen horse
breeders come in from the country each
with his little flock of ponies. which are
vigorous and playful and nearly all as
wild and savage as young tigers. They
bite, kick. charge. and scream like de-
mons. Chinese experts and English ANA
teur racing men go from herd to herd
and horse to horse picking out the steeds
which are TO compete IN the races.
Another pleasant feature OF Tien Tsin
life is the ffgurine market. The Ten Tsin
figures OF figurines are famous through
out the far East They are made OF a
gray clay about intermediate in quality
between Milwaukee clay and the North
Carolina kaolin. Cnbaked and baked the
clay Is Of a delicate gray color, very
much like The fashionable shade CT gray
suedes. The artists mould these into 1T
lie figures, ranging from one 10 ten inches
in length. Their favo-ite subjects are
the characters OF daily life, the beggar.
the opium hend. the leper, gambler, herds
man dota~d. soldier. sailor, farmer and