The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1900-06-23
RAILROADS AND TELEGRAPHs.
Largely Responsible for Anti-For-
eiEn Trouble in China.


eiGn Trouble in China.
Washington, June photographs and
railways appear to be among the causes
of the anti-foreign riots now in progress
in China. The development of this fea-
ture of modern enterprise in China Is de-
scrlbed in considerable detail in a recent
publication of the Treasury Bureau OF
Statistics, entitled Commercial China in
1899 1t shows that the telegraph sys-
tenn of China included in 1899 about 5000
miles of line in operation and that the
railroad system included $50 miles of road
in active operation, and over 1900 miles
projected
The telegraph system connected all Of
the capitals of the provinces with the ma
tionai capital. PelIin, and in turn, con-
nected with the Russian trans-Siberien
telegraph line. and the ocean cables; but
1t appears from abe recent reports that
those lines have, in many cases, been de-
stroyed by the anti-foreign mobs and
armies.
The railways thus far constructed, be-
long TO the Chinese government. and were
constructed under its control and direc-
| lion. and al IDS expense They connect
| Pekin the capital. with Tien Tsin. which
| lies at the head of the gulf of Pechili and
| is the seaport of Pekin, while other lines
| run northwardly from Tien Tsin to Shan
!
wardly from Pekin as far as Pacing the
! capital of the province of Chill. in which
/ Pekin is located. From that point south
ward railway was being constructed In
1899 by Belgian capital though It was
suspected that Russian influence
and, perhaps, Russian capital, was
associated in this work This line was
expected to extend 10 Hankow. which may
! ne described as the Chicago OF China,
! being its best and largest and most pros
| porous inland commercial city. loca ted
! 5oo miles up the Yang tse-K iang from
! shanghai which lies at the mouth of the
| river Hankow is a city of nearly 1,00.O t
! Inhabitants, and it was expected that the
! Eelgian line would connect Pekin which
! lies Wen at the north, with Hankow To-
Gated near the center and that an Amer
| lcan line would extend still further south
| from Hankow to Canton and Hong Kong
| Inc American line was surveyed by a
| corps of engineers under Mr. w B. Par
| sons of New York in 1898 and 1899 under
! a concession granted by the Chinese gov
eminent 10 CALVIN Brice Hugh ]. Grant,
! Ihurlow Weed Barnes and others and this
! me, ike all others for which concessions
| have been granted was after a term of
years, 10 become the property of the Chin
csc government. 1t was expected that this
American line running from Hong Kong
and Canton northward 10 Hankow and
! connecting at that point with the Belgian
! llue Whlch would extend to Pekin, would
form an extremely important artery of
internal commerce from Chna's most i'm
portant southern city. Canton, and its most
| important central city Hankow and
thence to its capital at the north, Pekin,
from which point it would connect with
the Russian railway system which enters
emma in Manchuria at the extreme north.
numerous other railways have been sur
Veyed ana some OF them were under con-
struction The German government has
peeh encouraging the construction of rail-
ways In the Province of Shantun In which
It's port of Kiao-Chau is located while
concessions to British companies author
re the construction of lines along a large
snare OF the eastern coast and extending
up The valley of the West river TO the Dor
ders of Burmah where 1t was expected
they would finally connect with the rail-
way system of India
The railways projected in China, and
ior winch concessions had been granted
contemplated length of more than 5000
miles, and it was confidently expected
that their construction would bring the
Irans-Siberian system of Asiatic Russia
into touch with the Trans-Indian sys-
TEN OF British India, which in turn would
finally connect with the railway systems
Of Southern Europe. and thus give 90 the
world an intercontinental belt limo
stretching norIhwardly from Northern
! Europe through Russia and Siberia,
thence southwardly through China, thence
westwardly again through Burmah, In
dia, Persia and Turkey in Europe, to q
connection with the railway systems OF
Southern Europe.
What the effect OF the hostillties In
| China with reference to works Of this
character will be cannot now be foretold.
Russia controls a long stretch Of terri
tory along her north, and England the
territory of British India and Burmah. at
l the gOtIfbWaef Railway lines axistinR
projecting extend from the territory OF
both of those countries into the very
heart OF China and intermingled with,
and an important link among these is
the great American enterprise already
alluded TO, upon which a company had.
according 20 the statements of accepted
authorities in railway matters, arranged
for the expenditure Of $50 10000 of Ameri-
can funds.