Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-11-17
BIG MONEY IN CHINA
Its Vast Coal and Iron Fields to Be
Opened to the World.
WHERE AND WHAT THEY ARE
Other Minerals Are Also Found in
Great Abundance.
OBTAINING CONCESSIONS
copyrighted, 1900. by Frank G. Carpenter.)
Special Correspondence Of The Evening Star.

Special Correspondence Of The Evening Star.
SHANGHAI. October 8, 1900.
The mineral resources OF China will form
an important consideration in the payment
of the war indemnity The Chinese will not
stand en- increase of taxation. the reforma-
ton Of the corrupt officials IS a work Of
years. and the most of the money de-
manded will probably have to be secured by
concession. There Is no doubt but China
has enough minerals to pay its war debt
q thousand times over 1t has long been
considered the richest coal country in the
world. and the railroad surveyors have dis
covered coal and iron almost everywhere
The Germans have found diamonds in Shan
tung, and mines Of gold and silver are being
operated in several places at a profit. Still.
no one knows just what China contains. and
the powers should undoubtedly take advan-
tage of the situation and demand a careful
geological survey of the empire. Such
survey would be invaluable to the scientific
and industrial world.
Some of the biggest fortunes Of the next
twenty-five years will come from the devel-
Opment of China's mines The country is a
very cave of Aladdin. which needs only the
gen!i Of modern progress to display 1t to
mankind. Let me give you faint idea Of
Its possibilities. l have gathered Informal
ton about 1t from all available sources I
find much in the library of the Shanghai
Club, which has papers on China which are
unohtainable elsewhere. and l have much
from the mouths of Chinese officials and
travellers.
Some of the best geological work ever
done out here was by Raphael Pumpelly
Harvard professor who was employed by
the Chinese government as a mining engi-
neer. He spent five years in making a tour
around the world. and much of this time
was devoted to China, More recent investi-
cations are those of Baron Richtofen. and
lastly of the engineers and surveyors of the
railroad synd!Cates which have concessions
from the government
Chinas Immense Coal Fields.
First take the two great industrial metals
coal and iron. China has one of the best
labor populations Of the globe, and In this
age of steel. with coal iron and modern
machinery. It will be factor in the worlds
manufactures. Pumpelly says 1t has the
greatest coal fields on earth. There is coal
and iron IN c.ery province, and several of
III" provinces are as rich PENNSYLVANIA
in these minerals. Not far west of Pekn
there is great coal bed which extends
along the frontiers of Chill through the
province of Shansi. and thence down
through Honan and Hupeh, into another vast
coal and iron district in Human on the south
side Of the Yangtse. There are important
coal fields in eight Of the provinces below
the Iangtse kiang, and especially In the
province of Yunnan
Yunnan is about the size of California
Il is almost as big as the combined areas OF
Michigan and Wisconsin. 1t lies right on
the border of Burmah and will be reached
by the railroad which is projected from
Furrnah to China. The Yangtse river forms
part Of its northern boundary. and
through II the coal can have access to
many thousand miles of water ways reach
ing hundreds If millions of people
Nunnan has a population of more than
eleven millions. and with its coal. iron,
copper and other minerals it will probably
be great industrial and manufacturing
center. The state has already a trade of
two and One-half million dollars a year a
part of which is coal.
The mines have been worked for ages
The province is mountainous and the coal
DO h!tuminous and anthracite, lies on the
edges of a great plateau in the center OF
fUnnan, at an elevation Of a mile above
the sea- Other beds are near the Yangtse
end Slang rivers. They are said to be
easily worked.
Coal in German China.
Shantung, which is claimed by the Ger
mans has rich coal fields. The mines be-
gin within forty or fifty mihs of Kiao-
chau bay, and extend through the noun
famous regions back of IT. Our consul at
Chefoo recently received report made
upon some of them by foreign engineer