Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-06-22
WlRESANDIfAILwAYs
ALLEGED REASON FOR CHINESE
ANTI-FOREIGN VIOLENCE.
telegraph Lines Included About 1000
Miles In OperatfOn-TheP Proposed
American Line.

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some as among the causes Of the anti-for-
eign riots now in progress in China.
The development Of this feature of mod
ern enterprise in China Is described in con-
siderable detail in a recent publication OF
the treasury bureau of statistics, entitled
Commercial China in 1890" It shows that
the telegraph system of China included in
1899 about 5000 miles of line in operation.
and that the railway system included $50
miles of road in active operation and over
5000 miles projected The telegraph sys-
tenn connected all of the capitals Of the
provinces with the national capital. Pekin,
and in turn connected with the Russian
trans-Siberian telegraph line and the ocean
cables. but 1t appears from the recent re-
ports that those lines have in many cases
been destroyed by the antt-foreign mobs
and armies.
The Chinese Railways.
The railways thus far constructed belong
to the Chinese government and were con-
structed under its control and direction and
at its expense. They connect Pek1n, the
capital with Tientsin, which lies at the
head of the Gulf of Pechili and Is the sea-
port of Pekin. while other lines run north
wardly from Tientsin to Shanhaikwan, and
still others extend southwardly from Pekin
as far as Paoting, the capital of the prov
ince of Chill, in which Pekin is located.
From that point southwark a railway was
being constructed in 1899 by Belgian CAPT.
tai. though it was suspected that Russian
influence. and perhaps Russian capital, was
associated in this work. This line was ex-
pected to extend to Hankow. which may
be described as the Chicago of China. being
its best and largest and most prosperous
inland commercial city, located 800 miles
up the Yangtse-Kiang from Shanghai.
which lies at the mouth Of that river. Han
kow is city of nearly 1,OO0.O00 Inhabitants.
and it was expected that the Belgian line
would connect Pekin which lies well at
the north with Hankow. located near the
center. and that an American line would
extend still further south from Hankow to
Canton and Hong Kong.
The American Line.
The American line was surveyed by
corps of engineers under Mr.. w. B. Parsons
of New York. in 1898 and 1899. under
concession granted by the Chinese govern
ment TO Calvin Brice, Hugh ]. Grant, Thur
low Weed Barnes and others, and this line,
like all others for which concessions have
been granted. was after a term of years 10
become the property of the Chinese govern
nlent. II was expected that this American
Line running from Hong Kong and Canton
northward to HankoW, and connecting at
that point with the Belgian line, which
would extend to Pekin. would form an ex-
tremely important artery of internal COM
mence from China'S most important south
eTH CITY, canton, ana It's most important
central city. Hankow, and thence to its
capital at the north. Pekin, from which
point 1t would connect with the Russian
railway system. which enters China in
Manchuria at the extreme north.
In the Shnntung Peninsula.
Numerous other railways have been sur
veyed and some of them were under con-
struction. The German government has
been encouraging the construction of rail-
ways in the province of Shantung. In
which its port of kiao-Chau is located,
while concessions to British companies att
thorize the construction of lines along a
large share CT the eastern coast, ana eX-
tending up the valley of the West river to
the borders of Burmah, where 1t was eX-
pected they would finally connect with the
railway system of India.
Projected Lines.
The railways projected in China, and for
which concessions had been granted, con-
templated length of more than 5000 miles,
and il confidently expected that their
construction would bring the trans-Siberian
system of Asiate Russia into touch with
the trans-Indian system Of British India
which. in turn. would finally connect with
the railway systems of southern Europe
and thus give to the world an intercont-
mental belt line. stretching northwar lily
from northern Europe through Russia anu
Siberia, thence southwardly through China.
thence westwardly again through Burman.
India, Persia and Turkey in Europe to n
connection with the railway systems CT
southern Europe.
What the effect of the hostilities in China
with reference to works OF this character
will be cannot now be foretod. Russia
controls a long stretch of territory on
the north. and England the territory of
British India and Burmah at the south
west. Railway lines. existing or projected.
extend from the territory of both of those
countries into the very heart of China. and
among these, is the great American enter
prise already alluded to, upon which a
company had. according to the statements
of accepted authorities in railway matters,
arranged for the expenditure of S2O.O0U.0 900