The evening times., 1900-07-25
TRAVELLING IN FORhOSA
Trials That Beset Those Wke Pa.
tr0HiZe River Boats.
Weary Hours Spent on II Mud Bank.
Crowded Among CcIestiaIs or Pigs.
Few Seats Provided for Passen-
gers On the steamers-A New Rail-
way Line to lie Built This Year.

James ". Davidson, Consul at Tamsui
sends report - the State Department OF
railway Improvements in Formosa- Refer
ring to the construction OF Iaiiway lines
connecting Taihoku (Taipeh), the capita
and its suburb Dsitotei CTwatutia) with IN
port Of Tamsui (aobe) he writes:
This is news that can be appreciated
fully only by the long-sufiering North For
mosa resident. The three places mentio- e.
are all on the Tamsui River. the dista1ca
between the capital and the port being
some eleven miles (by river, and the On,
communication has been by water. River
travel for such short distance does rot
seem specially disagreeable: but. owing 70
the wretehedness OF the launches and tie
shallowness Of the river al low tide, it has
obtained a meaning 10 local residents which
cannot be calmly expressed.
With the exception Of a japanese side
wht eler,' put on by the Osaka Shoson
Kwaisha and a very comfortable little
launch run by the Douglass Steamship
Company on steamer day. the river trade is
controlled by some SIX Chinese Launches
carrying altogether about 400 passengers q
day All classes Of passengers and all kinds
OF freight, including several varieties OF
live stock, obtain easy entrance and receive
equal treatment aboard these boats.
~One may have q Chinese in silk as
neighbor on ore trip a2d a crate Of young
pigs on another. With the exception OF a
few low benches. scarcely sufficient 70 ac-
ccmmodate a fifth Of the 1ass-agers. 10
seats are furnished; ana "a q Traveller
wishes 20 enjoy such luxuTics he IS ex-
pected 70 bring a chair with him should
he forget the latter article he may be so
Fortunate as 70 obtain a finch seat or a
side rail crowded between CelestaIs. or he
may be specially favored with a seat on
the roof Of the little boiler room-a true
delight in winter. but quite another thing
IN sumner. The Chinese launches have no
special hour for starting. Passengers are
solicited by a continuous shrieking OF the
whistle. and when a sufficient number have
arrived on board the little boat gets under
way
Ordinarily, the river trip is made in an
hour and half: but frequently. 20 the
great disgust Of the suffering passenger,
who is generally unprotected from the
rain or sun save by an abbreviated, tat
tered roof awning. the little craft seats
herself securely on z sand bank. and some
times three hours are required before the
tide has risen sufficiently TO float her.
NJ AuE Il4k tL aA41AA j. the fA.A1lll
house. but the commercial centre is round
about the capital and its suburbs Banka
and DaitOJei (Twatutiai. Much incOnven-
fence is felt and valuable time wasted IN
making the necessary trip 20 TausuI 10
pass goods through the customs, and COM
mercial matters dependent upon frequent
communication with the port are difficult
20 care for The new railway viii lessen
these difficulties greatly.
TgH
hoku tTaipehl 10 Tamsui by way OF Ma
ruyama, Shirin. Hokuto. and Rantau- Ma
ruyama is a picturesque park on the ke-
lung River, much freQuented by japanese
merrymakers. HokUto (Pak-taul is a vii
lage al the entrance u the well-knOwn
North Fo-mosa suIphu- district There IS
an excellent japanese inn here-pe-haps
the best in the island-and the sulphur
springs provide hot mineral baths, healthy
and delightful Tne japanese have recog-
niZsd the value OF the place as sanitary
resort. and extensive barracks and bath
houses for the troops have been erected
Beyond the springs lies a gorge reeking
with sulphurous fumes. The ground ap-
pears 20 be bUt a thin. ashy crust. vege-
tation does not exist, the rocks are burnt
out and ash-like. and sulphur has per
meSted both rocks and earth
numerous geysers- roaring and Kissing
liSo the escape valves OF a hundred steam
boilers. throw out quantities of hot sulphur
and steam. The effect on entering the
goI &c is at first somewhat terrifying. but
later, as confidence is regained. the scene
becomes one Of great interest, and numer-
Gus visitors are attracted 10 the place
HOkutO is the scenic resort OF North For
mo=a. and with railway communication
viii doubtless grow greatly in popularity.
From the district is shipped monthly some
200 tons Of sulphur, the product Of Two
Japanese extracting plants.
The sulphur-spring district. as well as
Maruyama, present many attractive resi-
convenient IL is quite possible that the
city business men may elect TO have their
residences at one or the other OF these
interesting places
"Shirin and Kantau are villages of
trihing Importance, though the railway
may give them new life
ITO obtain the maximum Of benefit from
the new road the trains must run fre-
quently. and, that this may be possible
without too great expense, the cars will be
small and the locomotives light. The
gauge will be three feet six inches the
same as the main line; but only 36-pOund
rails viii be laid. The construction Ot
thirteen bridges will be required but only
two of them are Of any considerable size
In building this line, the materials from
the old Chinese Kelung and Teckcham
lines, which have now been almost entire
ly replaced. will be utilized There are
three or more old 25-tOn locomotives in
good order, a sufhciency of rails. and
nearly all the required bridge ironwOrk
now in possession Of the railway Office;
ard IL is fortunate Tor the local Govern
nent that this service8ble material can
be put to such good advantage. There is
no difficult engineering work required in
the construction of the road the maximum
grade being but one in 100 and the curves
very slight. The total length OF the new
line as surveyed is thirteen miles, and it
is expected that trains viii be running
elusive of the materials referred 10 above.
is estimated at 100000.
with the railway now being constructed
through the island 10 Takow, and the line
Just described running across the north of
the island from Kelung to Tamsui. the
Government will have completed the SIS
ten OF railways most required. line
froIl the west across the mountains to the
east coast would be of great political value.
but it is doubtful if it would ever be pro
ftable, considering the cost OF the difficult
engineering work which the construction
would neeessitate.
Al SoAHeCtluu Win luG railway building
through the island, six locomotives. consid-
cradle general rolling stock material. sixty
miles of 60pOund rails and fastenings.
and 400 tons of bridge work Will be shortly
purchased by the railway Office There are
at present four large Baldwin locomotives
here. giving splendid satisfaction. though
the chief engineer informs me that there
are very few FormOsa trains sufficiently
heavy to obtain fun value from them, and
the six locomotives now desired are 20 be
li CHI ar and I..s. cal altL,l.---