The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1900-07-01
A Visit to Taku
Chinese Scenes About
the Chinese Seaport.


The town of Taku, which has just been
captured by the allied civilized nations
is a military settlement rather than a
city. 1t is situated at the mouth of the
Peh-ho the chief river of the province of
Chilli. 1t was originally fishing viii
lage. and favorite rendezvous of pirates
and smugglers Even before the first war
of China with England it was fortified in
the antiquated style so dear to the Chi
nese heart. The old fort Is still in eX-
istence, and is wondered at and laughed
over by the few who visit the place
The walls are made Of brick and earth
and are reinforced by mud banks MADE
from the ooZy soil Of the neighborhood.
Originally IL was armed with smooth-bore
'muzzle- loading thirty-two and slXty-tour
FOUNDERS 1t was a stronghold accord
ing to the standards of the last century
but under modern conditions practically
worthless. It was neatly described to
party of friends Of the late Captain Grid
ley of the Olympia as the most salts
factory cattle-pen on the Chinese coast.
During the war between France and
China in 1S44-1S45 the old fort was greatly
strengthened by earthwork batteries on
both sides Of the river, and by number
of Krump and Armstrong guns. 1t was
the intention Of the Chinese commander
in-chief to use Armstrong; exclusively,
but the British agent refused to pay any
commission to the Chinese officials or to
give receipts for amounts larger than
those he received. Negotiations were
therefore broken off with him, and the
remainder Of the armament supplied
= through Chinese Intermediates who
furnished Krump guns at figures 2atis-
ha MIR
chaseTs.
The corruption which marked this ON
ciaf business was illustrated soon after the
breaking out of the war between emma
and Japan, when over one thousand cart
ridges in stock turned out to De clay
neatly moulded. silvered and japanned, so
as TO be almost indistinsuishable from
the real article Two of these quaker
cartridges were exhibited in Yokohama
among other relics of the information con-
test 1t is said by old residents of Tien
Tsin that at least two Of what seemed
n be the largest-sized Krupp guns were
made of wood. painted, silvered. and
carved so as to be perfect images Of the
steel and iron weapons of the famous
German ironmaster
There is no harbor to Taku, it being
upon the low coast Of the Hoang-hai or
Yellow Sea The settlement consists OF
barracks. officers quarters. small Gus
tom house. and a lot Of poor chinese
houses or novels. The land is a part OF
the delta Of the Peh-ho. This river,
though small, brings down an enormous
amount of silt and is steadily shoaling up
the sea beyond Although the Yellow sea
Is rather turbulent. the fierce river Is
moving the bar out steadily. The charts
show this movement very clearly. Those
of the early part Of the century make
the bar about three miles from the shore,
In 1850 it was about four and one-half
miles. and today It IS six miles. At this
distance from the land there is only
twelve feet at low tide, excepting in the
four channels. The bottom IS mud 50
soft and so free from rocks that the
coasting captains who ply that part OF
the Chinese waters think little OF run
ming aground in this neighborhood. For
many years enterprising merchants nave
kept powerful steam tugs at Tien Tsin,
and they make a handsome profit in tow
ing vessels up and down the Peh-ho, and
In pulling luckless ships off the number
less shoals within the bar.
Taku is exceedingly desolate. Though
the soil is very rich and vegetation
grows with rapidity, yet the poverty Of
the people compels them to utilize the
smallest pieces Of vegetable matter. In
tine fall the writer has noticed the nat
ives gathering all the dead leaves. and
inst before the first frost they dug up
all the dead roots. even the grass roots
dried them. and put them by for fuel
From October until April, therefore, the
ground is as bare as a newly ploughed
fed and the endless eXpanse Of clay,
sand and silt forms a lugubrious a back
ground as the eye could rest upon 80
thorough is this robbery Of green things
that the land birds 80 to more favorable
districts and even such winged creatures
as the wild ducks make a short stay IN
their fight TO WARMER chimes.
The natives of Taku belong TO the same
tyne as those of other towns In Chilli
and Shan-Tuug They are much larger
heavier. and stronger than those OF the
south who give us ninety-nine per cent
of our Chinese population, and they are
of much lighter complexion, many OF
them having gray or hazel ewes. brown
and even dark red hair. They are proud
and more independent and often more
unrulv than their colleagues in the south.
In size and stature they compare well
with the average American Through
this district Is fOUnu L STRAIN oi NSiH
tall and powerful men. who. according
80 theip own legends. are descendants OF
a famous Monaghan horde that came
from the north several thousand years
ago. 1t is this breed which produced
Chang. the star giant of Barnum's moral
show in the years long gone by, and
Changes sister. colossal maiden eight
feet four inches in height.
The climate OF Taku cannot be recon-
mended from any point of view. in Win
ter il is bitterly cold, aud all commuuica-
ton is shut off by wall of great
rampant of ice at sea and drifts OF snow
m land. For three months the place IS
thus buried alive. During the spring
rains the territory is a miasmauC marsh.
and during the rest of the year it is hot,
dusty. insect-ridden. and uncomfortable.
From Taku an excellent military road
runs from Tfen Tsin. II owes its exist
ence and fine condition to Ii Hung Chang
WHO. during his long official residence
there as Viceroy. bestowed more care and
labor on the thoroughfsTeS of his juris-
diction than any other vic,Soy- While
the road is not equal 70 the Imperial Post
road which runs through the empire.
n is much better than the average Chi
nese road. which SoesVlp and down hill
with no regard to safety or comfort. II
seems 10 have been tagged in the begin
ming Of history and not TO have been re-
haired since Any good point sboue it are
due 10 the millions of feet. brute and
human. which have traversed its sur