Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1901-04-06
Journey From Pekin to Manchuria
Province.
A FRENCH MAIL TRAIN
Russia's Method of Subduing the
Flowery Kingdom.
GREAT RAILWAY PROJECTS

(COpyright)
Special Correspondence Of The Evening Star
ST. KHASHATA, Mongolia, China,


of the powers represented at Pekin desire
to know Russias intention in Asia they
need not worry the foreign Office in St
Petersburg nor consult the charts in the
Office of the minister of war at the Mus
covitc capital Let them for once get out
of range of Pekin's walls and travel to the
northward a short two hundred miles, and
more enlightenment will come to them
upon this particular point than an indefi-
mite burdening of the cables would bring.
That China is dense is proverbial. That
the one shining light of the empire is its
darkness nearly every one knows That
Pekiu is the center from which rebates
more ignorance than even a place of its
overgrown size is usually supposed to con-
tain seems to be an acknowledged fact.
But that the Russian bear could move
stealthily. yet with steadiness to position
where one of his paws hugs the great wall
of China and that without disturbing the
other animals in the MOngolan menagerie,
would appear almost beyond belief. Yet
such is the case. Facts which diplomacy
have failed to bring forth. but which, If
known-as they easily may be in Pellin-
might put q new phase upon negotiations
for the settlement OF the Chinese problem
are given here in a personal narrative of
the ziszas journey of the writer from
Pekin to this rugged mountain city of the
ALASKAN range.
An international Passport.
To leave the Chinese capital on any jour-
ney toward the south, west or north,
quires an international passport, an affair
of red and white cloth printed upon in
English, French and Chinese, and issued
from the winter palace. the temporary
home of Field Marshal Count Won Wal
dersee, nominal cOmmander-in-chief of the
allied forces To obtain such a passport
an American must have the Endorsement of
General ChafTee, an Englishman that of
General Sir Alfred Gaselee, a Frenchman,
General Noyron. japanese, Marshal va
magutchi, and so forth. Going in the di-
rection of Tien Tsin or the Pechili gulf an
ordinary train pass is all that is necessary,
and this may be given Dy any one of the
national commanders without consulting
other authority.
General Chaffee while having no objec-
ton to my proposed visit to the Mongo-
liam frontier, did not clearly see what was
to be gained by such an undertaking, eSpe-
cially the country intervening was in
very unsettled state. much so as to
render journey unsafe if not actually
perilous- But if the writer was deter
mined to go and could make suitable ar
rangements with the French officials, con-
trolling the road to SieE-Hwa, at one of
the gates of the great wall, General Chat
fee was willing. y brief interview with
Colonel Frey of the French general staff
secured permission to accompany a wagon
train leaving Pekin Tor the north over the
Shangkan road and destined for Sien-Hwa
French Mail Train.
The train was styled poste Franchise
or French mail, but the reason for such a
title was not apparent, unless a few leath-
er pouches, with shrun<en sides and mark
ed with the seemingly topsy-turvey let
tiers of the Siav alphabet, would justify
such an appellation. / had heard, some
weeks before, of this mail route" and
was given to wondering how it could be
that citizens of the tri-color republic had
gathered in this seldom Travelled region of
China in such number as to justify spe-
cial semi-monthly wagon train, with heavy
cavalry escort. But 1T was plain enough
later on.
The North China winter was at it's best
or worst whichever way it may be looked
upon The ground was frozen hard and a
thin layer of snow, stiff and brittle COW
cred what in summer is a sandy plain A
Hurry of sharp flakes was in the air and
cold wind blew from the north. 1t was no
trouble to believe that while that famous
monument of masonry. 1000 miles long
built by the ancientS of China for Drotec-
ton against the wild tribes of Tartary
mlght nave accomplished its object it was
of little avail when the storm king leaned
over the icebergs Of the arctic and blew
his frosty breath across the wastes of ST.
IBERIA and Mongolia.
The French soldiers We're in no pleasapt
mood The biting wind seemed to cut
through their heavy gray coats and flow
ing capes and almost to carry the thickly
OF the wagons and the little ponies of the
cavalry detachment We're in evident dis
comfort, too, for they turned their frowsy
heads from side to side and Would nrob-
ably have liked to go back but the raw
hide and spur told them that obedience
OF military orders was not matter of
caprice.
At 4 o'clock in the afternoon-the start
was made shortly after daybreak-Pekin
was still in sight. From our elevated po-
sition' reached after gradual rise for a
Instance OF four or five miles, the entire
1rclosing wall of the ancient capital could
be seen, and the great pagodas doomed up
with considerable picturesqueness in the
steel blue distance No stops had been
made during the entire day. and a query
of mine brought from Captain Tourgeon the
information that the men of his detach-
ment, as well as the muleteerS, had break
tasted heartily before starting and could
with no inconvenience do without food until
Ching-Teh. still distant a matter of thfr-
teen miles, was reached. Tourgeon said
that would happen about O'Clock. With
due Pekin pOlitenesS the captain neglected
to ask how my appetite was progressing
had not failed, however. to provide my
self with some army biscuit and bacon
the night before, and when the captain
was at distance ahead or behind me i
found time to draw forth from my saddle
bags a quick order sandwich But the
frigid wind was the master of the craving
stomach, and finding ii too cold to eat with
out fur gauntlets and too much like eating
meat with the hide on when the gauntIets
were used, / pushed unfinished sand
witch back into the bag and turned my
mind to ChingTeh.
At Ching-Teh.
Ching-Teh IS forty-three miles almost
due north of Pekiu. 1t is at the very sum
init of low range of mountains running
northwesterly and forming one of the first
breaks in the great sandy plain which
stretches north of the capital Its popula-
ton is unknown. Like many of the cities
In the province, it has suffered severely
because of the Boxer rebellion. Though
there are no foreign missions here at pres
ent, a large part of the population are
Roman Catholic converts, and therefore
prey to the fanatical Boxers who overrun
the region. / was surprised to find a local
guard, absolutely without provincial or
imperial authority, organized for self-pro-
lection. The natives told of several bloody
encounters of not long ago, and the city by
daylight was certainly a fair sample of
place that had been burned, sacked and
demoralized A French postal station
was found here, with something like 400
clerks. who carry each carbine, short
sword and seventy rounds of ammunition.
The postmaster / found to be Major La