The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1904-05-20
Port Dalny, Russia.

Port Dalny, the Russian seaport on
Talien- Wan bay, on the east coast of the
Lilac Tung peninsula, near Port Arthur,
was intended by Russia to be the chief
commercial emporium of its Eastern do
minions. The edict providing for its con-
struction was issued by the Russian en-
peror July 80, 1899, and the town, fully
equipped with all modern improvements,
docks. warehouses and railroad facilities,
was opened to commerce in December,
1901. No one was allowed to live in 1T
until its construction was practically
completed. The spacious harbor, free
from ice in winter, has sufficient depth
for the large vessels. There were great
wharves for their accommodation con-
nected with the tracks of the railway to
Russia. "
Five large piers had been constructed,
each supplied with numerous railroad
tracks, immense warehouses and eleva-
tors, gas, electric lights and water, and a
large break water was being constructed,
SO that ships could lie at the piers and
load and unload regardless of weather.
Docks for foreign vessels, steam and
sail, extended between the piers and
along the shore for two miles. There
were two frst-class dry docks, one in
tended for ordinary ocean steamers and
the other designed to accommodate the
largest, vessels of war or commerce. The
branch railway which connected Dalny
with the main line of the Chinese East
ern railway at Naigalin had daily
train service to Port Arthur and to
Hardin, and weekly trains to Moscow
and ST. Petersburg. The city of Dalny
is picturesquely situated in an extensive
valley which slopes gently down to the
deep and well-protected bay of Talien-
Wan, and is surrounded on three sides
by range of hills rising to height OF
500 feet 1t is divided into three parts
the administration city, the European
and commercial city and the Chinese
city. iDalny may be said to have been
constructed by the Chinese Eastern Rail
way company under the direction OF
". White, until recently Russian min
ster of finance and now president OF
IF the council of ministers. Nearly 25,'
100 men were employed on the work OF
constructing the port and town.
The emperor, in the decree of July
1899, defined the conditions upon which
the port was to be opened to foreign
trade, first of which was the right tc
import and export merchandise of every
description free of customs duties.
The city consists of the administra
ton portion, in which are located rail
road shops for making cars, etc., repair
shops, shops for steamship construction
and repair, with various offices of the
port, steamships and railroad; residences
of mechanics and general employees, to-
. SeIhcT Will HoCeiS, pains, ChuIohoS
schools, clubs and places of amusement;
and the foreign residence section, join
ing the general mercantile section, but
farther off, toward the hills and or
gradually sloping, higher ground, com
handing view of the bay.
About three miles from the foreign
settlement to the. southeast is an excel
lent sea beach, arranged for a summer re-
sort and connected with Dalny by fine
railway.
More than $6,OOO,OOO had been ex
pended on the harbor system before the
and of 1902, and it was estimated thai
the cost of completing the works would
be nearly $2O,OOO,OOO, but this does not
in any respect represent the total cost Of
the erection of this great commercial port
Last year III steamships loaded will
merchandise and l,4lS Chinese junks en-
tered the port and LII, 800 pieces Of
merchandise and 1914 passengers pass
ed through it. The population of Dalny
at the census in January of last yeal
was Al ,260, of whom 3,ll3 were Russians
307 japanese and Koreans, and the rest