New-York tribune., 1904-09-11
CEYLON W4KING UP.
Railroads to Sapersede old Methods
of T'rqUel.
Wriiten for The Tribune by Francis Crosbie Roles.
official visitor TO the Ceyoa Court Of the St Louis
Fair.

-aSt1IFS4uels situated At The WOrid'S talr,
overlooking the lake Of the United States gov
-rnment life saving exhibit stands the CeyIon
government pavilion. In the lake. moored in
front Of the building is an outrigger canoe
which Is the boat most commonly used by the
-laliNes- 1t was brought from the harbor of the
eapltai Colombo where boats OF this primitive
construction are still in use to convey passen-
SIS 'o ana trom the steamers. Such boats are
LAST ana ply IN competition with modern steam
-Auhches They are also used by the deep sea
hshernen- More primitive still is the true cata-
'iAlaH' consisting of three logs of wood tied to-
6e'her- The catamaran stiII conveys his najes-
tys mills across the Fsaik Straits from the Iarr
IA Peninsula to the South Indian coast.
Most Of the ever increasing internal traffic of
me island is stin carried on at some stage of
me Journey, at least. by means Of bullock carts
Ahese are gust as Old fashioned as in the DAYS
prior 10 the European occupation of the maritime
provinces OF Ceylon. wherein the Dutch were
Ireoeded Jay the Portuguese. A connecting link
between the period Of unchaIleslged Cingaiese
supremacy and the present is supplied by It's
miles Of navigabIt canals constructed nv ,Ia n,
dustrious Dutch 10 TO 100 years ago Some of
These goVerninent-Owned facilities are in turn
threatened by the gog arnment railroads con-
strucied IN recent years projected.
IN the Official hand book prepared Tor the
Worlds Fair is this paragraph:
II Is less Tran one hundred years since th,
territories OF the Kandyan kings were kept as
inaccessible as possible and ladies OF rank rode
a "a fGurchette on the necks of slaves and even
To-day the tedious and ancient bullock cart with
Us palm thasch. travels ali over the country.
White the tlValaIns pack buIIocks with bags
oI rice or salt sung pannierwise may be occa-
sionaIly encountered on some mountain track
but side Icy side with these eInblelns OF the
chAnseiess Orient may now be heard the roslr
OF The railway train. The bell of the bicycle and
"i the pneumatic tired rickshaw and the not in
frequent blast OI the motor car
NTsioh possesses a we'll deserved reputation
-or good roads They ara maintained by the
Public Works Department II all elevations
Thirty-three hundred miles of nlacadanpiza1 am,
sfaFeiled roads feed the $50 miles Of railroad OF
which 200 miles of track running I'D the centre
oi lile lsiand to the most E0rtheIly point are 10
'e opened 10 traffic IN October Of this year
" hen The tourists OF the I9B4--0I season a--
rive they VIII BE- able 70 Journey ninety miles
along the newiy bEat northern railroad 70
Anui-dhapura, the principal buried city ii
'rYi"i. AFTER being the capital OF CeyIoa for
a thousand years. Anuradhapura was ubandoDei
Tor similar period. Fifty years ago the Prit
ism government unearthed several of lis ing.
dagohas Akin to the stupas Of India and the
pagodas Of Burmah ANA China these monuments
u the Buddhist Faith and OF martial achieve
1neits al one time contained relics Of the great
master and of the kings no caused them 10 l.
constructed.
They are Of bell shaped form. built Of large
sun dried bricks, faced with line plaster ana
surmounied by pedestal and spire The build
ing Of one Of the larger dagobas would IT The
present day. il has been calculated occupy I've
hundred men for seven years. at a cost of
SS.eoOOO0. The ADhayagira dagoba the largest
Of ALL was originally 405 feet high and stands
on platform covering eight acres It was com
pieted in the year 50 b. c The Oldest. though
one Of the smallest, of these edihces the Thu
parama dagOba, was erected 300 B. c
The government has had an archaeological
commissioner and staff constantly at work for
sixteen years in clearing away the jungle from
the sides Of these stupendous memorials. in
tracing the other main features Of the once vast
cities of Anuradhapura and PoIonnaruuya and
in deciphering the numerous stone inscriptions
discovered as the work has proceeded.
Among other features of the archaeological
wealth of this fair but distant island is the sa
cred hill of MihintaIe named after the mission
ary, Prince Mahindo son of Emperor AsOka who
aIlghted there when ne came from India to preach
buddhism. 307 B. c. II is situated few miles
from Anuradhapura. the summit OF which is
reached by 1.S00 steps Of granite slabs, fifteen
feet in width. Another object of curiosity is
the fortified hill of Slgiriya. the Lion Rock