davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1904-02-28

northward from Tampa to meet it. The
crash, unless Russia pursues a defen-
siVe campaign, will come in the fine
level plains near PyengYang.
After the topography, the next most
important factor in Korea as battle
ground, is the general one of roads
and means of conveyance.
The roads are no better than the
old Indian trails of America. Nom
inally they are of three classes, but
when it comes to a practical classifi-
cation, any one would be confused to
find two classes, to say nothing of
three. The OLD battle-scarred path
from Seoul northward is one of six
great roads of Korea; but it is really
great only in the number of it's tor
tuous curves and the depths of it's
bottomless sloughs.
The old hog wallow roads of Ohio
and Indiana were not worse than the
best of these six imperial highways
of Korea in bad weather; were it not
an exceedingly stony land, favorable
to road-making, they would be quite
impossible in the rainy season of the
year, in midsummer. Travellers in the
interior of Korea have come upon
little square pens planted fairly in
the middle of the roadway, to find
they were the tops of carts sunk out
of sight, and not to be recovered until
spring.
The TreacherOus FOrds.
At the treacherous fords of the riv-
ers the roads are desperate. On this
western coast of Korea the tides of the
Yellow Sea are higher than anywhere
in the world outside the Bay of Fun
dy; and while the rivers of Eastern
Korea are clear streams, that run
swiftly from the mountains, those on
the western side are great, brown
muddy rivers, up which the thirty
foot ocean tides surge many miles
The rainy season in midsummer swell
the rivers greatly, and it is not I'M
common to come to q stream and find
that the bridge across it was carefiiy
folded up last May and put safely
away and will not be put up again I'M
til next September The floods would
have claimed the structure had not
this forethought been exercised.
The armies now on these roads OF
bride paths of Korea will find the
matter of transportation of supplies
and ammunition as difficult as Brad
dock found it in the Allegheny. Noun
tains a century and a half ago
Wheeled vehicles are not common in
Korea. the bad roads making them
useless for most of the year. The
beasts of burden are the little ponies
and the sleek bulls. which transport
nine-tenths of all Koreas freight.
The Korean Pony.
The Korean pony is a very small
AFFAIR, averaging only eleven and a
half or twelve hands high, but In
meanness he outrivals any horse OF
the most heroic mould. Yet he has
some excellent points to make up for
being always cross; he can and will
carry most patiently very heavy loads
for his size. These run up to over
two hundred pounds IN good weather
and average one hundred and nifty IN
bad. And they are as sure-footed as a
The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1904-02-28
KOREA AS A BATTLE GROUND
Comparison Between Korea and Florida Brings the Position of the
Far Eastern Peninsula Plainly Before the American Readers

Korea does not present ideal bat
tie grounds by any means, although il
is TO be doubted if there is another
spot of ground of similar area-about
that of Utah-upon which so many
battles have been fought. And the
situation to-day is much the same as
it has been for centuries; the oppos-
ing forces are moving from the East
and from the West. to meet, in all
probability. as hundreds OF armies in
the past have met, near the Korean
Manchurian border line.
To make the matter of Korea as a
battle ground more plain. compare
Florida and Korea. The peninsulas
are so much alike, except in climate,
that the comparison will be useful
especially as well-known Florida
towns and cities can be mentioned to
show the relative position of certain
Korean and Chinese towns which are
variously spelled, and whose inhabi-
tants would probably not know what
foreigners were talking about if they
tried to pronounce them.
In Plains and Mountains.
Korea may be roughly divided into
level and mountainous country. The
eastern half of the peninsula is very
mountainous, and the rivers which run
eastward into the sea are small, clear
streams in which trout abound in
The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1904-02-28

a coolie bears 100 pounds uncomplain-
ingly, and $50 pounds is not an extra
ordinary load for one strong back over
good roads; from eight to ten miles
will be made with them a day.
The Korean COOlie.
These worked men can stand
almost any exposure; the winters in
Korea are almost as rigid. as any
known in the United States; and on a
day when the warmest clothing and
exercises could barely keep me warm
have seen a crowd of Korean coolies
wade out into the water at Chemulpo
to their shoulders and carry ashore
casks of dynamite for blasting out the
American railway in Korea. They
wavered moment at the waters edge,
but crack of the boss whip sent them
leaPlng into water with chattering
teeth.
Such will be some of the conditions
surrounding a military campaign in
Korea; the ancient pathway north
ward from Seoul, around and over hill
and plain and paddy field, will be, as
ever, the main avenue. In the train
of the armies will come ponies, mules,
bulls and coolies struggling with their
loads. Japan, if she can control the
Yellow Sea, can throw troops inland
from any point along the coast, thus
saving much of the fatigue of attempt
ing to draw ammunition and provision
trains. She can make use of the large
rivers of Korea; and this may be a
vital point.
The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1904-02-28

great quantities. There are only two
rivers of consequence in eastern Ko-
rea (facing Japan; these are the
famous Teumeni which is the boun-
dairy line between Korea and Siberia
on the North. and the Nak-dong in the
South. The mountains, the nature
of the rivers and the diminutive size
of the river valleys, make eastern Ko-
rea quite impossible from a military
standpoint. Though no rule can be
laid down, 1t may be reasonably ex-
pected that if Korea is the scene Of
heavy conflict, the campaigns will be
fought on the western side. The two
important ports of eastern Korea are
Geusan and Fusan (near the latter is
Masampho). In "a loose way, St.
Augustine and Mama, Fla, have the
same relative position on our own
southern peninsula.
The Strategic YaIu River.
Western Korea is very rough
country, but it is cut up by large river
valleys, and near the coast of the yell
low Sea there are many level plains.
In the North is the strategic Yalu
river, the boundary of Korea, where
Russia has been massing her Siberian
The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1904-02-28

The room traders and scalpers per-
form a very useful office in the arena
of the stock and commodity markets.
They keep the markets in a liquid"
state, so to speak, and give to those
with the real goods to sell or real mon
ey to invest a chance to do business at
current quotations. If all the stocks
could be kept liquid" there would be
no sharp breaks of 5. 10 and Is points
on a sale of a few hundred shares and
neither would buyers be obliged to pay
above market prices. AS matters
stand traders feel a reasonable sense
of security when they confine their OPP
erations to the active stocks. They can
get in and out of 5000 or 10000 shares
of Pennsylvania, Amalgamated Copper.
st. Paul, Rock Island, Steel preferred.
Union Pacific, Southern Pacific, Sugar
or any other of the active issues much
easier and with less risk than 300
shares of Lackawanna, Consolidated
Gas, General Electric, Pullman, Della
ware and Hudson or Northwestern.
That is because the mere gamblers"
or room traders let the "fancies" alone
and to the mercy of the specialists.
The same thing is observable in the in
active options in corn, wheat, cotton
and coffee. The inactive stocks and
the inactive options in commodities
are consequently Stunned by expert
enced traders and the great volume of
The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1904-02-28

Wall street proper has not gone
crazy over grain speculation this year.
The New York Produce Exchange
crowd has been in the play and as a
rule on the bear side. The so-called
Western contingent, by which is meant
the Westerners who have moved into
New York during the last few years
and have their connections with the
Chicago private wire houses establish
ed here, has made money on the up
side of grain and still appears to be
disposed to look for a higher range
of prices.
Wall street has been so unmerci-
fully burned in previous speculations
in the Chicago grain market that 1t
looks with disfavor on the Windy
City. 1t is of history that every i'm
portant deal on the Chicago Board of
Trade undertaken by New Workers ha"
PANIED out disastrously The most
notable experience of this sort was
that of Mr.. James r. Keene, nearly
twenty-five years ago. The famous
The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1904-02-28
BY ARCHER BUTLER HUBERT,
Formerly Editor of the Korean Independent

the Koreans call the japanese, did not
abuse the Koreans themselves.
A WoOdIess Land.
Near the cities Korea is a woodless
land, the natives being now reduced
to burning grass for fuel; wood is
extremely expensivep and it's carriage
is almost as costly as the wood. A win
ter campaign in Korea by Russian and
japanese armies will result in the
practical destruction of scores of Ko-
rean cities. OF this the world will
hear little or nothing, but the suffer-
ing caused to Koreans will be more
heavy to bear, perhaps, than the suf-
fering of either of the conten0cng
armies.
The next great river valley in this
western half of Korea is that of the
river Han; at it's mouth is the seaport
Chemulpo, where the Russian cruisers
Variag and Korietz were recently sunk.
Chemulpo bears the same relations to
Korea as Tampa does to Florida. The
former is midway down the Korean
Peninsula on the Yellow Sea coast;
the latter is midway down Florida on
the Gulf coast. And Pensacola, to the
northwest, bears much the relation to
Tampa as Port Aruthr bears to Che
mulpo.
Compared with Florida.
Such is the LAY of the land" 1t is
as if Russia were throwing her army
around from Pensacola to Tampa, and
as though the Japanese were spreading
The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1904-02-28

mountain goat. They take their gait
from the race they serve, and no
Korean was ever known to show such
poor form as to hurry. The ponies
average two miles an hour-and will
go faster if urged and argued with
persistently.
They are not neglected by their
native owners save in one odd respect
The vast number of hills to be climb
ed make the ponies loads slip, and in
this way the little beasts receive gauls
which are frequently revolving to for
eigners; but their owners pay abso-
lutely no attention to these burning
wounds. Yet the ponies are kindly
treated and usually we'll fed the forage
being two pounds of beans and millet
boiled in water and poured hot into a
trough, with some chopped straw (rice
or milleD in addition. The ponies are
worth $25 each.
Bulls as Draft Animals.
But the pride of Korea are the
splendid bulls, which stand from thir-
teen to fourteen and a half hands
high, and are patient and glossy be-
yOnd compare. They are shod as care
fully as horses, and carry their heavy
loads safely, though slowly. The
streets of Seoul and other cities are
blockaded by these fine animals, and
over all the winding ROADS OF the pc
ninsula they are plodding with the
produce and the few manufactures of
the nation.
In their stature and their patience,
their sodden density and their care
less Indifference to everything except
the next hard step ahead, the bulls of
Korea reminded me continually of the
men of Korea. The comparison is the
more appropriate because of the fact
that a large part of Korea's commerce
is done upon the shoulders of the Ko
rean coolies. By means of a little
rack made to fill the shoulders and
back, Koreans can carry tremendous
loads. 1t is a matter of record that a
Korean coolie once carried a 460-pound
ingot of copper for several days.
Pianos have been carried by a single
coolie in Seoul in instances when for
eigners were moving. In bad weather
The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1904-02-28
(cOpyrlght. 1sO4. BY A. B. Hulbert.


DO not fail to consult the schedules of
Atlanta Coast Line; it will be to your
advantage. The palatial New York
and Florida Special. solid Pullman
train with drawing-room compartment
sleepers, observation and dining cars,
leaves Savannah 5:55 p. m. Getty time),
arrives Washington 1888 a. M, Balti-
more 11:47 a. m, Philadelphia p. m,
New York 4:45 p. M, following day.
The only electric lighted train between
the East and South, and most luxuri-
Gus service. The Florida and West In
dian Limited leaves Savannah 2:15
p. m. Getty time), arrives Washington
7:54 a. m, Baltimore 9:13 a. M. Phil
adelphia 11;22 a. M, New York 2 D. m,
following day. Pullman drawing-room
sleepers and dining car. For Pull
man reservations and further informa-
ton with reference to rates and
schedules, see ticket agents, De Soto
Hotel, or Union Station.-ad
The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1904-02-28
shrinkage of Russian bonds.

The French are supposed to have
about $1,000, 100000 in Russian bonds
These securities have already undergone
a very great shrinkage in value, and
according to reports from Paris they
are practically unstable on the de-
cline. Americans have small direct
interest in the iii-iuck or good luck of
French investors. Frenchmen have
consistently turned a cold shoulder to-
ward American securities. They have
little intercourse in a speculative or
investment way with this country, and
but for the fact that holders of Ameri-
can stocks and bonds in England, Ger
many, Holland and Belgium might be
forced to sacrifice their American in
terests to protect themselves nearer
home we could look with entire equan-
unity on Partisan panics. AS it is
America will have to suffer somewhat
by reason Of the misfortunes of our
French cousins. They are we'll able
to stand great losses however as theirs
is the richest country in the world.
The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1904-02-28
Armour Adopted by Standard Oil.

Another bit of Standard Oil gossip
is that some of Mr.. Rockefeller's close
friends have been and are still con-
nected with Mr.. Ogden Armour in his
gigantic operations in the Chicago
wheat market. The Standard Oil
crowd may be said to have formally
adopted young Mr.. Armour as an ac-
tive ally. P. D. Armour, the founder
of the Armour fortunes, and John D.
Rockefeller had many points in COM
drbn. They were both great mer-
chants. They did business along much
the same lines Their hands were al
ways against the middleman and their
energies directed to the elimination of
all Intermediates between the manu-
facturer or producer and the consum-
err 1t was in the absorption of the
profits of the middleman that they
attribute the largest accretions to their
bank accounts. In the carrying out
of this policy they were merciless and
their business careers were marked
by the wreck and ruin of thousands
upon thousands of men and firms oc-
cupying the middle ground between
buyers and sellers. 1t is only natural,
therefore, that Mr.. Rockefeller and his
associates should have a friendly feel
ing for the son and heir of P. D. Ar
mour. Young Armour is too rich and
strong to openly antagonize, and he
has accordingly been taken in.
The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1904-02-28

Travel Via seaBoard Air Line ny.

Because 1t is the short Line" and
has Pullman cars on all trains. Two
trains daily with through Pullman cars
TO Tampa without change. Direct con-
nection at Jacksonville In Union Sta
ton for all East Coast points. Sea-
board Air Line interchangeable mile
age tickets are just the proper thing
for tourist travel in Florida. saves
money. Seaboard City once, Bull
street. Beth phones No. 2s-ad.
The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1904-02-28

Looking for n Long War.
The recent heavy declines in the
bonds of European nations is largely
due to the growing belief that the
Russo-Japanese war will be one of
long duration and that it may involve
other countries. Standard Oil advices.
which are the best in the United
States, confirm this belief. 1t was
through Standard Oil sources that Wall
street was first advised of the hopeless
ness of peace between Russia and ia
pan. Mr.. Rockefeller, through his at
torney, fatty denied the report which
leaked into Wall street that he had
said there would be war. This denial
was especially notable from the fact
that it was the second time in twenty
years that the magnate had been be-
trayed into making an authorized
statement of any kind for the public.
Yet within two weeks after the denial
the open rupture occurred and war
was on. Now the same people who
were responsible for the original war
bulletin are saying that the fight is
likely to last five years at least. Mr..
Rockefeller has not contradicted this
statement and probably will not, as
those who are giving it currency are
not making use of his name as they
did before. Incidentally it may be re-
marked that the Standard Oil author
tiles and their associates take the
view that a long war will be to the
benefit of American securities, al
though temporarily prices may be de-
pressed. The Standard Oil position
is understood to be bullish on the long
pull, although bearish for the time be-
ing
The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1904-02-28
To Richmond, Va.

Southern Railway announces I'M
proved service on train leaving Sa-
vannah daily 1:05 p. M, arriving Rich
mond 6:55 a. m. Pullman sleeping cars
all the way and dining car serves
meals en- route. City ticket Office, 141
Bull street.-ad.
The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1904-02-28
Ahbott,s East India Corn Pnint.

If you would be free of corns and
bunions ask your druggist for Abb
bolts East India Corn Paint. Corns
removed as we'll as bunions and warts
without any pain or trouble. Simply
apply this wonderful corn paint as di-
rected.-ad.
The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1904-02-28

The prices of many important stocks
have approached the low mark of last
year, notably Pennsylvania, New York
Central and Steel. A number of high
priced securities, or "fancies" as they
are called, have tumbled precipitately.
Lackawanna, which has just gone
through the best year in it's history
broke 11h points one day on the sale
of 300 shares. The Electrics, Pullman
Palace Car, Consolidated Gas and other
of the gilt edged things broke badly
on the forced sale of ridiculously small
lots. Other stocks of VIGOROUSLY less
intrinsic value, but in greater specu-
lative favor, held fairly we'll although
gradually declining in obedience to the
general tendency. To those unfamiliar
with the practical operations of the
stock market this situation appears I'M
natural and strained, yet it is not so.
The apparent stubborness of specu-
lative securities is due almost wholly
TO the active presence of the room trad
ers or scalpers, who are not infrequent-
ly described as the gambling element"
or the mere gamblers" who use the
legitimate machinery of the exchanges
to bet on fluctuations. Those who in
dulge in this kind of writing and talk
are prone to take q superficial view.
The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1904-02-28

Keene corner In Chicago wheat in
1880 cost that gentleman $500. 900
by his own confession. He was two
years getting rid of the cash wheat
which was left on his hands unsold
at the end of the speculation. More
than twenty-fours months after the
collapse of the corner a forlorn little
cargo of damaged wheat, the last of
the Keene holdings, turned up in Ca
diz where it had been consigned by
it's American owners.
The trouble with these commodity
corners is that nobody can figure out
definitely the loss until the last rem
nant of the corpse has been disposed
Of Getting rid of the corpse of a
commodity corner is always one of the
most expensive features of the deal.
1t is different with a big deal in stockR.
for there it is almost always pos
slble to liquidate and get out at some
price, although there have been times
when the players have been left with
a mass of undigested securities on
hand. These deals, however, cannot
properly be described under the head
of corners. They can better and more
correctly be called miscarriages-dea
that went wrong in their execution.
Life Insurance Losses Abroad.
The big life insurance companies are
about the bowling success of their in
vasion of the foreign field. Results
so far as known are that there has been
an outlay of tremendous sums of
money in exploitation and the invest
ment of vast capital in the bonds of
foreign nations. which bonds have suf-
fered terrific depreciation.
There is no public knowledge as to
the exact amount of the money of poll
icy holders of American life insur-
ance companies sunk in attempts to
gain a foothold in the old world. Elk
act facts touching this delicate subject
would be extremely useful to policy
holders, although the disclosure might
be disappointing from an investment
standpoint. One of the great Ameri-
can life insurance companies has a
great many million dollars invested in
Russian bonds-something like SIS, 000,-
600, according to the last annual re-
port. The big break in these
bonds on the Paris and
Berlin Bourses becomes a matter of
vital personal interest to the policy
holders of such American companies as
have undertaken to do business abroad.
1t is the rule of Russia, Germany,
Austria and other European countries
to compel foreign insurance companies
seeking to do business within their
boundaries to invest certain amounts
in national funds or bonds as an evil
dence of good faith and solvency. 1t
may not be a comforting thought to
American policy holders to contemplate
the loss of their money in foreign fields
when there are so many openings at
home for profitable investment.
The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1904-02-28
HARD LUCK WEEK
IN WALL STREET
War; Politics and Cold Weather Have Given Dyspepsia


business is concentrated in directions
popularized by the talent
The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1904-02-28
By w. G. Nicholas.

New York, Feb. 27.-Every discour-
aging thing that could be thought of
has been paraded in Wall street this
week. Hard luck data of every de-
scription has been summarized and
dwelt upon during every working hour.
Wall street has gone though the agon-
les of an international war involving
every important commercial nation. 1t
has shivered through the hardest of
hard winters and has been in unspeak-
able distress over the panics in the
foreign Bourses. It has analysed
gloomily the reports of decreased rail-
road earnings and the reduced volume
of general trade. 1t has been full of
forebodings over the prospective dis
quiet incident to the approaching ma
tional conventions, and the presidential
campaign. 1t has been full of fear
that the trying winter might ruin the
winter wheat crop and throw the en-
tire agricultural situation out of joint.
In brief Wall street has been suffering
the pangs of acute dyspepsia and moth
ing goes right. 1t observes with grim
disfavor the efforts of the cheerful
minded to look on the bright side of
affairs and will have nothing of it.
The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1904-02-28

regiments, preparatory to a southwark