Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1904-07-09

I IL TO Is days II used to mean a jour
ney OF about one month for the officials
OF Chinan-fu 10 20 TO Shanghai or Tlen
Tsn. They went TO the port Of Chefoo
and then north or south by sea. They
can now make the same journey IN
| three or four days, This German line,
already constructed. passes through the
coal fields of Weihsen, giving their
deposits an outlet to the sea. II also
goes by Taishan, the most noted OF
Chlna's sacred mountains, and passes
near the old home of Confuclus There
IL no people fonder OF making pilgrim
ages to religious shrlnes than the chi
nese, and this road will have big trat-
| fc through the native tourists and pill
| grims. 1t viii attract thousands to
| these classic regions, especially when
| the Anglo German line Is completed.
| Heretofore this country has been prac-
| tcally shut out from the rest of the
world because of travel difficulties"
How about the railroads OF south
| ern China, Mr. Ferguson" | asked.
1.-THE region south Of the Yanktse
| kiang Ia the most fertile and | might
| say, the most thlckly populated of any
| part OF China. In many of its sections
| the farmers are able to gather three
| crops every year from the same soil.
| The country Is cut w by n series or
| canals, which carry the waters OF the
| Yangtse far down into the heart Of the
| provinces, forming an immense system
| of irrigation. The land Is so Nat that
| the Yangtse waters can be thus trans
| ported many miles, and the canals
serve not only the purpose OF irrigation,
| but also as trade routes and farm
| roads There are tens OF thousands OF
small boats upon them. The farmers
| carry their produce TO market In boats,
| sud the merchant thus sends his goods
| 10 all parts OF the country, These ca
nails will be feeders to the trunk lines,
and they will be as valuable as branch
| lines are to our railroads. The farm
| ers will take their produce to the rail-
way stations In boats Just az our farm
| ers take theirs upon wagons.
1.-THE lines planned to open up this
| rich country" MIR. Ferguson continued,
"are naturally laid out so as TO con-
| meet with the trunk lines on the north
| of the Yangtse one OF the chief ones
indeed. say the most important Of all
lis the concession OF the American
| China Development company TO build a
| trunk line from Hankow to Canton,
| thereby connecting the chief industrial
| and some OF the most fertile parts OF
south China with the trunk line from
! Hankow to PekIn, Of which | have al
ready spoken. This road will start from
| Wuchang the capital Of the province Of
| Hipeh. Wuchang Is situated directly
opposite Hankow and for that reason
| the line is called the Canton Hankow
line, or In Chinese the Yueh-han line.
! This road runs through three provinces,
| connecting three great capital cities,
all centers OF official and commercial
| life Canton, for Instance, has popu-
latlon OF million and half and II Is
the busiest city In China, II Is close
to Hong Kong, the chief British sea-
port OF that part Of the world. and II Is
so connected by waterways that II can
send goods 10 all parts OF the province
| OF Canton and by the West river and
It's canals into Kwangsi. In addition TO
the manufacturing and agricultural
possibilities OF this country. are the
! large mineral deposits which are found
along the line OF the Canton Hankow
road. The land Is rich in coal, iron,
copper ana anthony. Indeed the
greater part OF the anthony Of the
world now comes from that locality"
when viii this American road be
completed?" | asked,
Il think the work will be steadily
| pushed" said Mr. Ferguson, About
40 miles Of track have already been
| built northward from Canton. Further
construction work Is now being done.
and II this Is carried on with vigor the
line should be finished within four or
five year. II ought to be very profit
able"
but there are important lines fur
Their east, are there not2'
| Yes said Mr.. Ferguson, there are