The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1904-03-09

thur GIVES tho navy or tho Car IL poIt
wlileli Us liovet frozer Moreover, " sie
n port which toihinaiils tho nrproacll TO
pclsin the Chincse capital.
Never since the R,,sslnn occ,ipancy has
there sbcei, my cessation of ncdvlty IN /
and abdul Port Arthur. III miserable
novels oil tht hillsldes swarm thousands
Of coclus, who htt, word can be hired
for twenty CENTS u day to 40 any KING
or hard and advent lrcsonc work. 1.nst
yent&n Russian contractor at Fort a T.
thur offered & To bot thut within d half
hot,t l,o could hire 10000 men outside OF
Ibis regular large force. ,fheso regular
forces arc extremely largo urd are kept
steadily ut work, both by land and sea.
Any tmc within the last five or SIX
years one could find I'll tho utter hurbor
q fleet OF from 800 to 1000 Chinese jtinlts
all londed with railroad ties, lumber and
other building material. THEY, Of course
are all working for, tho Russian govern
1ncnt fg-
ONO Important result OF tho Russian
occupancy Of Port Arthur has boon II
Tremendous increase III tho imports from
tho ttltcd States. During several weeks
III 1902 American goods TO the value . 6
more than S2,oO0,0oo weekly were landed
at Port Arthur and the yearly commerce
OF the United states With that ana the
hdiacent ports has bccil estimated 1it.
nearly 10000, 900.
But the Russian plan has been from.
the first to make Port Arthur q purely
military ana naval center. With that
plan In Wow the Russians several years
ngo began the construction Of tho Won,
aerftil city OF Dalny, thirty miles north
and ten miles east OF Port Arthur, which
they hopo to make the commercial capl-
tai Of tho FAR East Tho plan fcontem-
plates that all commercial ships snail
be barred out OF Port Arthur and sent
to Dalny and that tho former fortress
Shall DO barred to civilians, where, In
deed, they are now allowed only on suf-
fcrance. property being held on merely
temporary leases
Dalny-or rather tho site tho present
ctX--was located on an open roadstead,
where the navtes OF all nations might
ride Iii order to make there safc har-
Dor, an immense brcnkwntcr, costing MIL
| lions, was built aud Is now compile ted,
projecting Into the sea for n great dis
lance and inclosing g. splendid anchorage.
At Dalny, also grea I n adm isl a ION
Buildings were erected and cven---tint
rare thing In the far East--a first-class
ond comfortable hotel. II
Eventually as planned, Dalny Is to
be tho final terminus Of the great Sibe-.
rinn railroad by means Of which Russia
has lied together her widely scattered ems
pire.
visitors to Port Arthur within the last
few years have been vastly Impressed BY
the spirit or boundless energy which pre-
walls there. Life in the fortress city is
in great cont rast to that III most OF ths
| settlements along tho Chinese coast.
The streets have been thronged with
Russian soldiers and with gangs OF
! coolies. all busy on Some Important or
rand
The Russian soldier, rs seen ut Port
| Arthur, mpresscs tho visitor as bcEn
| In deadly earnest Before them all, from
| the lowest private In tho ranks TO the
| highest officer. shines the hope of win
ming the little cross of st. George for
valor OF he face OF the enemy. And on.
| the day Of st. George tho bravo men
Who wear his CROSS have tho honor 4
breaking bread with tho great white czar
| himself in his palace at St. Petersburg.
| IL they DO stationed there, or. II they arc
/ .duartcred at Port Arthur. they eat break
| fast at the table OF the cars vtceroy,
| Admiral Alcxieff-and how can greater
honor come into the life OF one OF these
wiry Cossacks. wrapped IN skins and
furs and mounted on q little shaggy
pony. even tougher and harder than his
! master?
1 So strangely. in the passing of the
| Years and in the working out or the poll
| cy Of the nations, has the little Chinese
| i,ln,e ralbor of forty years ago, named
! by the English, fortified BY the French,
| for the Chinese, won by the Japanese at
/ n great cost of blood and finally leased
end turned into II Pacific Gibraltar by
| tho Russians, come TO be the center OF
| the worlds intcrest.-H. NJ. f., IN Chlca-
y go Tribune,