The Savannah morning news., 1904-03-20

raised on the PLANES around Harbin;
and the city has been built from the
brick manufactured there and the lum-
Der cut and sawed in the great neigh
boring forests to the north and north
west. In the last four years the Off
cial reports show that the Russian
government has spent nearly $16,O0O,-
900 in Harbin, and that Chinese and
private capital invested there aggre-
gates $25,000, 000-a grand total of SAL
900, ,000
Humming City.
Up to the very day of the outbreak
of hostilities. the boom, was still on,
apparently undininished in vigor, the
city resounding with the constant din
OF tools all day long and far into the
night, when electric lights guided the
regiments of workers.
Naturally, Harbins rapid growth has
attracted to it many bad elements. as
is the case with new towns in the
wild West" of the United States. In
deed, Hardin is a wild West" town
of the Orient.
Manchuria is infested with khunkhuz
red bearded Manchu brigands-who'
until the Russians came into the coun-
try, passed their days levying tribute
on farmers and isolated villages. Many
Harbin by the glitter of gold. and as
they stop at nothing to gain their
ends, being reckoned among the most
desperate outlaws in all Asia, scarceiy
a day passes without a murder In the
town. 1t has been a favorite sport OF
many band of these khunkhuz'
mounted on wiry Manchurian horses,
to charge suddenly through harpln
streets, in regular West style.
shooting off their rifles. and not lnfre-
quently shooting up a drinking place
or whole section of the city that has
incurred their disapproval. NOW that
Russian soldiers are in Harbin IN
great numbers, perhaps the khunkhuL
have been deprived of this part OF
their pleasure in life. But year or
so ago they thought nothing of deriving
the uniform and the rifle of the Cos
sack patrol.
Trouble with COnvicts.
The convict is another dlsquieting
social factor in Harbin. He has been
brought from Siberia for work in con-
nection with the railroads, and given
freedom in many cases. Indeed, II IS
no rare thing to find that this or that
official of the town is an ex-convict.
The paroled white outlaw Is no less
feared than the khunkhuz, and appre-
hension of both has operated to keep
the streets pretty free of pedestrians
at night, except in the busiest sections.
Even there men carry guns, as in the
West, in anticipation of attack and
raids: and they not infrequently join
in the running fights which take place
in the heart Of the town between
brigands and conivcts and the sol
diery.
Taken all in all, life in Harbin is
extremely strenuous, and it undoubt-
edly grows more so daily, since 1t Is
now Russia's Far Eastern base in her
war with Japan-an ideal base from
any point of view. Even If the Japs
succeed in Gripping the Russian rail-
roads, Harbin win still have her pro-
ductive fisheries and her great water
ways, which flow through the very
heart of Manchuria's only two really
fertile plains. These rivers are free
of ice from April to October, and for
a year or more a steamboat company,
controlled by the Russian govern
ment, has been regularly engaged in
h~inging to HArbin in great quantities
the products Of the plains-grain and
I taetie lUr The pOpuiace ana soldiery
alike, and wiry, Manchurian horses,
famous for their staying qualities, for
army transportation and cavalry pur-
poses. In addition to this company,
many individuals Cinnamon, encour-
! aged by the Russian officials, are en-
gagged in this carrying trade, and
growing rich from 1t.
! Copyright, 1904, by T. C. Mcclure)