The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1904-04-17

1t is difficult to tell how many Sc
ouls, or capitals, Korea has had. 1t
is a peculiar custom which no nation
has except little, war-ravaged Korea,
to have each new dynasty found new
capital. The present Seoul was found
ed in 1892, by the dynasty of which
Emperor vi Hung is the present rep
resentative.
A pleasing legend fingers yet with
reference to the founding of Korea's
capital When the present dynasty
was established the new King sent out
three wise men to locate proper site
for a new capital. Like all wise men
they quarreled as they travelled, each
disputing the opinion of the others.
One morning, after a long, wordy
wrangle, they arose and started on
their way, when they saw in valley
a great ring of snow, nine miles in cir
conference. Heaven had interviewed
to locate che capital, and 1t was in
stantly decided that the walls must
follow the snow line near the river
Han, where the walls of Seoul were la
ter built.
To Escape Pirates and Enemies.
Like so many ancient capitals
Rome, London. Paris, Athens, Pekin,
Jerusalem-Korea's capital was locat-
ed inland, to escape the ravages of pi-
rates and enemies. A good many ko-
rean towns-according to Koreans
are located on the backs of animals,
or in some equally strange situa ton.
but l have never heard that Seoul was
so located. 1t is a native belief that
Ping Yang, city of $4,000 people, is
situated in the middle of boat, and
if a well is dug the hole may pierce
the bottom and scuttle the boat. AS a
result, not a we'll is allowed in the
town, and water is carried from wells
without the walls While this is, of
course, drawback, it compels the
people to use purer water than would
otherwise be the case.
Some of the terrible scourges that
have swept Seoul have come from the
impure water of the city wells. which
receive much of the surface drainage
of the crowded city. American engin-
! eering skill. which has done much for
Korea, is now being directed toward
alternating the distress and sickness
caused by poor. water. The American
promoters of the Seoul Chemulpo Rail-
! al
Korean government, involving sun
greater than the cost of the railway
which calls for a system of water
works which will supply the capita
with water pumped from the river
Han, three miles distant.
Like an Eagles Nest.
If not situated on some animals
back or in a boat, the Korean capital
is certainly beautifully located, like
an eagles nest hung between noun
tain peaks. On all sides, except on
the east, are mountain ranges, resem-
! bling somewhat the peculiar sharp
pointed hills to be found in the Upper
| Ohio valley if only those hills ran
straight up 1000 feet and were of solid
bare rock
Before the days of modern warfare
the mountains were walls of protec-
ton, and the city wall, thirty feet
high, must have made them almos
inpregnable. The old wall still sur
rounds the city, keeping guard owe
the sea Of roofs it encloses. and
though lettering in some spots, it II
still thirty feet high in many places
From any part of the city 1t can b'
seen crawling over the mountain OF
down the slopes like shaggy worm
Entered Through Nine Gates.
Nine gates, surmounted by Chinese
roofs, give access from without into
Seoul. On the roofs of the gates sit
the rows of clay monkeys, life-size
which are supposed to keep the devils
out of the city. The East Gate is the
terminus of the Seoul Chemulpo Rail
way and the Seoul Electric Railway
also built by Americans and which