The San Francisco call., 1904-04-17
CARS WILD WEST"
BY IVAN VANNEKOFF
IN THE FAR EAST

situated in the heart CT the most pro-
ductive part OF Manchuria. a fertile
plain stretches for miles TO the south
and a much larger one. with great lor-
ests, TO the northwest. Almost every
thing Is raised on them in abundance
wheat, rye. corn. oats, barley, rice,
grasses. vegetables and fruits-and
each plain is tapped by navigable
rivers. the southern by the Sungari,
the northern by the Nonni which
empties into the sungari at Bodune, If
ty miles above Harbin. All this the
Russians found out as they went from
Harbin to build the railway and soon
down the rivers came supplies in am
pie quantity, brought by Chinese
farmers. who had been told of the
promising new market for their pro-
ducts, and by Russian steamers sent
Into the plains country to buy food
stu1s at the villages along the river
bank Consequently. when in 1900
ooOO Boxers besieged the town for
six months, until the approach of
three Russian relief expeditions, more
than enough supplies had been accu-
mulated to carry the besieged safely
through on liberal rations.
At the time of the siege $50 foreign
ers, mostly Russians, were left in the
town; the rest were scattered along
the lines Of the building railways
Ihey directed the defense, and in this
they were aided by Sheng, the Chi
nese commander-in-chief of Tonewau-
gho.
Sheng, on the outbreak of the Roxe,
movement. received orders from Peking
10 XIII all the foreigners in his district.
Sheng liked the Russians; he sent back
word that he had neither guns nor
bullets with which to obey the order
ana II he had he wouldn't commit nnur-
der. Then Sheng got reply ordering
himself to execute himself. Sheng de-
cided that il was no use to marley fur
ther with the Peking authorities and
promptly went over to the Russians
Dag and baggage. and his advice did
lot toward keeping the besieging Boy
ers at respectable distance.
The ease with which several hundred
men stood off several thousand for baIf
year at once attracted the attention
11 SI tne RUSSIAN strategists tc Harbin.
They reported ii easy of defense corr
mal'oing, as IL does, the RIVER and the
pains In all directions. and a splendid
Dase IN case OF war, by reason of tha
fertile and wooded country ronnd
about, accessible both by water and
rail. anu
Russia had not then made tbe Gre.
OF the series Of her promises to get
out OF Manchuria. and immediatel1 foI~
rowing the report of the Russian STRAIT
egists to St Petersburg Harhin ex-
perienced boom of such pronortions
as TO make her first one seem insignIf-
lcant where one Russian rrtisan had
come from his native land before fifty
now came, and they and the Chinese
workmen, who literally flooded to Tar-
Din IN droves, not only erected great
railroad shops and terminals b,,t
rushed UP scores of adrninIstrafive
buildings. solid blocks Of business
houses and row after row of residences
Not only that Industries. backed hy
both Russian and Chinese canitsi
sprang into full blast every bit as mar,
Velously-especially those canahia ~
furnishing an army with the neces-
sary .commissary supplies In six wears
ten -four mills have been established
with an aggregate daily output of
oOo.O pounds of -four; a half million
dollars are invested in meat packer
les, cattle and hogs being extensively
raised on the plains around Harbin.
and the city has been built from tbe
Drlck manufactured there and the lurn
Der cut and sawed in the great neioh
boring forests to the north and north
west In the last four years the offl.
cial reports show that the Russian
Government has spent nearly s1s mn
600 in Hardin. and that Chinese ami
private capital invested there aeRre-
gates SIS. .0Oo. .000-a grand total Of ssI
000. 900. ,
Up TO the very dav of the outbreak
of hostilities, the boom was still ON
apparently undiminisheu in vigor tbe
city resounding with the constant din
of tools all day long and far into the
night. when electric lights guided tha
regiments of workers
Naturally. Harbin's rapid growth has
attracted TO II many bad elements. as
is the case when new towns in the
wild West" of the United States. In
deed. Hardin is Wild West" town of
the Orient