The San Francisco call., 1904-04-17

W'OWn OF Anplin'neh n Inn .a 'pOpu. I'.a
crosses the river Sungari
near the settlement Of Kharbin," so
runs the official report OF the survey
Of the East Chinese Railway, the Man
churian branch Of the trans-Siberian
Railroad
The survey and the subsequent re-
port 70 the Car were made in 1898. In
just six wears Harbin. Russia's Far
Eastern base in her war with Japan,
has sprung from the proportions OF
fishing hamlet, with a few Of its Man
churian population engaged in pressing
oil from peas and beans. and distilling
a bad brand Of brandy, TO flourishing.
bustling city OF I25. 900. There are $4,000
Russians. not including the soldiery.
and the rest are Chinese, with a few
Manchus Each race has its own sec
tion OF the city. the Manchus still oc-
cupying the original portion. around
which the greater Harbin has been
built But despite these racial divis-
ions Hardin is a representative boom
town, wild West town in every
sense, even TO its bad men, who, up
70 the outbreak Of hostilities, thought
nothing OF shooting up the town on
occasion.
The romantic story OF the Harbin
Of to-day begins. with the survey OF the
East Chinese. or Manchurian. branch
OF the trans Siberian Railway. The
Russian engineers enga ged in the work
started across Manchuria from the
trans-Baikal provinces. working east
ward in as straight line as possible
toward Nladivostok- This determina-
ton to run bee line 10 the Pacific
brought them in time to the western
banks OF the principal river Of Man
churia - the Sungari. Opposite them
lay the scattered mudhouse settlement
OF Harbin; twenty miles farther down
the river was the city OF Khulinchen.
An American surveying party would
have made a detour 10 tap so flourish
ing a commercial center. but not so the
Russians. Harbin was in front Of them.
II was on a direct line with Vladi-
vostok, the road would cross the river
at Harbin, and twenty miles would be
saved.
After that history was made at a
rapid rate IN Harbin. River steamer
after river steamer dumped its cargo
OF rails, bridge work and other mate
rials along the river banks; bridge
builders, engineers, blacksmiths, lock-
smiths, carpenters. linemen, railway
doctors and surgeons. clerks and ac-
countants. arrived in great numbers
from Russia: and hundreds OF coolies
Chinese, Manchus, Koreans. Solons.
Colds. Buriats and whatnots-attracted
by the prospect of remunerative work.
invaded the little town. Hardin leaped
over night from a fishing village Of a
few hundred souls TO a humming rail-
road center Of several thousand.
Then, while the railroad was being
pushed with feverish haste across the
plains IN either direction, and the foun-
dations for the great bridge across the
Sungari were rapidly being laid word
reached Harbin that the Gar had
leased the Liaotung peninsula for a pc
riod OF twenty-five years from the Chi
nese Imperial Government. and a road
was TO be run 10 Port Arthur, on the
peninsula's tip. from a point on the
East Chinese Railway. and the juno
finn was TO be at Harbin. Surveyors
were Immediately sent out from Har-
bin, and. as result, In a few months
material was coming in greater guam
tity than ever by steamer. more arti-
sans were arriving from Russia and
hooking from the towns OF Central
Manchuria. and more coolies by the
thousand were being employed. for
two railways we're now being built out
Of Harbin instead of one.
In the meantime the railway admin
istrator, who had practical authority
over Harbin. though Manchuria off,
Gals were in nominal control had
solved the problem OF supplying the
ever-growing town and the railroads
builders with food stuffs. Harbin is