Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1904-09-16
RICH MhNTCH00 PLAIN
Garden Spot of North China
Which War Is Running.
sPLENDIDLY wATERED AND TITLED
Surrounded by Heavily Wooded Hills
Trees-The Village of Yentaf-The
Walled City of Mukden, Rich In
Historic Interest.

The military expert of the New York
Herald thus describes the scene of the
late operations in the far east:
From Liaoyang to Mukden in a direct
line the distance is about forty miles.
The backbone ridge of Manchuria,
which divides the Lao from the Yalu
valley, withdraws somewhat to the
east, leaving a wide, open plain be-
tween the two cities. 1t was through
this plain, which stretches down to the
main valley of the Lao river, that Gen
eral Kuropatkin was pursued by Mar
shall Oyama's three armies after the
battle Of Liaoyang.
Immediately north of the wall of Lii
aoyang comes the Taitse river, which
is divided into two broad streams by a
long sand bank. There were originally
pile bridges over these streams, built
by the Chinese They are now supple
mented by the railroad bridges a lit
tie to the west Of the town. Once across
the Taitse, there are three roads across
the plain to Mukden. that in the center
being nearly straight, while the two
others straggle from one village to an
other, for the plain Is densely inhabited
and splendidly irrigated and cultivated.
Unlike Chinese landscape, it is abun-
dainty supplied with trees, which grow
in groves all over the plain, marking
the villages, farms and tombs, which
are generally cones of clay.
The hills, heavily wooded. gradually
recede on the right. The plain stretches
away to the horizon ON the left. Pres
emily, some eight miles from Liaoyang
and therefore twenty miles south Of
Mukden, the considerable village Of
Hsiaoyantai. or Yentai, as it Is often
called, is reached.
North Of this is further expanse Of
plain, with smaller villages, farms,
trees and more mountain torrents =
mere stretches of sand in the dry sea-
son, formidable rivers in the rains. The
whole plain is liable to be turned into a
wilderness of mud, and the Chinese
roads are only deeper tracks of mud
through this wilderness.
Thirteen miles north of Yentai twen-
ty-one miles north of Liaoyang, is an
other considerable village or small
town, called Paitapu, which is marked
by lofty pagoda visible for miles
across the fat country. Four miles
farther, or twenty-five miles from LAO
yang, is the Hwun, or Hun, river, with
a wide, pebbly bed, just such noun
tain torrent as the Taitse and, like It.
finding its way westward over the
plain into the Lao river. These streams
are the main channels Of Chinese COM
merce, which is carried in small boats
In the season of high water, for many
of them run dry or are frozen for sew
eral months each year, as Manchuria
has extremely cold winters. The chief
articles of Chinese commerce are
beans, peas, hemp, mlllet, pears, plums,
peaches and pigs. They are largely ex-
ported through Newchwang. Hence the
Importance of possessing that port,
since the authorities there can hold up
the innumerable Chinese boats of prod
uce and make them pay toll. This is
the prose meaning of being in posses
sion Of the custom houses at New
chwang."