Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-10-21

roads. Five Americans I'm the service
| of the Korean government, and the con-
| fdential foreign adviser of the king on the
part of the japanese is also an American
The man who has done more than any
! other for western civilization in Korea,
| more to render the life OF foreigners safe
there and more to advance the interests OF
| the United States Is DR.. Horace N Allen.
our former minister to Seoul. who has, I
regret to say, recently given up his work
there and returned to the United States.
We Own the Gold Mines. 4
The best of the gold mines of Korea ara
owned by Americans. The concession for
them was gotten by Mr.. James r. Morse
some years ago and transferred by him to
Mr.. Leigh Hunt, formerly OF Seattle who
organized a company for their develop
ment. This company is now known as the
Oriental Consolidated Mining Company, and
1t has been one OF the profitable gold prop
critics of the world. Its concession en-
braces a district Just about half as large
as the state of Rhode Island in the noun
tains of northwestern Korea. Gold is scat
tered throughout this district, and there is
now more than 100000 worth OF ore IN
sight. The company Is taking about 81, 800
600 annually out OF its mines. producing
this from something like 100000 tons OF ore.
1t has the busiest institution In Korea, and
that which Is most up-to-date in ali its
chinery and is now operating five mills.
with two hundred stamps. 1t employs al
together about seventy white men and sew
eral thousands Asiatics. The Korean
miners are said to be entirely satisfactory.
They work for 20 or 80 cents day, and
are easily managed
In this vicinity the British and Germans
have mining concessions, and the natives
have been mining there for many years. In
1894 l saw specimens of gold that came
from northern Korea. They were carried
about in quilts and used money in maxi
ing purchases with the merchants. The
king then had a monopoly of the gold
mines, and he had g. great deal of gold in
nuggets and dust in his palace. He paid
some of his bills for foreign purchases In
this way, the gold being sent to the Jap
anese minis for assay and valuation, and
the proper amount then credited on the
bills. b..
1 doubt not there are good copper mines
in Korea. Excellent brassware is sold all
over the country and copper Is known to
exist. Under the japanese the country will
be thoroughly prospected.
Scouts New Water Works.
Americans are doing much to modernize
Seoul The city has about 10000 people.
who live inside walls forty or fifty feet
high. Most of the houses are matched
huts. There are a few wide streets, but
they are narrow and winding. The water
until now has come from wells sunken here
and there in the midst of the city and one
of the chief. businesses has been that of the
water carrier, who trots about from house
to house with two buckets fastened to a
pole on his back. The sewage flows through
the streets in drains or open bitches. and
everything is unsanitary to an extreme.
An American company has recently Sc
cured a franchise to institute an up-to-date
system of water works. 1t will bring the
water from the Han river. which passes /!
within three miles of Seoul taking it from
about five miles above the City. The wa /!
ter is to be filtered and It will be pumped
through the city by two high-duty triple /
expansion pumping engines, each with a /
capacity of 100000 gallons per day. Thei
system will require fifty-four miles of cast /
iron pipe of from four to twenty-fo four inches 1
in diameter, and large amount OF other /
pipe. All the equipment will be American.
This company has a capital of S1,OO0. 600.
The American-Korean Electric Company
has also a capital of 81. 100000 1t has the
exclusive franchise for electric railways, !!
telephones. light and power in Seoul It
has now eleven miles of street car tracks 4
and twenty-five cars, and IL Is largely In
creasing its mileage The light plant is In
operation furnishing more than 5000 cleo
trio lights. FRANK @. CARPENTER.