The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1905-10-22
How the Hermit Kingdom Will
Be Modernized BY Its Japa-
nese Masters.
WILL BUILD NEW RAILROADS
Great Trunk Line From japan to
the Yalt-Reorganizatio Of
Money System.
By Frank G. Carpenter.
isncciau Correspondence Of The Times
' 'ell.ialslHB 1)tspu rh \ xxx.

WASHINGTON, y. c., October o.
rhe second article OF the Russian. Japa-
ncse treaty practically gives Korea to
Japan 1t stipulatcs that Russia must
keep It's hands off, and that the Mikado
WIN do az he pleases without let or hind
rance. The King of Korea Is already
under the thumb OF the Japanese En-
peror and this trenty means the Japan
!zation of the hermit Kingdom. Japan
lzation means wcsternzation, or MS we
call 1t, civilization.
The modern movement has already be-
gun. The Japanese have been building
railroads during the war. They have
completed the Inc from Fusnn. the port
nj the lower end Of the peninsula Just
across the strait from Japan. to Seoul
and have extended this line on north TO
tho Ya1,l River ut Will. within n short
time bridge Will be put across the
Yalu, and the line extended on to Muk-
den to connect with the new japanese
railroads which have been transferred
to them by the Russians. When the Muk-
dem Yalu line Ia built there will be
continuous railroad track from st. Pc
teraburg to l'usan. and Oh, can go by
land from Paris to Irusnn, and. with only
n few hours steamship voyage, on to
Japan.
Korea's Great Trunk Line.
rhc railroad from Tlsan to the Yalu
will be the great trunk line OF Korea. 1t
will tap the largest cities and will open
up the whole OF the western and south
ern parts or the island understand that
the Japanese have bought large tracts OF
land here and there along it, and they
will establish colonies. There are already
thousands Of Japanese in Fusan and
Seoul and from now on the ships will
be full OF immigrants.
This railroad Will altogether be about
five hundred miles long. The Seoul-Fusan
end Is or the standard American gauge.
It is largely equipped with American
rails and the bridge work Is American
II has American locomotives and other
American rolling stock.
The line from Seoul to the .Yalu was
started rs q private enterprise. but the
japanese government took charge OF IT
during the war and completed IT IN
3 slovenly military way. The result is
that the rails are too light for trunk
line end the bridges are wooden. The
track will have to be relaId and 1t VIII
take some time to put 1t in commercial
working order.
Korea's First Railroad.
The first railroad IN Korea was built
by Americans. It runs from the port
OF Chenlulpo on the west coast twenty
SIX miles inland to Seoul. the capital.
The concession for this was secured IN
tine Halter part OF the NlnSLlcS 10Y taHles
d r. Morse. and the road was built by Col
bran and Bostwick. American materials
and American rolling stock were used.
AS soon ms the road vas completed 1t
was sold to the Japanese. chd 1t Is now
part Of the Seoul-Fusan system. i I'M
derstand that a road will be built from
Seoul TO Gensnn. on the opposite Side OF
the peninsula. but whether this Will be
done by the Seoul-Fusap Company do
not know.
have Travelled considerably In Korea
and know something OF Its old means OF
transportation When I first visited the.
country. sixteen years ago. there was
no way OF getting from Fusan TO Seoul
except by ponies or by por,ers.t, and II
would have taken two or three weeks
to have made the "trip. 1t can now be
nnde In less than day. then landed
at F,usan and sailed around TO Chcnulpo.
1t took u whole day to 40 from Che
mulpo to Seoul, q. distance of twenty
six miles, and 1t Is my remembrance
that tho cost was S. had my wife
with me and we were carried over the
mountains in chairs with eight men to
each chair or sixteen in all. The trip
can now be made at low cost. In little
more than an hour. and that In COM
Portable cars.
MY next trip to Chemulpo was Just be-
fore the Chincse-Lapanese war, when the
peninsula was torn by rebellion. then
went 10 Seoul up the Slan River In a little
Japanese steam launch, ard was carried
from the river to the city In chair,
Leaving Seoul made my way over the
mountains of Korea to the port Of Cen
san, on the east coast, along about the
same route that a railroad will have to
take in crossing the peninsula. The dis
lance is 175 miles. and 1t cost me between
one and two hundred thousand cash, or,
In American money, about one hundred
dollars had to equip a pack train and
carry a guide, a cook and food and bed
ding 1t took about a week to go from
one place to the other, With the new
railroad the trip will be made In less
than day.
"A New Money System.
One Of the first things the Japanese will
do will be TO reorganize the money and
banking system of Korea. The financial
system OF Japan will be adopted. a gov
eminent bank Will probably be established
at Seoul, and the currency placed on a
gold basis.
Al present the Korean money Is OF all
( kinds. There are silver dollars, nickels,
copper coins and copper cash. Many or
the pickels were made by the Korean
government, but others have been manu-
actured by private parties, under permits
rom the governments; so that one cannot
ell where the coins come FROM Counter
letting is common, and there are alto
Eether about twenty-six different Vare-
.lts OF n!ckels in circulation, each SUP
Z. pc sed to be worth two and one-half cents,
md most of them bad. AS q result me
geople are afraid of these coins, and the
3 time has been when 1t would take ono
hundred nlckels to equal the value of an
American dollar, The silver coins are the
Japanese yen, the half dollars, or half
zen and the ten and twenty-sen pieces.
copper chsh is still In use in out of tho
way places, 1t takes one or-1wo thousand
~ these 10 equal a dollar OF our money,
he values rising and falling, During my
stay IN the country5all accounts for small
hings mad to be paid In these cash. When
went out shopping took servant with
me to carry my money. and on my trips
through the interior we had a porter who
Was loaded down with such stuff, Indeed,
6fty dollars worth Of cash is a good sized
burden for a mule, Each casl, has a hole
Init, in order that It may be strung With