The San Francisco call., 1905-03-17

SURE TO BE
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kin's successor. True. he has some
thirty or forty miles Of hilly
country extending from Tie Pass
10 Fenghautsien. which might enable
him to hold off the enemy for a time,
but once out of the hills he has before
him nearly 300 miles of fat, open coun-
try and innumerable rivers and
streams to cross. This is what is
termed the great valley of the Sungari
but is in fact an immense plain. bound
ed on the east by high mountains and
extending northward into, Siberia and
westward into Mongolia. Kirin east
of the railway, and Hardin. the most
northerly point on the railway, where
II branches off to Vladivostok east
ward and to Siberia westward, are the
centers of this wonderfully rich coun-
try, resembling in many respects the
Northwest Territories of Canada
From Tie Pass the railway runs over
hills known as THE Divide" to Kai-
yam, twenty miles; then, striking into
a valley, on either side of which rise
high hills, it emerges into the plain
Just northeast of the important Chi
nese city of Fenghusien. From there to
Harbin hardly a hill can be seen from
the railway train the line running al
most straight. except where an occa-
SiOnal curve is necessary to reach a
city or fayora bic crossing of a river.
Besides the railway there are splendid
wagon roads from Tie Pass to Kaiyuan,
where it branches, one branch making
a detour to the westward, skirting the
mountains and running almost direct to
Harbin. The other branch passes
through the mountains to Kirin, from
which center there are many roads.
The distance from Tie Pass to Har-
bin is very little less than 300 miles,
and except for the first few miles,
every acre is under cultivation or sup
porting hundreds of cattle, sheep and
horses So far as the commissariat is
concerned. the Russians need have no
fear. Hardly a pound of last years
crop of beans, millet or wheat left the
country, the Russians buying it all
and storing it in stations along the
railway, immense shelters being erect
ed for its reception. They also pur-
chased all the cattle and horses, and
had .Cossacks herding them.
The weather on the plain is very
much colder than in the Mukden sec
tion of Manchuria, the thermometers
in the train dropping several degrees
as the divide is crossed and continuing
to go down until Lake Baikal is reach
ed. AS a rule the ground does not COM
mence to thaw until April, except a
very little on the surface in the middle
of the day, the sun being strong even
in winter.
The most important Russian town
between Tie Pass and Harbin, with
the exception of Kirin, which is not
on the railway is Kwansuling, also
spelled Kungchuling. This town is a
little more than 100 miles north of Tie
Pass. Here were gathered great stores
of provisions, alongside Of which were
erected Red Cross hospitals. the best
by far that the Russians had south
of Harbin. At all the other stations
there were also hospital accommoda-
tions. so that if Linevitch escape
from Oyama at Tie Pass, he has good
chance to cross at the most favorable
season of the year. Another few weeks
and the roads will be impossible. But
If he Is hard pressed there is not de-
fensible position, unless he abandon
the railway and seek safety in the east
ern hills. Later in the year. of course,
the rivers would afford some protec-
ton; but in winter, being frozen they
are as easy to cross as Is the country