Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1907-08-26
CARRY
COAL TO
PfKING
And Peklng Is In the Middle of the
Greatest Coal Field On Earth

A returned American Missionary
who has lived many years in China,
and who was cooped up In PekinR
In the Boxer troubles, is telling
story about our section OF the army
of occupation that marched up to Pc
king. He thinks the incident was a
good joke on our boys, and illustrat-
ed the advantage of learning some
thing before hand about a region
one intends to travel in.
1--WE were very much astonlshed,"
he says, when the gates we're
opened and some OF us were permit
ted to go out and see our boys before
the order was given to take the al
lied army into the city. We found
that the Americans had a baggage
rtain about mile long, although the
soldiers and marines were by no
means a very large contingent. We
wondered what they were doing with
such long string of heavy, clumsy
Chinese carts, and asked the boys
what they had brought along to make
such an imposing procession.
WELL was the answer, "'you
see We have brought along a good
deal of COAL"
Coal, :" We gasped in astonlsh-
ment.
Eyes. You see we haven't the
slightest idea how long we shall stay
here We thought we couldn't be
caught in the middle of China with
out plenty of fuel to cook our vlct-
uals, and we decided that nothing
else would be so wise as to carry
fuel along. Down near the Taku
forts, at the mouth OF the Pie Ho,
we found an enormous quantity OF
coal from tho Kalplng mines and we
loaded more than fifty big carts with
lit. We calculate we've enough to
last the commissary department a
long time. We have had dickens
OF a time getting 1t up here, for the
dust in the road has been about up
to the hubs all the way, and coa'
isn't feather weight commodity "
"At first" says the missionary,
1--WE were simply astounded and then
we burst out laughing. IL was the
biggest fool job we ever heard OF
We asked our travel-stained fellow
citizens II they hadn't learney any
thing about Peking and It's nelghbor-
hood before they trudged all the
way from the mouth OF the Pei Ho
to the capital. They said they hadn't
lheard anything in particular.
"'Well, now that you're here you
can see for yourselves we told
them. Look out to the west there.
You see those mountains rising out
Of the plain. They are not very far
away, and behind them there is range
after range. We had an Idea that
those mountains. which you can
reach I'm q few hours with an OK
team, were known all over the world
as the Peking coal field. One of the
reasons why Peklng is here is be-
cause II was known that this coal
field exists. Ever since coal was
found to have value It has supplied
the capital OF China with her fuel,
anl the coal measures have scarcely
been touched yet.
"'You may take a pick out TO
those mountains, stand in the sun
light, and In few hours knock down
enough coal from the outcrops to
supply a family OF Americans with
fuel for a year. They beat the coal
measures OF KaIplng. which are the
second largest coalfields OF the pro-
vince OF Chihli. The greatest coal
supplies in Chill are right here at
the gates of Peklng.'
"The boys smiled a kind OF siekly
smile. We'll. there are Others" they
said. 1--WE aren't the only galoots In
the allied forces who have toted coal
more than 100 miles. all the way