The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1907-06-17
AUTOIEG IN CHINESE RILDS
EXPERIENCES OF PEKIN RACER
GOING BY COOLIE POWER.
Push. and the Fire Carriage VIII &c by
Itself, They sang Rocky Sleeps AFTER
Huan River Was Crossed Island and
Slghtseers at Car at Kalgan
Special cable Despatch 10 TIE sun.

~ III u tib ~ - 81
Special Cable Despatch 10 THE SUN.
LONDON. June ia despatch from
kalgan from the correspondent OF the
Telegraph who is accompanying the con-
testants in the Pekin to Paris automobile
race says: Our italia car arrived here on
saturday morning after a journey Of ex-
traordinary interest. We left C%hatauchung
at 4:30 A. NJ. June II, drawn by mules and
coolies.
w soon reached the spurs Of the Yen
jan Mountains. No real road exists there.
merely paths created by the usual traffic,
and along these we dragged the automobile,
Just as big guns are hauled into position.
1t was hard work preparing space for the
tires and removing boulders. The coolies
worked with alacrity. uniting their efforts
in time with characteristic songs impro-
vised for the occasion.
PUSH they sang, and then the fire
carriage will run by itself
I'VE met everywhere a kindly reception.
The population brought fresh water and
asked respectfully where we were going"
The correspondent thus describes part OF
the journey;
Passing through little villages we feel
AIC lLiNCoOl DuDl PltlbuIe Nv III llOih
having done something which seemed i'm
possible for the first time. This race in
sight of Chinese pagodas seems a dream,
and We are compensated for all our fatigues.
Our Occidental pride reaches the apex OF
satisfaction.
From all houses there issue women and
children, a picturesque crowd in strange
habilinents, stranger than those OF the
Pekinese. They form vivacious throngs
along the mud walls of the villages, but
there is nc sign Of excessive wonder. On
the contrary they show tranquil and benevo-
lent curiosity. Many Of them shout: Here's
the railway, countrymen, at work
They often look at us, but without inter-
rupting their occupation, as If they had
seen automobiles all their lives. All of
them know of the railway by repute, as it is
from here that the Kalgan line was begun.
Consequently they believe they are wit
Messing the passage of the first train
June 10 is described as the day richest in
fatigues and emotions. The correspondent
writes: "A hundred times we ran the risk
of seeing the automobile fall over a preci-
pice, dragged down by rocks or buried in
mud. In the neighborhood Of %Shaohuai-
huep the rain had formed a morass and the
car was buried over its axles. 1t wa also
held up by immense roots Of trees, which
prevented it's being drawn any further.
We had, therefore, tot work with axes to cut
the roots away.
"A worse experience awaited us. Cros-
sing the valley Of the Huan River the road
passes over a mountain. and we had on the
left side a precipice and on the right a wall
of rock. 1t was like getting up a staircase
cut in the rock. Every moment we ran the
danger Of breaking the engine on the great
houlders in its path. Sometimes the road
almost disappeared between narrow walls,
giving the impression that ME automobile
was absolutely closed in end could neither
recede nor advance.
The heat Of the rocks warmed by the I
sun was tremendous. This rendered the
all the worse. especially when we
had to work with pick and shovel in order
to smooth out a passage. A good twelve
miles were passed in this manner until we
entered the sand hills of the Plain of Shin
wafa.
The mandarin OF Shinwafa sent two
horse soldiers to meet us who had the ap-
Of brigands. They looked u over
and then went of at a gallop toward the
Town. Thence soon came a curious caval-
formed of old citizens, functionaries
and soldiers, all DESTROYS OF seeing the
mysterious foreign machine in motion, The
multitude surrounding us had to be dis
persed by the soldiers with blows from
We made a triumphal entry into a
where we passed the night"
The next day the car reached Kalgan after
much hauling by coolies and some good
at twenty miles an hour.
The French and Dutch cars arrived at
kalgan Sunday morning in good condition.
They had been delayed by the Cantal tri-
the wheels Of which could not traverse
he deep ruts.