The Montgomery advertiser., 1908-03-02
CHINESE. RAILROkbs.
Possible to Go From PeIxig to London
 in Fifteen Days

PossibIe to Go From PeIxi9 to IsonaoH
 in Fifteen Dayaj
 Washington Special to st. ;touis Times
 If now IS possible to gff from Pekin to London by railroad in Afteen days twelve days from Pekin Moscow and thnee days from Moscow to Londoni and, when a cutoff nov Delng con structed by the ChineF Government from Pekin nerthwestTArd IS com pleted this time willsPe reduced 70 nine or ten days.
 At present passeBer who taxes the train at Pekin bNreduired to go ssstward to Hafbin northern Man churia to connect wifi the Great Si- berian Railroad. whoe main line runs from Vladivostok toedoscow; then ne has to f,,rn westwaA and follow the other leg of an acie triangle To lrk- ,,tsL the capital sf Siberia. From Ts,Edan there is sAother branch to r,ort Arthur at tH extreme point Of fha Liaotung PepAsula. which Is us- uaIly patronibed passengers to ana
 Al Ieaat three 4ays' time is lost by SoIIowins the Jf4sent circuitous route, and inc Chirse Government, recogniz- jnr its disa.vantages, Is pushing what is known IS the Kalgan line with great anarrC and hopes to have it completed S-3bronrh Mongolia to connect with the trans% Siberian Railroad at Khailar. in inc Province of Tsitsihar. within a few years.
 The town of Khailar Is southeast ot lake Raikai. across which the trains of the Great Siberian Railroad are now transferred by a ferry.
 The Pekin-Kalgan Railroad Is being constructed by Chinese engineers and coolic labor under the general direction of Claude W. Kinder, an Englishman, who has spent nearly his entire life in China in charge of the railway running northwara from TientsIn along the shore of the Gulf of Pechili to. shan Hai-Kuan, which was built by the late Li- Hung Chang to reach his coal mines
 This road has been completed and Is in operation for thirty three miles. and eighty-two miles are now under con- struction. It is owned by the Chinese Government, is a division of the Im- perial Railroad which runs from Pekin to Mukden and is being paid for with the surplus profits derived from the operation of the latter line Trains are now running regularly to Nankow, thirty three miles from Pekin. All though it's most important object is to furnish short line to Europe, 1t Is of gFeat benefit to the local population and export trade of Tientstn by fur nishing quick and cheap transportation for wool, sixins. hides and furs from Mongolia and other Northern Provinces which for centuries have been brought down by camel caravans.
 f wilbur E. Graeey American Consul Ut Tsing-tau, has recently sent the Secretafy of state an admirable report upon the railways of China.
 He describes them all, both those that are in operation, those that are under construction and those that are Authorized, aud in addition gives a list of those proposed. with the probable routes and the supposed advantages of each. This report contains informa- lion of the greatest value that cannot te obtained elsewhere and the depart .eent will uhdoubtedly have it publish- sa for general circulation. The inter est throughout Europe fin the railway SeveIopment of China is extraordinary. ana 1t Is eq{hlly extraordinary that there ia no aFbarent interest whatever in the Unite& States.
 Although ve are furnishing a good deai of construction material we might 1,,rrtah a ztba& deal more if our man ,,facturers vent after the business. Sysrv likely they will do SO. now that rsiIway construction and improvements nave been practically suspended in this