Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1908-10-16
WHEELBARR0W TRAVEL
QUEER METHOD OF GETTING FROM
PEKIN TO SHANGHAI.
Chinese Coolies, Says a Writer, Often
Push Passengers Twenty Miles
Day.

In st. Louis there is a city ordinance
foroidding anybody to trundle Il wheel
barrow along a sidewalk, says The Post
Dispatch Not much attention would be
paid to such an act far out in the resi-
dence districts, but the law is enforced
in the business sections.
In China, on the contrary, the wheel
barrow is one of the important methods
of lOcomotion and transportation, and
is used in all parts of the empire, cities
as we'll as country. Passengers are car
ried sometimes long distances in wheel
barroWs and goods and merchandise are
transported by the same method.
The Chinese wheelbarrow differs from
that used in America in the fact that
the wheel, instead of being between two
shafts, which stick out in front, is To-
Gated underneath the body of the We
hicle, at the middle. Nor are the han
dies supported as they are in this coun-
try.
The coolie who pushes the wheelDar
row has a device consisting of stout
straps, which is attached to the ham
dies of the barrow. These straps are
then placed over the mans shoulders,
so that his whole body, and not just his
arms, helps to carry the load.
BY that arrangement the use of the
wheelbarrow, even where exceedingly
heavy burdens are carried, is rendered
much easier than is the use of our ordi-
nary American wheelbarrows, such as
one sees employed by gardeners or brick
masons. Thus the Chinese coolie is able
to trundle half a ton on his barrow
without overtaXing himself.
The wheelbarrow in China is especially
useful in the country, where horses are
few and where the roads are really in
many localities nothing but footpaths,
over which a horse and wagon could not
! travel. Therefore, in such places the
Wheelbarrow is about the only available
means of transporting passengers or
| goods from one town to another.
| 1t has been said by travellers that Chi
nese of wealth sometimes make a trip
| from Shanghai to Pekin entirely by
| WheelbarroW. The distance between
those cities is 600 miles. Some of the
barrows will hold two passengers. and a
two passenger barrow will be pushed
about twenty miles a day, so that the
distance from Shanghai to Pekn could
| De covered IN about one month
In the United States travelling by rail
similar distance would be covered in
day and half a night at the outside.
and the fast mail and express trains
would make the trip in shorter time.
Trains travel between Chicago and New
York in about twenty-three hours.
But pushing two persons in a wheel
J barrow twenty miles day is even
| ecllpsed in the cities, where the streets
! are well fitted for such modes of trans
/ portatlon. Where there are many per-
sons going from one quarter to another
1t is not an uncommon sight to see a
coolie struggling along with seven or
eight persons in his barrow.
A WheelbarrOw cOolie is paid about 20
cents day, which, if he be pushing
two passengers twenty miles day, is
equivalent to one-half cent mile a
passenger. That is cheaper even than
| the 2-cent fare laws, which We're so well
| come to the people of Missouri and other
! states where they have been passed and
which gave such an impetus to railroad
| travel
In the United States the only thing ap-
preaching the wheelbarrow method of
| transportation occurs after elections. 1t
is not infrequent that two men with a
penchant for freak wagers will enter into
an agreement that the one whose candi.
! date is victorious in the election shall be
trundled a given distance in wheel
barrow by the supporter of the losing
candidates.
When such wagers are paid there is al
ways great crowd to look on and jeer
the loser, while the winner wears Il grin
of satisfaction during the entire ride.
| Probably Chinaman would see nothing
amusing in such an incident.
| Besides the WheelbarrOW other odd
methods of transportation in China are
| the junkS, Sampans, households and 9th
| er queer craft which crowd the rivers,
canals and harbors.