Evening star., 1909-09-05

were so stuck in the mud that the SILK
gowned mandarins within them had to be
carried out on the backs of coolies be-
fore they could reach solid ground.
Today Peking is as we'll policed as
New York and Chicago. The street traf-
nc is better managed. and the vast mass
of yellow humanity is handled with but
little exhibition of force and with little
noise. The chief streets have policemen
in the middle of the roadway at every
few feet. and the endless streams of
aimond-eyed mOrtals, which are always
moving this way and that, are not allow
ed to flow out of their proper courses.
Maintaining such order is far more diff
cult than in America, for the traffic is
much more diverse. 1t is composed of
every sort of vehicle. from the wheel
barrow, hauled by a donkey and pushed
by man, to the carriage, with coach
man and footman in livery and retainers
on horseback in front and behind. 1t
comprises hundreds of donkeys and
ponies loaded with goods; caravans OF
camels ridden by red-faced Mongolians.
led along single file by ropes fasten-
ed TO sticks thrust through the thick
flesh of the animals nose. There are
iinriltishas without number, which have
come here since the Boxer rebellion, and
there are men and women dressed in silks
and cottons on foot. The people are from
all parts of the Chinese empire. Half OF
them cannot understand the language of
the others, but nevertheless these police
men keep perfect order, with their broom
Stcklike clubs.
Within the past five years. the streets
of Picking have been remade. The main
avenues have been divided UP into side
walks and roadways. Granite cutters
now run along on each side the main
streets, and trees have been planted
throughout the whole city. The road
ways have been leveled and built up with
macadam, so that they are as solid as
those al in ba ma
terial used was stone broken by land into
bits of various sizes. A deep roadbed
was dug and the larger pieces fitted
in like mosaic. Then the smaller bits
top, layer after layer being placed until
the right level was reached. A steam
roller then crushed the stones fine and
the roads hus made are perfectly firm
The Fehing streets are clean. When
was last here they were covered with
filth. The city had no sanitary conven-
fences and one had to pick his way every
where. The streets We're not watered.
and in the summer the dust frequently
obscured the town like fog Today
Peking is putting in waterworks, and
pending their creation. is sprnkled by
men who fetch the water in tubs from
wells to the center of each block and
then spread it over the roads with dip
pers of basketwork. to which are attach
cd long wooden handles. This watering
goes on summer and winter and the dust
is we'll laid
The pipes of the new waterworkS are
now on the ground and they will have
been laid before this letter is published.
They will go first through the main
streets, and thence be extended to the
side streets and houses. The water from
a river nine miles away will be raised to
"a tower inside the Chinese city and will
be distributed by gravity. The new Pek
ing has many artesian wells. At two hun
dred feet an inexhaustible supply of good
water is rea ched, and many of the larger
buildings including some of the palaces
Of the imperial city, now have plants of
their own.
Modern Peking has its te'egraphs and
telephones Every official and prominent
business man now has his own phone.
The service is under the government
board of communica atoms and I under
stand it is good. a few years ago, the