Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1910-04-16

az a sign Of good luck and prosperity.
THE GATEWAY TO SOUTH ASIA
/ write this letter in what Is the most
up-to-date booming city OF the far
east Rangoon is the capital Of Burma
Il is growing faster than Calcutta
II already stands third among the
great ports OF the Indian empire.
crOwding the heels OF Bombay. and
there are many who prophesy that BE-
VIII eventually be the biggest city Of
southern Asia. Lying here at the mouth
OF the lrawadi, 1t forms the only gate
to one OF the richest valleys Of the
world, and In time, by railroads ale
ready projected. 90 viii be the gate
way 10 western China as we'll The
city has now a population OF 100000. 10
runs for miles up and down the river
and extends back into the fiat aluyial
lraWadi delta. II is backed by some
Of the biggest rice lands OF the world
and IL exports more rice than any other
port on earth. The amount 10 b.,
shipped this year Is valued an $50 000-
00V. and the river is now hlled with
great steamers loading for Japan.
China, Australia. India. Europe aud
North and South America. Among
them are river boats and barRes which
have brought rice ga from the country.
and there are great fleets at the mills
loading and unloading their cargoes
Rice is the money crop OF the country.
and II makes the Burmese compare
lively rich.
BURMA IN A BIRDS EYE.
But before 7 go farther. let me give
you hlrds-eyc view Of this country.
You an know its location Better per
haps than the Bostonian, who, when
asked where Il was, replied
Burma. Burma. or course / know
whore IL is. / have a cousin out there.
but he calls 81 Bermuda
The Burma from where / am writing
is away on here on the opposite side
Of the world II lies near the eastern
shores OF the bay or Bengal. several
hundred miles south OF tho Himaava
mountains. and just across the way
from the peninsula OF Hindustan on
the north IL runs close 10 Tibet. and ON
the east 10 skirts the Chinese PROVING,
Of Nunnan and the French Indo- China.
with the Slauese states on the south
The country is as long as from Canada
90 the Mexican gulf. and wider than
from New York To Cleveland Il is
bigger than France Germany or the
Spanish peninsula, and 10 has popula-
tlou or TO millions. of whom eight mill
lions are the proudcst best dressed and
most lovablc people OF Asia.
ON IttE lhA WADl.
/ came into Burma up the Iravadi
river. The capital Ranroau. from
where / write, lies about 90 miles from
the mouth OF one of the streams form
ing the delta The IrawadI is one of
the greatest Of the worlds great rivers
II rises somewhere I'm Tibet and flows
thousand miles through this country
before IL reaches the sea II carries
down so much silt that the blue waters
Of the Bay Of Bengal are made yellow
by H. In coming here We Travelled for
hours through what looked like pea
soup before We caught sight of land
and In the river itself the water was
as brown az oatmeal Cruel and almost
as thick. II left a rich sediment In the
bath tub Of the steamer and gave the
atmosphere a ycllowish tint undcr the
tropical sun. The deposit rs so great
that the shore Creeps on into the sea
several Inches a year. Immense sand
bars are created and pilots have 10
direct the steamers this way and that
The dredgc9 are always kept working
and the government is now contcm-
plating building "a series OF iotties like
those We have az New Orleans. These
will conhne the waters 10 a narrower
channel and tho force OF the river will
sCour the course clean.
Coming up 10 RanEoon tho stream rs
often several miles wide and the shores
at the mouth so far apart that as we
Rugged the north bank we could hardly
sec the land on the south. We passed
syrian, whore the Burma OH company