The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1910-01-02
CANToN-IlOWLOON RAILWAl.
Now building.
This view lis at ISOwIOon opposite
Hong Kong


Hong Kong.
The cars are well lighted; in tho VIM
ter they are heated by steam, supplied
by a boiler In freight car attached to
the rear OF the train. The water for
tho boiler is pumped in by hand.
During my Journey to the Chinese
capital | was much Interested In the
passengers, They comprised many
htgh-class officials and other Chinese
gentlemen, all of whom were dressed
In brocaded silk gowns, big black
cloth boots and skull caps Of satin.
On the latter were blue buttons, IN
mourning for tho Emperor. There
were Chinese ladies, WHO, in the soil
tary grandeur of their paint, powder
and gorgeous silk clothes. sat with the
toes of their little club feet resting
on the floor There were a score OF
foreign men in European dress. and
one or two foreign women. There was
also Manchu girl. with her hair done
UP In two great wings. on the back OF
her head. and there was sleek haired
yellow maiden. who wore pantaoons.
The second class cars contained
well-to-do Chinese. many OF wnom
were clad in silks. They sat on
STRAIGHTFORWARD. ruue sccches. and 1T
seemed to me they looked very uncom-
Portable. Th~ third class was filled
with cooli,-. who were about as bad
off as the cattle In our stock cars at
home. They had box cars. which werc
entered at the ends by doors SO low
that one had 10 stoop to get through
them. The cars had no seats, and the
passengers either stood or sat on their
baggage. All the cars were well filed.
and the road is said TO he paying.
During the trip lunches were brought
in to the first-elass passengers. These
consisted of tea. cakes and sweets. we
had candicd cttron In the shape OF liz
tie green balls and delicious English
walnut meats. the full kernels, en-
beddcd in sugar. Tho conductors on
this train were English,
Will IN Picking, learned much
about the new railroad which Is now
building through the great wall on in
TO Mongolia. This is branch of the
Imperial railway system. and 1t is be-
ing constructed out of the profits of the
Mukden Picking line. 1t begins at Pc
king, and goes northward past tho
Ming Tombs TO the Nankow pass. One
hundred and twenty-five miles are al
ready built, and connection has been
made with the Monaghan city of Kali
gan. on the other side OF the great
wall. Kalgan has $4,000 inhabitants;
ii is the great centre fthe caravan
trade. half million or more camels
passing 1t each year. The road viii
have a considerable traffic In carrying
meat, furs and grain from Mongolia TO
Picking 1t will also take tea to the
Mongols. Tic present plan is to OK
| tend Ii across the Cobb desert TO Lake
BaikaL where it will connect with the
| Trans-Siberian railway. and form the
shortest route to Europe. IT Will put
Picking within thirteen or fourteen
days of London. and the time to New
| York by fast express train and steam
| will be about twenty days. When L
| visited the Nankow pass a few years
| ago, l travelled by donkey and mule
litter and II took me three days. By
! this new road the Journey can be made
lin six hours or less.
| The road starts from Peking, and,
I, until it ncars the mountains, the coun-
| try is comparatively smooth. II then
| rises rapidly and the track ascends
/ 1,s00 feet in ten and one-half miles.
| AT the pass itself a tunnel about three
| quarters of a mile long has been con-
! structed through which the trains
| pass under the great wall. This road
lis well built, although it has been
! planncd by Chinese engineers and con-
/ structed entirely by Chinese labor.
will cost about s15oo0,oOO TO extend 1t
! to the Siberian boundary
Chinn's big Railway Centres.
! China has many cities. already large,
which are bound to grow enormously
Through the new railroads now project
\ ed and building. The chief OF these
arc Peking, 1ientsin HankoW, canton,
Marking and Shanghai Another
/ railroad centre will be Chengtu the
| capital of the province of Szechuen, in
/ Western China, and another Will be
/ Yunnan, the capital of the province or
j the same name in the southwest. At
] all these places railroads are either In
iopcration or in projection, and event
5Iually the iron tracks will so out from
! them like the spokes OF wheel. Tient
i sin will be a second New York. 1t has
/ already million, and Is growing like
a. green bay tree. It lies near the coast
of the Gulf OF Chilli and is the clilel
4 centre of trade for North China. With
4 the enormous coal fields OF Shcnsl and
ltShansi tributary TO 1t. 1t IS on the
4 trunk line from Canton to Europe, and
is the chief port sor the capital. II
has connection with the Hankow-
I pcking line. and Is now building a
/ road southwark, through ShantunS &c
4 NnnlSing, on tho Yangtsc KianS, An
other road, IL little further eastward
i Will strike the river at Chinklang anc
this will eventually be continued SCUM
to Canton, making n great trunk line
Through Eastern China. That railway
Will pass through some OF the riches'
lands OF the world and it will have the
. traffic OF millions. 1t ought to pay al
most rs we'll as the famous Panama
road across the isthmus in the early
days of tho Californian gold dlscove'
I. ries.
Tho railway from Tlcnrsin to Nan
! king Is fast approaching tho yellow
River, and the carr will be running tt
that stream By tho first OF the year. Its
northern section will be built by Ger
4 man engineers, and tho Germans urs
supplying the money
n Their part Of that road Ia thre,
hundred and sixty miles long. It Goe