Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1914-04-30
WILL HELP CHINA
AMERICAN ARMY ENGINEER TO
RECLAIM THE "DISTRlcT
OF DESOLATiON."
GREAT HUMANITARIAN TASK
immense Tract Has Been Subjected
to Alternating Floods and Famines
for Centuries-Caused by an
Ancient Canal.
Rv GEnRGE CLINTON

Ancient Canal.
BY GEORGE CLINTON.
Washington.-An American army Of
hcer Of the engineer corps will be
loaned by this government to the Re
public OF China to perform a work of
reclamation Of stupendous nature,
winch, when completed, it is believed
VIII save in future years the loss of
thousands of lives which have been
sacrlhced annually in the past to
famine and to food conditions in a
great tract Of Chinese territory.
IN Washington today at the Chinese
embassy is DR.. Chen Chin Tao, who
was sent on a special mission to this
country in behalf of his government to
join his plea to that of the officials of
the American Red Cross that this gov
eminent loan one of its great engineer
officers in order that the Iffe-saving
work n China may be undertaken.
day or TWO ago in the senate of
the United States & join resolution was
passed granting permission to the war
N~--0AAL ~ OCo4 S54-C-IC al OA-LSCA -O1
the work in China and to grant him
leave of absence until it was com
pIeted, The house of representatives
will give its consent.
For the past three years Charles
Davis Jameson, an American civil en-
g1neer, who has been living in China,
has been studying in behalf of the Red
Cross and the Chinese government the
conditions in a great section of China
which has known but little rest from
foods and subsequent famine for the
last $500 years. This section is a
portion of China's great alluvial plain. -
The report of this engineer has been
turned in. 1t tells what the conditions
are, but does not go into details as to
plans for their betterment. These
will be left for decision to the Ameri-
can army officer who is to be assigned
to the reclamation work.
District of DISSOLUTION.
If the desire is to find on the map
Of China the section of the country in
which the American engineer will di-
rect his operations, the position of
Shanghai first should be determined.
Not far from this city, as distances
appear on the map, begins what has
been called the district Of desOla-
ton" 1t lies north of the Huai river
and the Hungtze lake and the old bed
of the Yellow river, south of the
province of Shantung and the present
~ do
east and west from the sea to the Ke
river. Within this district there have
been sufferings for % centuries, the
like Of which, it is said, have been
looked upon nowhere else in the
world.
AS near as a layman can describe
the reasons for the floods and the
famines and the sufferings in this sec
ton, they are due originally to the
construction of a great canal which,
while serving its own purpose of COM
merce, has so disturbed natural drain
age conditions that millions of peo-
pie have paid for this canals construc-
ton a toll of suffering. This water
way was built so far back in the past
that history does not record the date.
It's construction was undertaken and
completed centuries upon centuries
ago. It virtually parallels the coast
line at some distance inland and was
built originally for the purpose of
making easy the transportation Of the
tribute of the people to the city of
Picking. They have been paying tribute
with their lives ever since.
Canal Causes Great Floods.
The canal when it was completed
interfered with the proper flow of
many of the rivers and smaller
streams of China in their course to-
ward the sea. The outlets under the
canal were insufficient in flood times
to carry off the water. The result was
that over a section of many thousands
of square miles there was backset
Of water which gathered in pools,
created marshes and in some cases
actual lakes.
When flood conditions would sub
side, or, rather, when there was a
cessation of the rains, the water
would make its way slowly to the
sea, but the natives never were GER
tain that they could raise any crops,
because they did not know at what
moment the waters would rise again
and destroy everything that was grow
ing. Flood and famine and famine
and food year in and year out.
In large parts Of this district, which
up to a century or so ago were still
capable at times of cultivation, now
are marshes and wastelands. If the
American engineer who undertakes
the work of reclamation can do it he
will restore an empire to China and
perform perhaps the greatest humani-
tartan service ever undertaken.
What the President Meant.
While the rumblings of the fight for
the repeal of the Panama canal tolls
exemption clause are still being heard,
it may be of interest to say something
about what members Of congress gen
orally seem to think was the meaning
Of the president in his message on
this matter when he intimated that
our course in all foreign relations
would be smoother if his request for
repeal was granted.
What Mr.. Wilson meant in this con-
snection always has been more or less
IrHrI nv or nANT Ant