White Bluffs spokesman. [volume] (White Bluffs, Wash.) 1907-1938, 1931-11-05

what the Union Pacific did for the
American West. Like magic, these
new railways were to turn a wild
thinly peopled nomad land into
modern Canaan, a granary of the East,
drawing new settlers at the rate OF
anywhere from 100000 to 100000 in
single year.
Because Of it's conspicuous import
ance and it's vast influence on migra-
ton, industry, and agriculture, it is
worth while to review the develop
ment of this railway and Of it's extern
sion, the South Manchuria railway.
All over the civilized world, news
paper readers know this famous line
now as the Chinese Eastern railway.
BY the terms Of the original agree
ment, signed between China and the
Russo-C Chinese bank Qater the Russo
Asiatic bank), it was to be a joint
enterprise. The Cars engineers built
it and the Russians had charge Of it's
shops, maintenance, and technical OPP
erations; but Chinese were supposed
to share equally with Russian direc-
tors in it's general management.
When completed, in June, 1908, it had
cost in excess of $2OO,O00,0OO. OF this
cost, China supplied about S5,00O,0O0
and shared, proportionately, in its
profits.
Towns Became Busy Cities.
When finished, the main line of the
Chinese Eastern ran from it's ter;
minus at Manchuli, one the north
west border Of Manchuria, to Pogran-
ichnaya, on the eastern boundary.
From Hardin, now busy, important
city and then mere fishing village
on the Sungari river, branch line
was dropped south to Dalny, now
Dairen, on the Bay of Korea. Most of
this section, or that part from Chang
chun south to Dairen, is now known
as the South Manchurian railway.
Dalny was literally magic city.
Built quickly, by imperial command,
it was the talk Of the Far East. On
this barren, then empty, point OF
rocks, engineers, architects, and work
ers of the Gar spent millions of ru-
bles to build wharves, streets, business
blocks, and houses for population
vet to come. A magnificent vision,
that-the vision of great seaport,
terminus of a 5,495-mile railway tying
Europe to the Orient
How observers laughed, at this amaz-
ing spectacle-vast trainloads of tools.
food, tents, work animals, scrapers.
and building material being dumped
on rocky shore of faraway Asia to
build a city where there were no peo-
| pie! Yet today Dalny, Dairen, is the
| second or third most important sea-
port on all the China coast! In Man
| churia something is always hap
| pening
1t happened again in 1904, when
! Japan fought Russia. One saw the
holes in the armored sides Of escap-
ing Russian battleships-holes big
enough to lead cows through, holes
| made by Togo's guns in Tsushima
| strait Port Arthur, the impregnable,
| fell: ancient Mukden echoed and shook
| under the heaviest gunfire Asia had
ever known.
| KuropatlSin lost-and President
| Roosevelt mediated. In the peace
| conference at Portsmouth, N. H., Rus
STA coded to Japan her lease on the
I.iaotung peninsula and possession on
the South Manchuria railway as far
north as Changchun. China confirmed
| this and later extended Japan's lease
for a period of 80 years.
But in Manchuria drama never dies
| Tragedy, stark and terrible stalked
| across the East when Imperial Russia
| collapsed. Refugees by the thousands
| fleeing the horrors of postwar polit
ical chaos in Siberia, came east to beg
borrow. or starve in neutral Manchu
riaT towns.
After Rus.ia's Collapse.
In this chaos the Allies took over
the operation of the Chinese Eastern
railway. From their base at vladi
vostok they needed it to move mer
and supplies An American engineer
| famous for his work on the Panama
! canal. was in charge. Later, the new
ly formed Soviet government took I'm
perial Russa's old place as partner
with the Chinese. In 1924. by new
treaty, China enjoyed an equal share
with the Soviets in the profits of thu
railway. 1t was agreed. too, thai
China should govern the railway zone
inhabited now by many thousands Of
whites and that each nation In thu
compact should refrain from propa
ganda against the others social an(
political systems.
That, stripped of details. is the
brief story Of the now famous Chinese
Eastern railway up to June II, 1920
when it was seized by the Chinese, its
Russian personnel arrested. causing
clouds of war once more to loom over
this stage of so many historic strug
giles. This threat Of war was later
removed when Chinese and Russians
again agreed to joint management
of tho railway.