Many travellers who wish to see the interior of China are unwilling to brave the discomforts of a long trip by cart. But with the nearing completion of the Peking-Hankow Railway, it is becoming possible to visit what wore formerly the most inaccessible places with very little tedium of cart travel. As many are inquiring about this overland route from Hankow to Poking, an account of the trip taken by the United States Commission of International Exchange last March may be of value. As Prof. Jenks and his party were guests of the Imperial Govern-mont, the five days' journey between rail heads was smoothed by the provision of sedan chairs for the four foreigners, plenty of carts for servants and baggage, and convenient rest-houses and attendants at every stopping place. But the ordinary traveller would find no difficulty in making the same trip, as it follows the great highway from the southern provinees to Poking and good native inns are located at convenient intervals. Good two-mule carts are easily hired. Bedding must be taken for use on the native brick beds or bedsteads which are common in Honan. Good cots are a comfort especially in warm weather when insects are active. If foreign food is desired it must be carried and a good cook and servants, though not indispensable, add greatly to the comfort of a trip. In going from Shanghai a servant who can speak mandarin should be sought for.
The fare from Hankow to the farthest point where tickets were sold in March was about $13.00. The managers of construc-passengers baggage free of charge jon, trains ere obliging and carry tov Hsichou within about 200 lief K'sifengfu, a point of great interest, six miles south of the Yellow River. If one does not care to visit K'sifeng, he may continue the journey somewhat farther by rail to the north-west within about a day's journey of the Yellow River. The railway is to cross some 200 Li up the river from K'aifeng, which will doubtless in time be connected with the trunk line by a branch line. Three days' journey from the Yellow River, about 1st April, brought one to the rail head at Changtéfu. "At present the iron must be proaching Woibui, so that the cart journey is shortened to 3 or days between rail heads. No tickets were sold until Shuntéfu was reached and the Ist class fare from there to Peking, 260 miles, is $15.60. The regular price for carts with two animals is one tael per day, so that the travelling expenses from Hankow to Peking are now about $44.00 estimating $1.50 per day for food, etc., while travelling by cart. By taking 2nd class tickets the figure is reduced to $30, Foreigners will be found at K' in, Woibuifu, Changtéfu, and Shuntéfu, and all along the railways. Those places all have post offices, telegraph stations, and Catholic and Protestant missions.
An interesting side trip is found by taking the Peking Syndicate Railway, which runs S.W. 83 miles from Taok'ou the head of large junk navigation on the Wei river, through Weibuifu to their mines at Jamieson or Chameisen as it is in Chinese, in the foothills of north-west Honan." Thisroad was still in the management of the contractors, Pearson and Sons of London, and not open to passenger trafic, but the chance comer, if a foreigner, finds hearty hospitality among the engineers and builders. If one visits K'aiféng he may as well go to Changte via Taokou, saving 40 li and reaching the headquarters of the Peking Syndicate Railway. If one goes by the direct route between rail heads he can take this side trip from Weibui. If he follow the line of railway construction to the great bridge that is to be built over the Yellow River he may strike this railway at Hsinhsianghsien or further west at Kuochiahsien. The railroads cross near Weihui.
Prof. J. W. Jenks, heading the Commission of International Exchange, during the month of February saw the Emperor, the Foreign Office, Board of Rei the committee of six high officials pointed by the government for consul tion, also Governor Yuan Shih-kai, Tang Taotai, bankers, Customs official others of Peking and Tientsin. These interview were in the nature of introductions and a beginning at getting a grasp of the present monetary situation rather than an attempt to pursuea fiscal scheme. As the remark was often made that conditions in the interior are quite different from those in the ports, Prof. Jenks deled upon the tour from Peking through Chibli, Honan, and Hupeh to Hankow as the most feasible for investigating the conditions away from treaty ports.
The Peking-Hankow line of railway was willing to do everything for the Commission and gave a private car from Peking to Shuntéfu. The department of construction attached a first-class passenger car to this work train and forwarded the Commission to T'suchou then near the end of the line.
The ran from Poking to Shuntéfu was made between 7.45 am. and 7.45 p.m. The party consisted of Prof. Jenks and is private secretary, Mr. A. 0. Durand, Mr. C. F. Gammon, and an interpreter, six servants, four saddle horses, and much baggage. Ch'anghsintien, about 16 miles from Poking, was noted as the mechanical headquarters of the road—a site well chosen among the foothills, near the Hon or Muddy river. Foreign-style brick kilns, where red brick are burnt, supply the stations far down the line with trimming to ornament the buildings of grey brick.
Among the engineering feats the crossing of the Hut'ou River south of Cheng-ting is noteworthy.' The actual bridge seemed to be a half-mile or more long, supplemented by some miles of grading faced with stone, with several bridged sluiceways for flood water, which undoubtedly overflows the wide sandy valley in the rainy seasons, Several spans were in place but in the middle of the shallow Tiver full of sand bars, the men were still working leg deep in the icy water, sinking caissons. The brid; [seemed in a fair way tobe used before the rainy season comes to destroy the temporary structure on which trains are crossing now, Strong evidence was soon that the road will be, if it is not already, a good money-maker. Passengers of all' descriptions thronged the trains and photographs of crowded pony cars were taken to show how. the Chinese oppose the railways, The railway comes as a groat relief to the richer pilgrims from Mongolia and Manchuria who used to walk o ride in litters and on horseback the weary miles to Wutaishan in Shansi, -~A prince's party of ton or more Mongols with women and nursing children were taking life easily on their pilgrimage. They left the train at Tingchou and had still' a matter of 450 li to travel before reaching the Holy Mountain, The old priest accompanying was constantly telling his beads, but it is doubtful if he laid up as much merit as he would, creeping all the thousands of li on the knees or striking his head at every five Hep At Chengtingfu bales of Bombay cottons, brought up on river boats from Tientsin, were loaded for distribution in Shansi and North Honan. The importance of Chengting as a distributing centre should increase now that the railway is there. The city isa fine landmark from the train with its gate towers, long walls, pagoda and twin-spired Catholic Cathedral. The tract is laid on a curve around the west and north sides of the city at a distance of a mile or two, The various magistrates at Shunté had been advised by the Governor of our coming and they met usar the station with oficial sedan chairs for our use, a tomporary reception room having been fitted up in the. station building. They had also taken an inn near by for our uso and fitted it up as for an official residence. The construction train was to leave at 6 am, and the officials came again to see us off. Owing to the lateness of arrival and the early hour of departure the officials of this place were not interviewed on monetary questions.
While waiting for the train to leave in the morning we met Mr. Reid of the Peking Syndicate on his way north. Ho had just come over the road from Taok'ou. On our mentioning'that we had a letter of introduction to him somewhere in our b he made the gallant and sincere "You need no introduction. Your nationality is sufficient introduction to carry you everywhere among us British" Ho gave his card, asking the Syndicate railway managers to extend us every courtesy, but it was quite unnecessary, as we found all were glad to be we
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