If the Chinese do not change their minds again, the near future will see rajlroad trains running between Poking and Nanking, Rumours of railroads "have floated loosely about ever since foreign capitalists began to obtain rights of way for railroads from the Chinese Government.
In 1899 some Belgian surveyors wont over this part of the country inspecting and prospecting. When LIB, Chang hihtung became Viceroy at Nanking, he called in the north of the river official and told them to prepare the people for prospective railroads. It all disappeared with the calling of him to the court at Peking.
But it seems to be resurrected anew. How much he has to do with the present activities, we do not know. Surveyors are surveying and the local Chinese are getting used to the prospect of a railroad. They cannot understand why their rivers, their cities even to the very streets, and their high roads should be measured.
"We certainly cannot allow trains of cars to run up our main streets. The streets are too narrow and people could not do business. Then with the children and passers-by going and coming all the time, some one is bound to be killed."
They have been thrice assured that the railroad will run neither on their city streets, their highways, or in the river. "Then what do they survey them for?" they ask guilelessly. The river and roads between here and the riverside opposite Nanking have all been surveyed, and now the centre line of the proposed route is being mapped out. Meanwhile a second party is busy surveying prospective routes between here and the Hwui River at Singhwuikuan. The surveyor-in-chief is doing this personally. A third party have started from the boundary of Shantung province southward, mapping out that part of the route. "The Shanti portion is in the hands of the Germat The English control this end.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.