THE HONGKONG, WEEKLY PRESS AND
dista
ted
less serious
ago and uld be disc be Tokyo an this to the
of brethren of the Hongkong As long ago as Novem- ported in the press that alarmingly on the increase in By December the worst phase of the here had passed over, and the has received little or no atten- the local press for several the number of cases returned daily Allen so low At the worst period age number of cases per day was 30. the earlier part of January the average leathe 5.3; for the latter part the number of cases per day was 8.6, Last month (we have the returns inclusive of 24th inst. before us) were 5.5 and 2.7 respectively. It be seen that what we have said above nted by facts. Perhaps our Hongkong will be interested to hear what the figures for Tokyo are, where too, happily, the disease seems to be dying out, although there is no diminution in the returns for Kanagawa Ken. - The official returns for Tokyo, from the 26th of January to the 12th February, show that 2103 cases had occurred in the capital. From the 18th to the 22nd-there were 722 cases, the highest number being on the 13th, when 113 were returned, the lowest (35) on the 20th. For Kanagawa Prefecture the returns show 42 and 7 deaths from the 15th to 21st Jan, 97 and 19 from the 22nd to the 28th; 75 and 10 from the 29th Jan. to 4th Feb.; 109 and 7 from the 5th to the 11th; and 128 and 29 the 12th to the 18th. We trust the roing remarks and particulars will catch ye of some responsible person in the colony public-spirited" enough to agitate for reopening of the question and the speedy abrogration of a resolution which is worse than futile
THE WANGSHIK'ANG MINES.
on mines commonly known as the shikang Mines are some 18 miles inland from Huiyao, a small village on the Yangtze rer, about 80 miles below Hankow. A short line of railway connects Huiyao and the mines. This railway was laid down in 1891 by Mr. Hildebrand a German engineer, and the whole and its finish are admirable. It is built teel rails on iron sleepers, which rest on embankment raised above the old high- The line is single and the stations miyao, Lichiafang, Hsialu, Sheng. and Tiehshan. The total length 52 Chinese li, or say 18-English miles, has been in constant use for the last five sited Huiyao about two years left at 8.80 a.m., reaching Tiehshan, about two hours later, ges at the stations en route speed of about 16 miles an mmodation for passengers was
Two covered vans, resemb much as English cattle-trucks,
ladder and represented Beats and windows there fare, however, was very cheap, whole distance. The return t noon, reaching Huiyao led at 21.30 p.m., leaving 4.30 train only came ere was a sufficiency of tat
Way. return
night
|
|
ksho
very
to the line and
could be at once execute
ent
Well it
the ling stook
spot.
About 200 tons of iron ore are brought down daily for transportation to smelting works founded by the Viceroy Chang Chih- tung at Hanyang, which lies directly above Hankow. At the terminus of the railway is T'iehshan or Iron Hill. This Iron Hill is a natural wonder, being composed entirely of iron-stone containing from 75 to 80 per cent. of pure iron. The adjacent hills also abound in iron-stone, containing from 40 to 70 per cent. of pure iron. There is, however, so much phos- phorus combined with the iron that its rejec tion for the conversion of the ore into good steel is a matter of some difficulty. At the present time the ore is obtained by manual la bour, aided by blasting. A cable tramway runs up and down the Iron Hill, and by a simple mechanical balance the loaded trucks in their descent serve to bring up the empty ones. These former are wheeled away on rails and discharged into larger trucks for transport to Haiga and thence to Hanyang. A shaft has been pierced into the heart of the Iron Hill and has revealed thick lodes of ore extend- ing far inwards.
new
native miners pared with
pin
China, where the daily output tons, was very small. The daily only averaged 20 tons, but this have been trebled, if necessary coal at Huiyao was Tls 6 per ton excessive, as one tael mo of bringing up one The machinery depa in one enclosure an coal seams, which extend side, varied from 10 to 15 feet in thick
chang
and
To a mere observer it seems strang explicable why the steel and iron works yang, with their new and expensive were not established at a spot nearer and iron centres. The present site is unhe and liable to be flooded. A great deal money and labour has, therefore, been filling up the low-lying land embankments. Then, again, the cost of port of the ore is considerable. What is more account, however, is that the quantity of coal and limestone shipped at Hmiyao and the quantity discharged at Han yang vary in such an apparently terious and unaccountable any stranger, who was not conversant wi meaning of the two words
ner
mys
Naturere, not content with having supplied these vast quantities of iron, has endowed the locality with hills abounding in vast stores of limestone. Iron and limestone thus found together in such almost inexhaustible-profusion would suffice to render this province one of the wealthiest in China; but when coal and good coal, be added, then the combination of these natural products is enough, spart from all squeeze *** would be totally mystified.
It is other considerations, to make any syndicate | probable that His Excellency Chang Chih-tang cast_longing eyes on this portion of the Yang-was anxious to have his new undertakin tze Valley. The great initial difficulty under his eyes. He may have thought, that his which the steel and iron foundries at Han- sence would ensure a more thorough wor yang laboured was the scarcity of coal. Coal of the raw material into steel rails, rifles, has, however, been discovered at Wangshih-marketable pig iron. He has spent his mo teng, a place near the iron centres. This coal, freely, and has not spared himself in although very suitable for steaming purpose, deavour to make China independent of other will not convert into serviceable coke. An countries as regards manufactured steel and abundance of coal, which will, however, give iron. But the Viceroy has failed. It would good coke, has been found at no great distance be hard for Shêng to worse. It is possible for to the westward of T'iehshan. It may be re-him to do a great deal better. membered that the dearth of coke at Hanyang so seriously hampered the steel and iron workers there that large supplies had at first to be im- ported from Europe at great expense.
The only serious difficulty in dealing with the coal seems to be to determine the precise spots where to sink working shafts, as the coal lies in some places in thick seams and in others in parcels only. However, there is no lack of good and skilled foreign assistance, if only this be allowed elbow-room. The foreign staff maintain confidently that the whole of this district will bear comparison with the coal and iron fields in other parts of the world. Given an increase of capital and management, and there is little doubt that the steel and iron industries would increase enormously, and what is more would become a financial success. It would be superfluous to detail the causes of past failure, but it might be in teresting to note that coal and limestone command a ready sale in the Hankow markete, and that this may explain why it is that the coal and lime-laden barges arrive at Hanyang so much lighter in draught than when they started from Huiyao.
While on the subject of the fertility the surrounding coal fields, it may prov interest to relate the account of a visit made about two years ago to one of the small coal pits. Lichia fang is the second station on the railway and about four miles from the river bank. Behind the station rises a steep hill about 800 feet high, the path over the hill being made up of stone steps. Up "and_down these steps the coal is borne in baskets on the backs of fooolies A cable tram, costing say $40,000, would be an incalculable boon. At the foot of the hill on the side
from Lichi the present shaft has bee
The mine
led by fern-clad hills and with
of the Tigers Lakou
neighbourhood. resents a char
„Official dishonesty can be more than counter balanced by handing over the entire working control of the mines, foundries, and all accounts connected therewith, to a competent foreign staff. There may be other remedies, but the lesson must be learnt, if it has not already been learnt, that the mere possession of raw material however enormous in quantity, and latest ma- chinery, however expensive in price, cannot themselves make a success of any enterprise. N. C. Daily News.
HOUSES AND ROADS IN SHANGHAT
There was a time when it would be considered
somewhat of a curiosity to see a Chinaman living in a European house in the Settlement. It i well known that this Settlement, as set forth in the Land Regulations, is a land set apart by foreigners." This was settled upon by the Representatives of England and the United States of
the Chinese authorities for the residenc
some
all dire
of the
would hardly think that such was the to 800our Settlement now the Chinese
the houses in the Road, etc eigners to obt being built Donald Mackenzie the heading of we find some Housebuilding cor pecially in Hongkew Fifty and 1,102 Chinese houses have been erected during the year. imp
manyz