[This Document is the Property of His Britannic Majesty's Government.]
22
Line. The line is a single track throughout, except at the stations. It leaves Fengtai (station on the Peking-Tien-tsin line, which is also the junction of the Peking-Hankow line) parallel to the Peking-Tien-tsin line for 24 miles, then turns off to the left, and keeps outside and parallel to the west wall of the Tartar City, some three-quarters of a mile away from this latter. The rails are laid almost to Nankow village, though trains stop short of the rail-head at the station of Nankow, a good mile from the village. The earthwork for the line is laid well into the valley leading up to the pass some 5 li (1 mile) past the village of Nankow, which lies at the mouth of the valley.
Ballast. At present, only a very small section of the line has been ballasted, but it is alleged that this want of ballast will not interfere with the opening of the line to traffic in a month's time.
Stations. There are at present nine stations, the chief being Fengtai, Kuangan Men (south-west gate of Peking), Hsi-chih Men (north-west gate of Peking), Chinghwa, Shaho, and Nankow. At all stations, small neat buildings of grey brick are being erected of an inexpensive design. The names of the stations are engraved in Roman letters as well as in Chinese characters. The platforms at most of the stations are 2 feet high, and it will probably be so at all eventually.
Tunnels under construction. In the second section (Nankow to the top of the pass), there will be three tunnels, one of which—the long one—has not yet been begun, while the other two—one of 60 yards, the other of 200 yards—are almost completed. Tunnelling does not begin until 30 li (10 miles) up from Nankow.
Remarks. One of the English engineers on the Imperial North China Railways is reported to have said that he could lay a line over such country as lies between Peking and Nankow at the rate of a mile a day, so, considering that a year has been taken to construct these 35 miles, the visitor may expect something very grand, but, on the contrary, he will see a quite inferior railway, which looks as if it had been hurriedly laid down to bring troops up for some campaign. In places, the line is not unlike in appearance a switchback at some London exhibition, and I am convinced that no high rate of speed will ever be attained on it without great danger. English engineers on the Imperial North China Railways with whom I have spoken, though they certainly do not extol the line, have said nothing against it. This may be possibly due to esprit de corps. The Chinese engineer is doubtless pleased with his work and is probably a man marked down by the members of the Chinese Government interested in railways for constructing future lines in China.
W. J. GARNETT.
(Signed)
[A]
AFFAIRS OF CHINA.
CONFIDENTIAL.
[34804]
No. 1.
Sir Edward Grey to Sir J. Jordan.
40469
[October 10.] N 96-
SECTION 2.
(No. 356.) Sir,
Foreign Office, October 10, 1906.
The Chinese Minister called to-day and said that the Chinese Government were arranging to find the money necessary for the Shanghae-Nanking Railway, and if they could not do so in time to prevent construction being suspended, they would authorize the Corporation to raise a loan.
I said this was only what we had heard before. The Chinese Government were going to have found the money by last August, but had not done so, and now promises were not enough. If money was not forthcoming in six weeks, construction would have to be suspended. The Corporation could not raise a loan at a moment's notice. It was necessary, therefore, that the Chinese Government should provide the money at once, or, if they could not do so, should immediately authorize the Corporation to raise a loan.
The Chinese Minister said he would telegraph what I had said to his Government. He had already informed them that we did not intend to press for new concessions which they might consider embarrassing, but expected existing engagements to be fulfilled.
I said that was certainly so, but I had now been in office for some ten months, and during the whole of that time, no progress had been made with any of the existing engagements. The Shanghae-Nanking Railway was only one of them; there were others of importance, and I was very disappointed that so long a time had elapsed without any progress whatever being made.
I am, &c.
(Signed)
EDWARD GREY.
[2183 k-2]