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Of the best known of these-that through Siam and up the Mekong Valley--Captain Ryder, in the light of our fuller geographical knowledge, now simply remarks: "It may at once be dismissed as impossible." Various other projects of the past can be similarly dismissed; and for those which may be put forward in the future there will be no excuse if they are not based on precise and perfectly reliable data,
The Yunnan Company (Limited), its Incorporation and Objects.
3. It is mainly to the Yunnan Company, Limited, that we owe our very complete knowledge of the physical features of Yunnan. The Company was registered in London on the 15th July, 1898. In a letter written to the Foreign Office that month, the Secretary says that it was formed for the purpose, among others, of surveying and, if found practicable, afterwards arranging for the construction of a road or railway and telegraph line from the terminus of the Burmah Railways at Kunlôn, or wherever on the frontier the terminus may be located, through Yunnan and Szechuan to the Yangtse." The Secretary then asks for "assistance in getting a concession from the Chinese Government for this purpose, which should include a lease of the mining, forest, agricultural, and pastoral rights on the unoccupied land five miles on each side of the line, due regard being had to present rights of the population." The India Office were also asked "in view of the responsibilities about to be undertaken by the Company to grant them a concession of mineral, forest (exclusive of teak), agricultural and pastoral rights in the portion of the Shan States between 97° cast and the Chinese frontier and latitude 22-24 north; also for exclusive right of working and manufacturing fibre materials in above district and in the watershed of the Irrawaddy above Mandalay."
Personnel of Expedition of Yünnan Company.
4. In the autumn of 1898, the Company, with the support of Her Majesty's Government, organized an expedition into Yüunan. They obtained the services of Major Davies, O.L.I., Lieutenant Watts-Jones, R.E., Lieutenant Houter, R.E., Mr. Scott, Mr. Turner, Captain Pottinger, R.A., and several native Indian surveyors.
and Mr. Ker were deputed to examine the country from a commercial point of view. Captain Ryder, R.E., was sent with the party by the Government of India, at their own His reports were made to the Surveyor-General; expense, to carry on triangulation work.
the other members reported to the Company.
Work accomplished by the Expedition.
5. The expedition started in November 1898, and its work in Yünnan extended over the whole of that season and the greater part of the next. Captain Pottinger and Lieutenant Hunter spent a considerable portion of their time in Szechuan; but the other members confined themselves almost entirely to the province of Yunnan. By judicious possible, they performed their task arrangement of tours, and by travelling singly as far as so thoroughly as to leave scarcely a nook or corner of the province unexplored. Captain Davies travelled about 4,000 miles, and he thinks that the other officers did about the same; their routes constantly crossed and recrossed; of the eighty-four official cities of Yunnan all but three were visited, and no important region escaped attention.
Results of Expedition.
6. The general results of the expedition may be briefly summarized thus :---
FG
(a) A map of Yunan, prepared by the Survey of India on 1-inch scale, and described of the greatest scientific a by the President of the Royal Geographical Society as value and importance."
survey
(b) A preliminary railway survey from Kunlon to Tali-fu, and thence on to Yunnan-fu and the Yangtse at Sui-fu.
(c) A preliminary railway survey from Bhamo to Têngyüeh.
(d) A commercial report on the province, showing the results of three years' inquiries by Mr. Turner and other experts.
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Conclusions arrived at.
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7. Two important conclusions were established by the surveys. It was shown that there is one, and one only, practicable railway into Yunnan-that up the Namting Valley. "This," writes Captain Ryder," which Captain Watts-Jones followed through up to Tali-fu and so on to Yünnau-fu, is the only through line into China from Burmah that can ever be constructed." In the second plece, the popular opinion that a railway from Bhamo to Têngyüeh is comparatively easy and inexpensive was confirmed.
Possible through line to navigable part of the Yangtse.
8. An extension of the line from Yünnan-fu to the navigable part of the Yangtse at Sui-fu was also proved to be possible. For the present, however, this can scarcely be regarded as a practical project, and it is therefore outside the scope of this Memorandum. It may be briefly noted that the entire railway from Kunlon to Sui-fu would be nearly 1,000 miles long. The construction would be very costly, entailing 14 miles of tunnelling and some 63 miles of rack. Estimates for the cumpleted line vary between 10,000,0007. and 20,000,000, and the time required would be from 10 to 15 years. With regard to its commercial prospects the preponderance of expert opinion is unfavourable. But the Yunnan Company take a sanguine view, and are even now prepared to commence the construction of the line if their concessions are granted. So at least it would seem from a speech by Mr. John Halliday, one of the clief promoters of the Company, at a meeting of the Royal Geographical Society held in November 1902. He said: "The surveys which we have froin Watts-Jones, in which he has delineated the superficial and horizontal outline of the country, show no very bad country whatever except a few miles between Yunnan-fu and the Yangtse Valley. It is not more difficult than the railways in the Rocky Mountains. There are no impracticable engineering problems. The biggest mountain which stands in our way is the Chinese Government, for they have never confirmed the concession which our Government imagined they had secured. * ** I am afraid there is very little chance of the railway being made for many years. The trade, however, is increasing very largely, and if we could even get a cart track-a practicable road-the increase of trade would be enormous."
Railway Survey of Line from Kunlón to Tali-fu.
*
9. The through line to Sui-fu being for the present out of the question, the possibilities of a shorter line from Kunlôn to Tali-fu may now be considered. This was surveyed throughout by Captain Watts-Jones with the exception of portions of the Mekong and Konglan gorges, which were subsequently "partially surveyed" by Major Davies.The total length of the line from Kunlon to Tali-fu is 320 miles. It is estimated to cost (for earthwork, bridging, and land) 1,68,74,000 rupees (1,125,0001.), or an average of about 53,000 rupees a-mile. Seven miles of rack and 1 miles of tunnelling will be necessary. The first 54 miles and the last 109 (except for two short sections of 5 miles aud 54 miles) are easy. The intermediate portion includes some very heavy work. The line will run from Kunlon up the valley of the Namting to where that river makes its great bend, then through Tou Tao Shui over the watershed to Yünchou, a town 24 miles south-east of Shunning. Shunning itself is a small and unimportant place, and it will not be worth while even to build a branch line there. From Yünchou the line will follow the Yünchou River (Nan Chiao Ho) to the Mekong, then along the Mekong to the mouth of the Konglan River, then up that river to Konglan and to the summit above Konglan. From this point the country begins to open up into a series of rich valleys separated from one another by short passes, and to the engineer who has successfully carried his alignment so far it is a simple task to continue it to Tali-fu. From the summit the trace runs down a tributary of the Upper Red River to Nanchien, and then up another branch of the Red River to Mi Tao, which lies just south of the Yunnan-fu-Tali-fu road. Thence it proceeds by Clino Chon to Tali-fu. In an appendix to this note will be found fuller details of the line adopted by Captain Watts-Jones, and the estimated cost of the various sections. As to the time, Captain Watts-Jones thinks that the section Kunloa to Yünchou (143 miles) will take four, and possibly five, years to construct, and that "* all the line beyond the Konglan summit could be quickly built." No estimate is given of the time required to complete the section between Yünchou and Kouglan summit (83 miles).
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