Directory_and_Chronicle_1909 — Page 818

Directories & Chronicles 香港指南 All

680

SCHINDLER, Professor

Singer SEWING MACHINE Co.

PEKING-TIENTSIN

SYLVA, J. A., Commission Agent

局字印堂興德 TE HSING TANG PRINTING OFFICE

Shigesaku Ichiyama, proprietor

T. Ichiyama, manager

TELEGRAPHS, IMPERIAL CHINESE

J. A. Erichsen, superintendent

Vrard & Co., Jewellers

WANNIECK, L., Merchant

E. Dumetier

Shin-loong

Wardroper, W. S., & Co., Merchants

行銀金正濱橫

Heng-Pin-Cheng-Chin-Yin-Hong

YOKOHAMA SPECIE BANK, Limited; Tel.

Ad. Nabekra

K. Inouye, manager

S. Jissoji, sub-manager

S. Ishimaru, signs per pro.

K. Koga

Y. Nakagawa

Y. Nishida Y. Ikeda

M. Irie

F. Machino

會年青敎督基京北

YOUNG MEN'S CHRISTIAN ASSOCIATION OF

PEKING

R. R. Gailey, M.A., general secretary

L. D. Frollick, secretary

TIENTSIN

津天 Tien-tsin

Tientsin is situated at the junction of the Yun Ho or Hwae River, better known as the Grand Canal, with the Pei-ho in Lat. 39 deg. 4 min. N., Long. 117 deg. 3 min. 56 sec. E. It is distant from Peking by road about 80 miles, but the bulk of the enormous traffic between the two cities is now by the railway, which was opened in 1897, and the line doubled in November 1898. Tientsin was formerly a place of no importance and till recently had few historic associations; till the end of the Ming dynasty (1644 A.D.) it was only a second rate military station, but at the northern terminus of the Grand Canal it gradually assumed commercial importance, and by the end of the seventeenth century had become a great distributing centre. The navigability of the Pei-ho for sea-going junks ceases at Tientsin, and this made it the emporium for the very large quantities of tribute rice yearly sent up to the capital, after the Grand Canal shoaled up so

as to be unfit for carriage in bulk. The trade of the city was imperilled by the silting up of the Pei-ho, but a river improvement scheme of some magnitude was inaugurated in 1898 under Mr. A. de Linde, and the Peace Protocol of 1901 contains clauses which constitute a Board of Conservancy (now in existence) and the provision of fairly liberal funds for the maintenance of the works. It is, however generally believed that no lasting success will attend the remedial measures until steps are taken to deal with the Taku Bar by permanent dredging; meanwhile by closing the canals and creeks which take off most of the flood tide, by giving a larger radius of curvature to the bends, and by widening the Reach, and making three cuttings to straighten the river, its navigability has been greatly ameliorated. Work on the bar was commenced during 1906, the Shipping Companies and British Municipality having come to terms in regard to financing the work. A channel of some depth has been made with lakes and is now being used by vessels as it offers an additional 14 inches depth of water. The trade of the city no longer depends entirely on this route, however. The railway now carries nearly 50 per cent. of the city's trade with the interior, and railway development generally in the district promises to make the trade less dependent upon the river. Chinwangtao makes an excellent winter jetty.

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