THE

CHAPTER II

THE WOOSUNG ROAD

\HE idea of a railway system for China was not allowed to die with the departure of Sir MacDonald Stephenson. On the contrary, it was quietly developed by some of the leading men in Shanghai, who determined by way of experiment to connect the port with Woosung 1 by a line of rail.

The main end in view was to provide an object-lesson for the、 Chinese, and by accustoming their minds to the new idea to pave the way for future development.

Shanghai is situated on the Huangpu River, while Woosung lies at the point where that river empties itself into the estuary of the Yangtze. The latter place made a convenient objective of the proposed railway on account of its geographical position, in particular, as being on the same side of the river as Shanghai and distant only twelve miles, a suitable length for a pioneer line. It also commended itself on other grounds. Besides affording the required object-lesson, such a line would, it was thought, 、 prove a considerable convenience to the Shanghai community, as putting them in rapid land communication with the Woosung anchorage.

The scheme having taken definite shape, a company was formed in 1865, Mr. Henry Robinson being appointed engineer. The route proposed presented no engineering difficulties, but Mr. Robinson suggested carrying the line at certain points on piles and girders with a view to meeting the prejudices of the people.

In China, with the exception of cemeteries connected with charitable institutions, and in the vicinity of some of the larger cities, there are no public burial grounds. Generally speaking, it is a country of village communities and small landholders; every family has a holding of greater or less extent, which in most cases Woosung now is also a Treaty Port, having been opened in 1898.

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contains the family graveyard. The result is that in many parts of the country it is impossible to follow a straight line for any distance in any given direction without coming upon an enclosure, usually surrounded by a low earth rampart and small outer ditch, containing a number of tumuli, the prevailing form of grave throughout the land. When it is added that the Chinese are ancestor worshippers, it will be readily seen what play can be made against an unfortunate railway company which has to overcome religious scruples, genuine and otherwise, before it can deal with the commercial aspects of the case.

The engineer's idea in carrying the line on piles over any graveyards on the proposed route was to obviate the necessity of disturbing them, and thus if possible avoid conflict with the owners. But the proposal came to nothing. The prejudice against railways was still acute, and the scheme for the time being perforce fell through.

It was, however, soon revived in another form. Messrs. Jardine, Matheson & Company conceived the idea of going to work quietly and buying up land between Shanghai and Woosung with the ostensible object of making a road, and the ultimate intention, once the land was bought and put into shape, of laying rails. The proposed road being outside the foreign settlement, the consent of the Chinese authorities was obtained for its construction, but the nature of the scheme was not disclosed.

The preliminary steps having been taken, a company, known as the Woosung Road Company, was formed, and the work of buying up land proceeded with. The process, however, was slow, and as events proved costly, for when all the land necessary for the accomplishment of the object in view had been acquired it was found that the balance of capital in hand amounted only to £20,000, while the estimates for the line constructed on the English model amounted to about £100,000. As it seemed inadvisable at the moment to embark on the further expenditure of so large a sum, it was decided to suspend operations temporarily.

The next move was made in 1875, when Mr. Macandrew and Mr. F. B. Johnson, two of the directors of the company, while on a visit to England, met Mr. Rapier, of Messrs. Ransomes & Rapier, who suggested the construction of a line on a much smaller scale than that originally estimated for, and introduced to their notice a small locomotive which he thought would prove suitable.

The weight of this engine in working order was only 22 cwt., but it was strong enough to take an appreciable load, and able to run fifteen to twenty miles an hour.

It was consequently subjected to a number of tests, and, having been altered in a few particulars, the company decided to adopt the suggestion, and Mr. Rapier was asked to prepare estimates. This was done on the basis of a 30-inch gauge, and rails of 26 pound weight per yard; but even on these modest lines it was found that without a sacrifice of efficiency the work could not be carried out for a less sum than £28,000,—that is to say £8000 in excess of the capital in hand. Further delay was threatened when a solution of the difficulty was found in a proposal of Mr. John Dixon, who agreed to contract for the line in accordance with Mr. Rapier's estimate for £20,000 in cash and £8000 in shares.

This offer was accepted, and arrangements pushed on with all celerity. The contract was signed in August 1875, and the services of Mr. Gabriel James Morrison were secured as engineer; Mr. G. B. Bruce becoming honorary engineer in England.

On the 1st of October Mr. Morrison left England for Shanghai by way of the United States. Towards the end of the month the S.S. Glenroy, which had been chartered for the purpose, sailed from London direct for Shanghai, having on board the locomotive, which had been appropriately christened the "Pioneer,” a considerable amount of material for the permanent way, and Mr. Morrison's assistants. Mr. Rapier pays the latter a deserved tribute when he says that "in setting out on such an expedition these men were quite aware of the personal risks they might have to encounter: on the one hand, from probable interference of the authorities, and on the other, from possible misunderstandings with large masses of people; to say nothing of the dangers of the climate to persons working long hours, under circumstances involving exposure to weather of all kinds.” 1

The S.S. Glenroy arrived in Shanghai on the 20th of December, Mr. Morrison arriving nearly three weeks later on the 8th of January 1876.

The work was commenced immediately; a considerable amount of time being saved by the fact that, as the land for the road had been acquired, a substantial embankment, about eight feet high, had been constructed and a considerable number of small water1 The First Railway in China (1878), by Richard C. Rapier, p. 5.

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courses culverted. Some fifteen small streams remained to be bridged, and when this was done there was a through road ready to receive the rails.

The bridge work was taken in hand without delay, and a few days later, on the 20th of January, the first rail was laid by the wife of the engineer. By the 14th of February about three-quarters of a mile had been laid, and the "Pioneer " performed the first railway run ever made in China.

Somewhat contrary to expectation, no opposition was manifested by the Chinese in the district; on the contrary, a continually increasing and friendly interest was displayed as the work proceeded. Unfortunately, however, this popular interest ill accorded with the official view, and, causing some alarm in official circles, precipitated interference. The first check was received on the 23rd of February at the hands of the Shanghai Taotai, who pointed out that the construction of the line was not authorised, and pressed for a discontinuance of the work pending instructions from Peking. The matter was compromised by the company giving an undertaking not to run the "Pioneer" again for a month, which would give the Taotai time to communicate with the capital.

Meanwhile the laying of the rails proceeded apace, and in due course, the month having expired and no further protest being forthcoming, the engine resumed work in the latter part of March. The same friendly interest continued to be manifested by the people, and in one of the May issues of The Times a letter appeared from their Shanghai correspondent graphically describing the

scene.

"Several miles of road," he wrote, "have been completely ballasted, and the whole country side is alive with interest. Literally, thousands of people from all the neighbouring towns and villages crowd down every day to watch proceedings and criticise every item, from the little engine down to the pebbles of the ballast. All are perfectly good-humoured, and evidently intent on a pleasant day's outing. Old men and children, old women and maidens, literati, artisans, and peasants-every class of society is represented."

The permanent engines, of which there were two, and the rolling stock now commenced to arrive. Though very small according to our ideas (being only nine tons in working order), they were large indeed compared with the "Pioneer," and were esteemed by the Chinese accordingly. On the 30th of May the

"Celestial Empire " arrived, and in a few days it was put together, and it made its first trip on the 12th of June to the rail-head, which had reached Kangwan. This trip it performed at a speed of twentyfive miles an hour—rather a high speed for a six-wheeled coupled engine, with wheels of only twenty-seven inches diameter. The carriages arrived about the same time. They were about half the length, two-thirds of the width, and three-fourths of the height of railway carriages."

By this time the permanent way had been completed for a distance of five miles from Shanghai ; the official opening of the line was therefore fixed for the 30th of June, on which day the return. journey to Kangwan was successfully performed at the rate of about fifteen miles an hour.

On the 1st of July, the day following the opening, all Chinese were invited to travel free on the line, and regular traffic commenced on Monday, the 3rd of July.

It soon became evident that if the company were allowed to work the line without interference it would prove a complete success. From the outset six return journeys to Kangwan were made daily with such crowded trains that it became necessary to order a second set of carriages, and, though fares and rates were on a modest scale, good financial results seemed assured.

The construction of the line beyond Kangwan was now pushed on, and nothing occurred to disturb the prospect until the 3rd of August, when a Chinese was run over and killed. The train was proceeding at ordinary speed between stations when the unfortunate man was observed walking between the rails towards the approaching train. The whistle was blown, and he left the track until within a few yards of the train, when he suddenly threw himself in front of the engine.

Enquiry into the circumstances of the deceased elicited nothing. As far as the facts transpired, he was without either means, friends, or relations. It was suggested at the time, and the suggestion has been more than once repeated since, that he had been hired by the Chinese authorities to do away with himself in this way in order to rouse popular feeling against the enterprise, and the Shanghai Taotai's scarcely veiled hostility, coupled with the well-known fact that the Chinese are extremely susceptible to the influence of the Dollar even in matters of life and death, is 1 The First Railway in China (1878), by Richard C. Rapier, p. 9.