File No. 893.77/1670
The Vice President of the American International
Corp. (
R. P. Tinsley) to the Secretary of State
New York,
August 9, 1918.
Sir: I have the honor to enclose to the
Department, for its information and the Department’s archives,
copies of certain correspondence from the Siems-Carey Railway &
Canal Co. in Peking, relative to the cessation on account of
disturbed political conditions of the railway surveys in China which
were being carried out in pursuance of a contract with the Chinese
Government. With this correspondence will be found a memorandum from
the corporation’s attorney regarding the status of the railway work
as a result of the cessation of the surveys.1
I have [etc.]
[Enclosure]
The Vice President of the Siems-Carey Railway
& Canal Co. (
F. C. Hitchcock) to the Minister in China (
Reinsch)
Sir: With reference to my letter to
you of May 15, enclosing copies of correspondence re withdrawing engineering survey party
from Szechuan Province, on account of danger:
Under date of May 25, Mr. G. A. Kyle, chief engineer of the
Chouchiakou-Hsiangyang Railway, recommended to Mr. T. C. Sun,
managing director, that the survey party be recalled to Peking
on account of danger from bandits, and owing to the fact that
that portion of Szechuan was under the control of Southern
generals, thus making it impossible for the officials at Peking
to afford protection to the party.
The managing director agreed with Mr. Kyle in this
recommendation, and instructed the chief engineer to order the
party to return to Peking at once.
It is with the utmost reluctance that we withdraw this party, but
we agree with Mr. Kyle and Mr. Sun that it is unsafe at present
for the party to continue the work, and we have agreed to the
withdrawal.
For your information and files, I beg to attach hereto, copies of
correspondence bearing on the subject, as per accompanying
list.
Yours very truly,
[Subenclosure]
The Managing Director of the
Chouchiakou-Hsiangyang Railway (
T. C. Sun) to the Chief Engineer (
G. A. Kyle)
Chinese Government Railways,
Peking,
May 27, 1918.
Dear Sir: I have your letter dated May
25, 1918, with reference to continuing the survey of the
Chouchiakou-Hsiangyang Line in Szechuan Province and
recommending that in view of the disturbed condition of the
province party 106 under District Engineer J. A. Collins be
instructed to return to Peking. I have given this matter careful
consideration and am also convinced that it is preferable to
defer our surveying operations in that province until the
situation becomes more favorable. I am, therefore, in favor of
having your recommendation immediately carried out.
Yours faithfully,
