Show V M r wr Blowing Up Skins V h Buoy a Yellow River Raft Prepared b by National Geographic Society Washington D D. C. C C. Service I E trains and giant Ilant STREAMLINE n airliners recently have ha been in the spotlight In America It Italy a I is still sUll applauding an nn minded all son who sped through the Ole theair theair air all more than miles an hour a n short time ago go and Great Britain is Just quieting down after celebrating celebrating celebrating cele cele- brating the vIctory of or her flyers who won the Melbourne London air race In Germany streamline trains ire are lInkIn linking additional cities as as the new type transportation tion equipment can be lie Modern transportation this But Rut Butone Butone one can still find types of ot transportation transportation tation facilities even in the worl worlds world's s 's largest cities clUes and their rural neighborhoods neighborhoods neighborhoods neigh neigh- that were In use decades and even en centuries ago There Is not a n sizable town In the United States In which one cannot hail hall a n taxi and In many of ot them charter a n plane yet the top cabbie whose pompous figure held sway over traffic on bo boulevards In Inthe Inthe inthe the gay nineties has not been heen entirely en en- shelved These of or another era have Jealously watched as new traffic lights have been Installed Installed In In- stalled traffic lanes have been painted to keep modern motorists from crushing bumpers and anti fenders tenders and streets have Iane been widened and trees sacrificed to make room for more of their rivals yet they still constitute something of ot a traffic problem Ox-Drawn Ox Vehicles Within sight of ot concrete mlle mile hour an-hour highways va Ts and less than a n hundred miles from Washington D. D C. C Cf and Annapolis Md lId drawn ox-drawn vehicles still lumber along alone while In the Isolated mountain re regions lons of ot the West Vest sure footed burros and pack mules continue to be the only companions of man many rugged pros pros- Millions of or vIsitors arrive at Atlantic Atlantic Atlantic At At- lantic City by automobile airplane and train yet et to see the sights along the Boardwalk they hire wheeled three rolling ch chairs Others Others Others Oth Oth- ers arrive at nt Bermuda aboard palatial pala pala- Ual steamships but take to bicycles and horse drawn carriages to tour the Island I I What traveler leaves Durban Natal without employing a Zulu The hued dark tribesman tribesman tribes tribes- man In gay-feathered gay headdress and anti scant clothing Is one of or the colorful features of or the South African African Af At- Af- Af rican city In remote Szechwan province pro China wheelbarrows which are the local transports have worn ruts In flagstone pavements pavements pavements pave pave- ments In Sumatra If one goes native native na na- na tive he lie must travel el In a buffalo buffalo- drawn cart whose thatched top Is shaped like lile a sway backed horse and anel Is pointed at nt each end In Palermo Palermo Palermo Pa Pa- lermo Sicily the purely Sicilian way WIY to get about Is by native cart a wheeled two vehicle on whose side panels are gayly depicted Bible scenes and Sicilian panoramas andin anti and In Irela Ireland d the Irish Jaunting car caron caron caron on which passengers sit back to back and face outward lends atmosphere atmosphere atmos atmos- phere to a n tour of the Emerald Isle Llamas still carry loads In the Andes and elephants still are favored favored fa Ca- fa- fa ored among the tiger hunters of ot India IndIn In spite of ot prowess progress pro ress In Belgium Belgium Bel Bel- gium ium the tho morning milk Is still delivered de IC livered by dogcart at nt many a n doorstep doorstep doorstep door door- step and dog sleds are yet jet et the most dependable transportation In Inthe Inthe Inthe the Ic Icy wastes of or the Arctic and Antarctic The tired explorer enJo enjoys s 's comfortable travel In a hammock hammock- like chair borne b by native porters In central Africa the mountaineers of or northern India and western China employ the yak as their beast of ot burden the camel still plods the caravan cara routes of ot north Africa Arabia and nud central Asia and the water buffalo Is the dependable dependable de de- de p draft animal of ot the East Enst Indian Islands Floating Population Land Laud transportation Is of ot no In Interest Interest Interest In- In terest whatever to millions of ot Chinese Chi Chi- nese Children are born grow up marry carry on their lives and work aboard the sampans of ot Chinas China's floating cities clUes Most ost of ot the great river cities of ot louthern and central China have ha such a n floating population but the boat dwellers of ot Shanghai and Canton form lar large e communities In themselves A traveler of ot sufficient energy y could laboriously progress for Cor miles by jumping from the deck of or one sampan to another Like the Dutch canal boat dwellers dwell dwell- ers these river folk are nee a n race unto themselves apart from Cram the tho common run of or their fellow men In man many cases lases their mode of oC life liCe has bas been handed down from Crom father to son for generations When Chinas China's teeming teeming teem teem- j ing acres became overcrowded and expensive e and a It growing commerce demanded ricer transportation In 7 even larger arger volume many In ingenious a i Chinese combined business with economy and antI took to living aboard their thel tiny craft Although business might call farand far and wide alon along the numerous rivers and canals It ItTIS urns the large larse commer commer- It vial cIal centers at the mouths of or mighty streams that offered Sll the a most lively l carrying trade Hence these cities early became headquarters for the tho water dwellers The Tho often made long vo voyages ages up country countr but he always came home to roost Hence the dirty smelling evil stretches of ot river and backwash vash surrounding such centers as Canton and Shanghai Shang- Shang hal hai and even around and Singapore became the native o heath of ot an nn army of or sampan dwellIng dwelling dwell- dwell ing lag Chinese who from childhood C Chave have known no other life liCe 10 The visible means menns of support of ot J these communities Is the carrying t trade from wharf to wharf and from Crom bund to steamer or Junk F across river and up canals Barnyard Afloat t Some sampans house petty merchants merchants mer mer- chants and peddlers who carry carryon on a small trade In the necessaries of ot life lICe from boat to boat within the t r. r water colony itself Occasionally a n craft Is filled to overflowing with huge white ducks which fatten In Inthe inthe the da daytime on the tidal mud flats fiats or harvested fields and at nt night walk a n gangplank back tack to their I floating barnyard They proceed one b by one In a quacking and pushIng pushIng push- push In Ing single file each hurrying not notto to be the last duck aboard The rhe return re- re tl turn home In the evenings Is sometimes some some- times hastened It Is said by giving 1 the last duck a sharp crack with n a switch The awkward procession soon learns the trick and anti a comic arises not to be the unfortunate t tall tail of the procession Chinese sampans are arc marvelously easy to handle being the product of ot of ot adaptation to generations environment en- en I They dart like water spiders here and there amidst the r harbor traffic clustering like barnacles barna barna- cles Iles around the great grent steamers anchored anchored an- an offshore With lightning 4 swiftness they flee In droves before before be- be 1 fore tore an nn approaching o st storm r each knowing as ir If by instinct ins ills own place In the quiet reaches In spite of ot the shifting needs of ot commerce family life UCe aboard proceeds proceeds pros pro pro- coed s about Its Us dally daily routine as usual albeit In rather more cramped quarters Clothes e vegetables and babies are washed side by side In tip the stream and antI the cooking Is done above e a n diminutive stove sto 1 Growing children help with the t q 3 v handling of ot the boat and cargo and grandmothers hers In blue cotton ragged b garments smoke stemmed long pipes At night all draw to together ether t I. tand and neighborly chatter from Crom boat bont to J boat sounds like that of ot a newly arrived flock of or blackbirds The n river riv dv- ver v- v f fer er folk arc poor but extremely cheerful especially over o the evening eve- eve ning meal ment Lights from great modern liners rJ shine across the harbor and nUll music from Crom an nn occasional gaily gally decked l pleasure barge floats from rom the mIdstream midstream midstream mid mId- r stream channel In few other ther places lurks so 50 strongly the spell of ot the East J J. J Raft Transports On the shallow shifting Hwang nwan Ho no or Yellow river of ot China rafts I are the principal means of ot transport transport trans trans- port especially for freight cargoes v There are two types of raft one using as buo buoys s 's Inflated sheepskins 0 v vand N and the tIle other large ox-hl ox hides ox-hides cs which are arc stuffed with wool and anti then tied up to keep them water tight The 1 sheepskin rafts vary In size accordIng accord accord- Ing lag to the use uso for which they are i Intended ranging from as ns few as l 12 to 15 skins on the small one-man one rafts For the large rafts some 1 0 J n ox hides are us used cd vj f fon t 1 The hides ox-hides are arc carefully treated on the Inside with salt and oil olL This treatment not only preserves and antI t waterproofs them but also keeps I Ithem f them flexible There Is no Z l technique required In the i l r construction of ot a n raft Poles are lashed together forming a frame frame- work to which the hides or sheepskins sheepskins sheep- sheep i skins arc are fastened t Moslem Chinese who form torm n a con con- j r. r r percentage of ot the tiou of ot I ansu province are the t i rafts men on the Yellow v river A t sturdy people they stand well ell the K hardships of ot river life It Is far nr from an nn easy life with nIl all the contrasts contrasts con- con t. t of ot heat and cold and the 1 strenuous labor Involved In tn handling t j the clumsy transports through the rapids or freeing them Ulem once they have stranded on a n sand santI bar The Tho s of men however are happy and 1 friendly |