Question: where did the chinese fire drill come from

title: Chinese fire drill
text: The term goes back to the early 1900s , and is alleged to have originated when a ship run by British officers and a Chinese crew practiced a fire drill for a fire in the engine room . The bucket brigade drew water from the starboard side , took it to the engine room , and poured it onto the ' fire ' . To prevent flooding , a separate crew hauled the accumulated water from the engine room , up to the main deck and heaved the water over the port side . The drill had previously gone according to plan until the orders became confused in translation . The bucket brigade began to draw the water from the starboard side , run over to the port side and then throw the water overboard , bypassing the engine room completely . Additionally , the term is documented to have been used in the U.S. Marine Corps during World War II , where it was often expressed in the phrase `` as screwed up as a Chinese fire drill '' . It was also commonly used by Americans during the Korean War and the Vietnam War . 

Answer: answer: The term goes back to the early 1900s and is alleged to have originated when a ship run by British officers and a Chinese crew practiced a fire drill for a fire in the engine room.  The bucket brigade began to draw the water from the starboard side, run over to the port side and then throw the water overboard, bypassing the engine room completely.
answer: The term, Chinese fire drill,  goes back to the early 1900s , and is alleged to have originated when a ship run by British officers and a Chinese crew practiced a fire drill for a fire in the engine room .