The workingman's advocate. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1864-1877, 1872-07-06

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Horrors Of y Burning hip Terrible
Holocsust Of Coolies.
A catastrophe, almost unparalleled IN
horror disclosing the gross cruelties ol
the Macao emigrant trade by ons last and
most terrible ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS i'll
| the China sea last May, and is recorded in
"a Parliamentary report i,ist pubished. A
sessel called the Don Juan, set sail on the
t.h Of April from Macao, bound to Peru,
with six hundred and fifty-6ve coolies on
! board, who had been kidnapped and ship
tptl under the flag and with the authority
. If the Portuguese government. Once on
u I'd, this large multitude was placed lit
erally in prison-penned on the main deck
and fastened down by three iron gratings
which closed the matches, ten coolies at a
time only being allowed to come on deck
The ship sailed in fair weather from Macao.
On the second day Of the voyage, as declar-
ed by Herker, an Austrian seaman, the
captain selected twenty coolies, and put
them i'll IRONS with much brutality. Is an
example to the others. On the third day
q difficulty arose about the fooi passed
down to the emigrants. The interpreter
got angry and struck those who complained
with his cane, whereupon the wretched
coolies made rush at their European jail
Ors. The iron matches were Immediately
slammed back upon them, and, when the
poor creatures beat upon the beams and
planks to get air, muskets were fired down
into the crowd. 1t then appears that, in
desperation, some few Of the coolies set fire
to a store room forward, hoping no doubt
to force the crew to throw their prison
open. The sailors tried to pump water
down upon the seat of the conhagration,
but the frenzied men below passed the hose
out Of the port holes, so that pumping be-
came useless Then the fire spread beyond
all control, and volumes Of thick smoke
rolled into the main deck, choking the
mass of coolies at either end, who had tax
en- no part in the previous proceedings
Red tongues Of fame and suffocating clouds
filed the ship below matches, while the mi
sersble prisoners beat at the iron gratings,
tore at the fntenings Of the deck, and even
endeavored to get up to the air through the
ventilators. The port holes, however,
were fastened, the dead lights were too
small to allow Of a mans body passing,
and the ventilators were barred 50 that
there was no escape. In two hours time
the fire was established on the main
deck, which means that scores Of the Chi
nese had already been roasted or smothers
ed yet the crew never took single step
toward saving the lives Of the imprisoned
wretches. They merely lowered three boats
on their own account and pushed of from
the burning vessel, leaving all that mass Of
human creatures pent in a floating hell of
fear and agony. The sea calm the hatch
~ might surely have been opened at the
last msment yet the Don Juan's captain
and b.Dds put off while tlro ship bl--~l,
and 9ilile the coolies perished inside with
frieltful cries and screams. The scoundrel
mader and crew saved their lives a junk
niaed them up, and the same witness who
tells this says that when the twenty Chi
nee in irons who were upon the forecastle
boke away their fetters and swan tow
md the Junk, they were ruthlessly pushed
lff into the sea to drown. Meantime, Ill
ieir awful terror, the survivors OF the Six
lndred and fifty-fve below found some
leans Of bursting the forehatch. Scores
,.re by this time killed by the flames or
hoke scores had been trampled down III
te frenzied rush for life to the upper deck.
] kOuU a nj all at Anob OhhOA SOO AAOiAa
tat Golgotha of anguish, and leaped at
oce into the sea A few managed to get
hid of spars and floating gear, and hung
non these till some fishing boats picked
TIM up next morning. The majority
wee already mortally injured when they
es.ped, or were drowned, or crushed by
tn falling chains and spars Of the ship.
BIZ at least five hundred were first scorch-
edo death, or choked and trSmpled dead,
be,re the Internal prison gate was forced
byhe breaking open of the matches, which
tho captain and crew had 50 shamefully
leffast.
HE Boston journeymen trunk makers
are,ndeavoring to secure equalization q
waes. At one or two manufactures there
has,een strike for an increase of wages.
The increase desired is about twelve pei
cen The number Of workmen is less
THAI two hundred. The wages now Oh
taind do not reach $500, except in very
rarecases.
Tie Boston journeymen horse shoer'
have decided upon the following scale q
price, For tirst-class tiremen, s2l.W
per week second-class hremen, Sl9.W
Der week first-class drivers the same pay
as tia second-elass firemen, and the sec
ond-cass drivers SI7. 90 per week