Lyon County times. [volume] (Silver City, Nev.) 1874-1907, 1876-10-06
sMoKING OPIUN.


The reader need expect nothing
agreesbly coherent or especially
brilliant in what follows. If those
qualities are found in the compost
ton they may lie attributed to the
opium, The manuscript will not he
corrected or revised when the infln-
ence Of the drug has passed away.
1t must go just as in the present
dreaminess it is written.
The public have read much within
, the past few months of the habit of
smoking opium and how it has been
growing upon the white population
Of San Francisco, Sacramento, Vir-
ginia and other places smaller than
these. They have been told that
there is something about opium
which, when it once gets hold of a
person, seldom let's goa soothing
influence that at once pleases and
kills by slow degrees. The public
h We not, however. been informed
specifically Of the feelings produced
by smok ng opium.
Many years ago the English
philosopher DeQuincey published
his" Confessions Of Nh English Opt
UNI eater, which were as frank and
startling asthe confessions, of Rausse-
au. The writer Of this once read
DeQuincey's confessions and distinct
ly remembers how he longed after
closing the book to realize the eff
fects VI dose of crude opium or its
tincture. He also remembers how
he went to drug store and bought
two bits worth to make an expert
ment with and how a room mate in
duced him to cast it out of the win
dow.
Approaching in a moment of lu-
cidity how the public would relish
a description of the influence of
few pipes of opium, THE TIMES re-
porter this evening Gt is now half
past ten P. NJ visited the wash
house of Sou Wau, situated just be-
low Armory Hall, and asked the
principal Cninaman there, or who
appeared to be the principal. one, if
he could be accommodated with a
smoke. The Chinaman blandly said
yes, and led the way into a base
ment. The picture Of the basement
is now plainly before the mind. In
it were AZ many Cinnamon as could
comfortably stand, and those who
were not standing were reclining upon
hard side-boards for beds and smo-
king in pairs. Some were far gone
in that realm f imagiuati We bliss in
which opium leads one. Others
we're just beginning the smoke, and
were communicative. All who were
not smoking were gambling. The
very air of the close apartment was
thick with the odor of opium, and
clouds OF the smoke lay in strata
against the ceiling.
The Chinaman who was to initiate
the reporter into the mysteries of
opium smoking entered small
room, about ten feet in cubic pro-
portions, and motionel the reporter
onto mat provided only with pill
low. Next he demanded four bits.
Then he brought in little opium on
the half OF small oyster shell. 1t
was about of the consistency and
color Of very thick syrup. He took
the pipe-a most unshapely pipe, in
deed--whose mouth-piece was as
large Ms an ordinary walking cane,
aud little piece of wire about the
size of knitting kneedle. A dim
tish-oil lamp sat ON the mat. With
the piece Of wire he would take
little of the stringy opium and hold
it over the lamp, turning it in the
fame IS piece of meat on spit.
When the opium was thus cooked,
or dried, it was put in the bowl of
the pipe, and was ready to I've smoked.
When IN the bowl it had to be kept
in contact with the fame while smo-
king. A pipeful will not last more
than two or three minutes.
1t is somewhat difficult to prepare
the opium for smoking as briefly de-
scribei above; and when prepared it
is difficult to make a success Of
smoke without some experience.
When q customer has not the neces-
sary experience, a Chinaman lies on
the mat with him, the lamp and OPT
um between them. fills his pipe, pie
pares the OPIUM, attends to the lamp
aud does the whole business except
drawing the smoke from the pipe.
Often, IS the reporters attendant
told him, white men and women are
SO familiar with the practice that
they need no attendant. II is in our