Vermont farmer. [volume] (Newport, Orleans County, Vt.) 1870-1877, 1876-09-08
THE CHINESE IN NEW YORK.
Opium ana GombIIng-Dens, and Joss
Houses.
ny HARRY II. MARKS.


chiefly tho delapidated tenement houses in
the lower part of Baxter and Mott streets
There they have established q sort of Chinese
colony, and although in the center Of dense
and mixed population, they manage to live
very much by themselves. They have their
hotels, their joss-houses or temples, their
opium dens, their gambling. houses, and all
that goes to make up the pleasures of the
average Celestial. The principal opium den
is situated in tenement house at the back
Of Baxter street to reach it one has to cross
a dirty and narrow alley known as Donovan s
Lane, the scene Of several infamous crimes
and notably of the manslaughter for which
Quembo Ap.po, the Chinese desperate, is
now serving term of Imprisonment at Sing
Sing. On reaching the end of the lane, pro.
vided one goes in the evening the only time
only time to visit Chinatown, the nostrils
are assailed by strong sickenng odor, which
announces that the pipes are bubbling. The
scene inside is by no means attractive. In a
room measuring Sxl0, opening into another
about 5xS, are placed several boards or ia.
bles spread with coRmon mating and on
these lie, all huddled together, Cinnamon of
all ages and sizes in various stages of disha.
billie, enjoying the fumes of the drug.
On the occasion Of my visit the proprietor
Of the place, sckly, feeble little man. well.
coined me in very good English and babe me
sit down. He then threw himself on the
table beside the others who were already
smoking and began lighting his pipe. This
pipe, made of bamboo, had a stem about two
feet long aud one inch in diameter. Near
the middle Of the stem is the bowl, about the
size Of an egg.cup, in the center of which is
a small hole. The smoker takes long
needle with which he picks up a little piece
of opium out of thimbe or pot, and holds
it in the flame Of an oil lamp. When it has
burned to its proper consistency he smears it
over the hole in the pipe, punches a hole
through it with his needle and puffs away,
sending the smoke first through his lips, then
through his nostris, while all the pipes keep
up bubbling chorus.
The odor of the burning opium is sicken.
ing and this together with the hot air in the
close room made me quite faint. But | saw
nothing particularly disgusting in the place
nor did | see what so many writers have
claimed to describe in the expression of SUI.
preme bliss depicted on the countenance Of
the smokers" On tho contrary, watched
in vain for an expression OF any kind on the
face Of any one Of the company. They fixed
their pipes and smoked and fell back and
fixed their pipes again, with no moro express.
sion OF supreme bliss" than ward poiti
clan exhibits when he losses off his whskey.
Though | have been several times to the
opium dens of the city, | never have seen an
opium smoker in the state of insensiblity
And | must add that far from finding the
Chinese as dirty as they have been described
by the writers Of the California press, have
been surprised by their uncommon ceani.
ness and neatness. Their linen is snowy
white their clothing generally neat, and their
apartments, small as they are, always clean
and tidy.
But to return to opium.smoking The
pipes used are all imported from China, a,
well as the little thimbles in which the drug
is served out to customers. Opium is worth
generally eight dollars pound, and as the
keepers of smoking-rooms charge 20 and %
cents thimblelul they no doubt mako a
handsome profit. The opun-smokers who
frequent the Baxter street houses smoke
from half an ounce to an ounce and n half a
day, for which they pay 20 to IS cents
These places are well patronized and arc
crowded nightly room of SxlO frequently
accommodating ten or fifteen people at one
time.
From the opium.don | went to the joss.
house at 81 Mott street. 1t is situated in a
small, low but clean room on the third floor
The walls are hung with framed caleuders
in Chinese characters and around the room
are set three plain wooden benches. At
the east end OF the apartment is the altar,
hung with red satin curtains attached to
this is a large silk banner on which are EN-.
broidered the figures Of the three principal
Chinese gods, the gods of Fire, Air and Wa
ter. Besides these there are scattered
around the room and for use only on spe-
cial occasions, other gods, and notably Tsoi-
Pak-Shing- the god of wealth. A
temple regulates the lumber of its gods ac-
cording to its means, as they are very ex.
pensive to get up. On the table are several
cedar sticks, which are burned during the
ceremonies in honor of the idols, and in front
of the altar hangs a perpetual light. All
round the room are Chinese lanterns, which
are used on festival days only. Careful
inquiry revealed the fact that there being no
regular priest in New York, the head man
of the gambling 'house on Mott street does
duty in that capacity.
AT 81 Mott street is a Chinese gambling.
house, kept in the basement by the man who
keeps the hotel upstairs and runs the joss.
house over the road, Fung.Wa is the name
of this versatile character. The gambling.
house is divided into two rooms, in one of
which, at the time Of my visit a wonderful
game of dominoes was in progress, while in
the other regular round game was going on
The game of dominoes was peculiar. Eack
man seemed to have about fifty dominoes
and the chief aim Of the player seemed to be
to make as much noise as possible by slam
ming them about on the table without any
particular object. In the back room about
fifty men were gathered about a table bet.
ting on game Of rather imposing appear
ance, but being in fact, nothing more nor
less than the children's game Of "odl or even"
The dealer takes handful of brass buttons
and puts them under sort Of saucepan-cover
The players make their bets with the banker
and among themselves. The dealer lifts the
saucepan.cover and picks out buttons with a
long whalebono, four at time When he
has picked out the last the players settle up
amid yells and shouting, aud the game begins
again. On the occasion Of my visit the
players were betting high aud several $50
bills charged hands.
Upstairs is the hotel and restaurant, where
Chinese delicacies are dispensed to all corners.
The Chinese are great gourmands, notwth-
standing their halfstaryed appearance, and
know bow to live as we'll as their noighbors.
Among the doicacies of the Chinese cuisine,
obtainable here, are cum.chin-gye, or broiled
chickens heart, cum-wah.hAm-cha.ho or
oysters fried in butter with onions, cho-koo.
la L u nI a n.i..nnr, nLn.unI III