The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1880-03-31
The BOatmen of Shanghai.

A correspondent of the Boston Jour-
mol writes: The floating population of
China is immense; and one is struck
with this at every port. To build and
repair their vessels is branch of indus
try have never seen described, but it
must be enormous. Millions, probably,
of families live in them and never 60 on
shore. There is no craft so small, not
even the sampan" that attends a
foreign ship, but has room for its idols
or gods. before which the owner burns
his "joss paper" will digress here a
little to tell of the boatmen of Shanghai.
They are mostly from the distant sea-
ports of Ningpo and Swatow, being of q
harder race and better sailors than the
men of this province. By some mystic
rious telegraphy they know when a
ship is coming, and several lie waiting
for a job at the "red buoy" outside
Woosung. Each one has the name of
the ship he served last painted in a con-
spicueus place aft. The one I engaged
had Halloween" and his lame, SAM"
underneath. Sam is cognomen all
Chinese boatmen glory in.
His sampan, which is exactly like all
the rest, is about sixteen feet long, and
about the shape of halt peach stone.
A couple of guards run around it, as to
one of our little stern-Wheel steamers,
projecting aft over the stern and bend
ing UP at the extremities like the horn of
crescent. What this is for / cannot
make out. The forward half is decked
over, and under this deck Sam keeps
lots of things. The midship section
abaft this is not decked, but has plat
form, and is rooted over, the root of
bamboo and mating arched from side
to side. Under this roof is the seat Of
honor. On the floor is a rug, and over
head are frescoes taken from HGrpers.
Weekly, The illustrated London Neaos or
Illustrated Zeitung, or an illuminated
calendar, many of the pictures upside
down; all begged from the different
hips Sam has attended. Over this roof
IS its exact counterpart made to slide,
and when we are seated Sam will gently
slide the whole thing over if it rains,
SHOWS or the wind is raw and cold, and
give US q wrap to cover our limbs with.
Under this at night Sam arranges him
self for sleep somehow or other, and,
when religious, worships his "lares and
penates." Abaft the seat and roof,
raised little, is the standing place for
Sam, or poop deck. where he propels
the boat. He unships this deck when
hungry, and there are underneath his
fireplace, kettle and other domestic
utensils, and there he cooks his rice and
fish.
1 must not forget to tell how they pro-
pei their boats. 1t is by sculling. They
have gigantic oar which they poise on
a pin on the stern (nobody but a China
man can do it), and by means of cord
attached to the oar and the boat, they
scull. or "eulo," as they call it, at a very
rapid rate. Vessels of q larger size are
sculled this way, by means of beams
projecting from the sides, to the end Of
which an oar is attached. The tides at
run very swift, and the winter
winds are furious and piercing; but
these fellows scull right along against
wind and tide. When all moored to-
gether ut some wharf for the night, they
form a large community, and discuss
the events of the day or gamble half the
night. There is nothing done within
many miles of Shanghai but they know
it before any one else.