Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1884-08-22
0alfs and Skrtthss.
An Opium Den In Boston.
7HAr GLOBE REPORTER SAW THERE.

WHAT A GLOBE REPORTER SAW THERE.
Il was a sudden transition from the fresh
air OF the streets TO the close atmosphere
of the narrow passage. 1t was so dark
that each man was constrained to feel his
way along by placing his hands against
the opposite walls. An indescribaoie
smell, strong, and TO some OF the party
sickening, began when the door was open
ed and increased in intensity as the pro-
cession moved forward. On nearer ap-
proach the yellow splashes at the end OF
the passage dissolved themselves into ir-
regular peep-holes, cut in rude wooden
door through which the light from an in
ner room. dimmed and chok ed with smoke
forced its way. Something more than the
smoke came through. The sound Of thick.
heavy breathing mingled wit. curious
bubblino noise, like a man drawing at
waierv pipe, made themselves audible.
They are hard at it, said the guide.
He knocked on the door. There was
slight stir inside and presently a voice
said Come in ingeniously making
two syllables of the first word Of the in
vitation, as only Mongolian can do The
door swung open before the push the
guido. gave it and the room with its strange
and unfamiliar contents burst upon the
view.
The ENTRANCE
from the street TO this final entrance into
the place where the party now found itself
was the matter Of only few feet. but the
sensations Of the man who should sleep
in Boston and awake in Canton could not
be more novel and startling than those
which the invading party experienced.
The atmosphere was hot and close and
seemed in fact to be nothing but dense,
heavy cloud Of smoke. Here. indeed, the
strong. peculiar, sickening smell which
had reached the passagewav existed in all
its intensity. At first sight the room seemed
to efulot beds piled in tiers one above the
other, and the beds to be full OF China
men thrown down in all sorts of negligent
and grotesque attitudes. Little by little
the objects in the room were separated
from the confusion of the total, and al
lowed themselves to be inspected sepa-
rately. The beds were not such. strictly
speaking. They would be more correctly
denOminated racks, on which their yellow
smoke dried human burdens were laid
away like specimens in a cabinet. There
were two racks in each tier and more tiers
Of racks than any but Chinese architect
would have deemed it feasible to place in
a single room of no more than 800 square
feet area. Each of these reclining places
contained two persons whose heads rested
on the same pillow, and whose faces came
close to each other with the plainest sug-
gestion of sociality and good. fellowship.
with ANYTHING but phantom OF the world
of dreams and visions, had ceased to be
possibility with all but a very few of the
occupants of the rack. Here lay two ena-
ciated and hollow checked members of the
oriental race with tightly closed eyes, fixed
expressions and general rigiditv of body
which strongly counterteited death. Even
respiration was so gradual that it seemed
To have left them. There on the rack be-
yond them sat bolt upright and clngng
to a post actually fat and chubby China
man. who. with his little almond eyes row.
ing round the room. talked and babbled
away necessarily, sometimes in the Ian
guage that was native TO him, and some
times in an indiscriminate linguisticness
which was meant for English. He adj
dressed nobody. and nobody seemed to
pay any attention to him. but he kept the
room constantly filled with the sound of
his voice. His companion lay calmly
smoking from a most extraordinary look
ing pipe, whose stem was some eighteen
inches long. with great tin bowl in the
middle instead ot Mt the end of it. while
he gazed vacantly at a small lamp which
burned beside the pillow.