The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1884-12-04
CHINESE SAILORS. -.
They Have Plenty of Pluck and Endar-
ancs and Fair Sailing Qualities.

Can't. Davis. of the steamer Penn
brokeshire, has had years of experience
in trading at Chinese ports, and has
employed the Cinnamon regularly on
board his ship in various capacities.
In speaking of the characteristics of
the Chinese when a1loat. he said they
were unexcelled as tiremen aboard
steamers They work twelve hours ont
of twenty-four in the stoke-hole. where
the temperature averages over no de-
grees constantly. The labor of shovel
inc coal is very severe. As seamen on
deck and aloft they are not so good:
They have the physical strength to pull
on rope, but they are not sailors
.'How will they compare with French
men in that respect?' was asked.
They are not as good sailors. but
they have great endurance.
Have they any pluck?
Plenty OF it in defending themselves
about deck~. The white sailors do not
impose on them aboard ship. They
can take their own part every time. II
You compare them in this respect wi h
Frenchmen. | should say that in q
stand-up fight the Chinaman would
knock out his opponent. But when
you come to man ship with Chinese.
and expect them 10 make q tirst-class
crew, YOU find yonrselve. in a bad pre-
dicament. The Chinese navy has no
show against the French. Their navy
is composed of two classes of ships, the
iron steamers and the iunks. The junks
are well represented by the pictures
YOU have seen in books OF travel. They
/ Ill Il h airel,f
each. but what can they do? So far
they have served for collins for. their
crews, who were drowned after they
/ had surrendered. Many of the iron
steamers were built in England. They
were constructed on excellent princi-
| pies, and are very fl e ships. They
| are armed with heavy modern guns.
White men were engaged to train the
crews But with all that the ships and
crews are not match for the great
iron-clads of the French fleet. The
number of iron steamers in the Chin
ese navy is very large. They have
launched six or eight gun-boats them
selves at Shanghai during the past
year These boats were built under
the direction of European and Ameri'
can naval architects. They are first.
class of their kind, but they are toe
small. China has ho nope at sea"
You have seen the Chinese troOps?
'.Yes. They are uniformed in the
hues of the rainbow, besides black anG
| white. Imagine one hundred laundry
men in scarlet blouses and royal-purplt
trousers drawn up in line, adjoining
them a company in pure white, then :
company in bright green. and then one
i'm light blue, and you have Chinese
regiment. When they walk they lif
up their feet like eats in the snow. Bu
in spite of their peculiaritics. they will
make it warm for the French on shore
Their name is legion, and if their Off
GERS have profited at all by the instruc
tions they have received in the las
! twenty years, they will make gooG
fight. Judge of their pluck by wha
have seen Of them. On shore in the
open field, they will have some chanc,
to show what they can do. They will
fight them as they do singly when fore
ed to it. In these miserable junks anC
in the small steamers no one can hOp'
to do anything but sink with flying
colors."
"Do the Chinese still believe in tn,
efficacy of stinkpots?"
Il think not. 1t is one of the few
weapons they have discarded as relic
of barbarism, but there is no doubt bu
what they will try to strike terror int
to the hearts of the enemy by makins
loud and unearthly noises, just as W,
used to read they did in the wars of
hundred years ago. A description of
battle between Cinnamon and French
men, if described accurately and in de
! tail. would make very interesting read
ing" ."-BostOn Budget.