, 1885-11-29
STRANGE sIaars N oaLNAroMn.


II AAhAA
lcor. Kanst city Journail
Just after leaving the bright lights oil
Kearney street our guide said: Come
this way" and turned into a long, mar
row, dark passage, that brought us into
a low room, with ten tables, around
which were built little benches, and
cooking utensils, greasy plates and chop
sticks scattered about everywhere. A
contractor, who furnishes Chinese la
borers, feeds them here, and sleeps the
most OF them too, for there were rows
Of dirty looking hunks or berths on
each side Of the room, built almost as
close together as shelves in a library.
A moment Of Gods pure air, and we
heard; Gentlemen, light your can
dies; ladies, your perfume. We went
down a steep flight Of stairs, into a pas
sage that was quite as long and narrow
as the first, then down another stair
way, which might have led to Hades, it
was so "blaok and uncertain, y into q
little open space with a door on every
side. Our officer opened the first OF
these without the ceremony of a knock
and showed us one of the rooms, which
was about sx10. and in which twenty
Cinnamon slept. Some of them were
smoking their opium all lying there in
their filth like so many animals. was
glad enough to yacate for the benefit OF
others of tho party. and verify believed
that there was nothing worse to SCI
anywhere.
But on opening another door what a
sight was therel On a bunk covered
with mating, with a few old blankets
under his head, lay a feeble looking old
fellow, with his pipe and lamp and jar
of opium at hand, looking so haggard
and miserable that | thought he must
be very i'll, and said: John, you
sicka' and he answered, me heap
sick, me heap old But he is only 40,
although his sunken, CLASSY eyes and
cheeks, made him seem 100. 10 is n
wonderl Fifty feet under ground, damp,
foul air, into which a ray of daylight
never came, rags and flth-is it strange
that we never see an aged Chinaman1
IL is a wonder they don't die by the
thousand. 1t must be true that opium
smoke neutralizes, to some extent, this
thick, impure air, else how could they
liver :" own another flight of steps9n
Merciful powersl You don't meaA to
take us any further from tho pure air
of heaven Right industriously did
we use our smelling bottles now, and
very close did | keep to our brave
leader, for began to be covered with
goose flesh, and to feel a sinking sensa-
ton in the region of the pit of my
stomach and a shakiness in my knees,
which was not altogether quite com
Portable to bear. We were to see the
happy.family, and a sightit was indeed.
A room no larger than a good-sized
closet, shelves or hunks about three feet
apart, with ''standing-room only for
about three people, and you have a
good idea of the arrangement of this
home of the happy family" In this
hole are three women, a man, a baby,
two dogs and a cat. The fires on which
these underground residents cook
their food, are simply a few charcoals
in an old tin can. This stove, some
times a chair, and a can of oil in which
is placed a rag which gives their light,
compose the furniture of these abodes.
l don't think Il can ever make you I'M
derstand how dreadful these places
were. Lodging douses underground
where perhaps fifty men sleep and
smoke in n little room Sx1O room, until
midnight, when they are reused and
turned out to walk the streets while
other take the hunks for a few hours
rest. Anything viler, more loathsome
than these holes would be difficult to
imagine.