New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1885-06-21
THE CHINESE IN NETWORK.
GLIMPsRs OF THE CELESTIAL COLONY.
HOW THEY LIVE AND SAVE MoNEY-LAUNDRIEs-
GAMBLING Observation-Disclosures.

Chinatown in New York City is slowly be-
coming feature OF metropolitan lfe. Day and night 1t
Is ransacked by visitors from the eastern part Of the
United States and from Europe. It's almost needless
to remark that they little of the Interior Monaghan
life Not prior to 1547 there any permanent Chi
nsse settlement upon Manhattan Island. bailors and
pedlers OF that and went, to tho astonsh
mept OF stad Gothamites but none ever made homo
In tse metropolis In the year mentioned All Sue. COOK
and steward packet-ship plying between this port
and Hong Kong became tired of q sea-farng life and
settled at No. 81 Cherry-st, theroabout. whore he
opened tobacco and candy store and to exc out pre-
careus living kept small clearinghouse for Chinese
and other Orentas III the following year he married
an h-American girl named Murphy. Tho wedding
occasoned consde comment 1t was the first inter
marriage with the Chinese in this country All Sue
was moderately successful He popular and enter
prisng and made 1t point to introduce hts counrymcn
into American trades and manufactures At the time OF
his death (which occurred In 1864 there about
forty Chinese In NewYork All nearly all Of these
were pedlers, cigar dealers, candy manufacturers
In 1867 All Sues boarding .houso taken by Ko 10
Chee, who like his predecessor had bssn cook and
steward on plokstship He possessed much moro en-
ergy than All Sue. He wrote counrymen In California
and In China OF the business advantages of NewYork,
but for time made impression upon them. and the
only Celcstals who came occasional
| sailor o Cuban ciyar-maker. He con-
vsrted the second floor Of his house into a
Chinese bed bunk subscribed to Chinese papers
and periodicals, and imported Chinese books groceries
and other goods In 1869 the colony numbered about
$780, Ko 10 Chez greatly increased his business as well
as his influence by calling upon all ships engaged In
Eastern trade and ascertalnng the condition and reat-
ment Of the Chinese sailors and employees aboard In all
cases OF unpaid wages, cruelty duress he promptly
took the sufferers part and made upon the vessel
Its master In one case he compelled captain to pay
$4,000 to cook for wages and assault and battery OF
this sum he is said to have received $1,000 from the
grateful victor 10 Lo Chez returned to China some
ago with fortune OF $4,000 Tho house is still
In business under his and large and profitable
| patronage.
The first Chinese grocery opened at No. 81 Mott
J st. in 1872 by wo Kee. The Chinese colony had in
creased to 500 and there had grown up large demand
for Oriental goods and merchandise. Wo Reo started
with capital OF $40. At first business bad, and he
about to give up. After time 1t developed and
paid ts large returns As IL increased. part
ners were taken in and large building bought at No.
MOttst. To-day tho house Is known the Wo Kes Com
pany II has capital OF $3.50 900. invested partly in real
estate and enjoys credit rated AL 10 deals In fine
groceries, fruits porcolans silks and brcab rac.
II also exports to China ginseng fine prints aud piece
| goods, cutlery firearms and other American manu-
features and to Cuba and the West indies ham, cured
meat. prepared vegetables and Chinese American doll
| cacies
The leading local industry OF the Chinese the laundry
business dates from the finishing OF the Union Pacific
Railroad. The completion OF the great railway threw
| thousands OF Cinnamon out OF employment who up to
time had engaged in excavation and construc
ton. There but few women In the mining camps
and what would be fabulous prices paid for
| laundry work The unemployed "nayves" entered
this to them field and found IL almost bonanza
They learned from Professor Doremus OF this city tho
chloride lime Javello and other Reagents
containing ohlerne TO bleach cotton and linen goods,
and before recognized the best aundrymen
| In the West Shortly after this time Mr. Thomas en-
| gagged fifty San Francisco Chinese to work in his
| laundry ut BelloYlllo. ~ J. These came East
| aud in n few weeks after their arrival had seen
New York and its possibilities as field for laundry
work Ong Yung. whose brother was employed In the
| Belleviile laundry, csns 20 NewYork and opened
"washse washee" at Catharlnest and East Broadway.
Despite bitter antagonlsm II proved eventually great
business success and tho spread TO California and
even Chna Ong Yung was ambitious and opened other
| lsundros Between 1870 and 1879 no went to China
three times and each mo with what In tina. land Ia
sdered fortune lie Is nov property owner In China
and 10 estimated 10 be worth SIS 900 Ong Yungs sue
eo.. induced other Cinnamon who were In other bust
meas M the time learn laundry work. and
hundreds TO New-York from San Francisco. Laundres
| became a staple article in tho Monaghan market
Al rres.nt there are Ysrk about 900 lnundries
in brooklyn 800 In Jersey City and Hoboken 49, and
IN the other near places about 80 Each laundry
employs from 20 six mon, besides the proprietor
and they ayernsS tsrGe me-. GOO rbe mos
| /. at No lls Chatham-st.
The Chinese olsarmaker' originally came from Cuba
makers greater than the slave and FREQ classes
from the ports long contracts and soon became
rpE Terkmen cruel emPoSrss f torGed many 70
| employment among Cubans There are now about
800 chinese clgarmasers In this city zoo OF whom are
weekly at No 80 Polst Most OF them arc employed by
the Cuban cglr;manufactnrers In Maiden Lane, While
Ataks factory at No oil Chatham ST. Is the largest In
the city Il employs beth Chinese and 0ccdensas and
| trade ana manufactures fine cigars Tho ciearnakers
are social and have a number OF small clubs Ia Mott-s
Chnatovn so-called. began with wo KEGS grocery
store aad no himself 10 known as Its father After Wa
n saa fs Nearly ali have pro.Pesd Yus
sing al No. 2Q4 Chatham-st, Is worth 100000 Tom
e. n No No. 3 and Wong IL ohcns az NO % T pe
81 arc likewise well. TODD. Wong lie Chong Is the
million dollars doing large business in Ionquin Can
ton and Cuba Chinatown includes Mott Park Pell and
twenty gambling dcns avo policy shops SIX restaurants
one opium Joint pryatel two barber SHOPS one tailor
TSs gambiingdens are devoted 70 game called Fan
Tan which TO the Celestial waa faro Is to sono Amor,
table after the dealer has put pile OF metal on tho
from which he move d -four 0Sas e lime until
In the main Is squaro game, and allows the hoqss q
highly popular with tho Chinese, and gives employment
to about 200 persons Chinese ganoIing assemblies
Ter dealer cappers and hsnEers.on The largest game is
Conducted at No. II Mottst,, and frequently
All Of the games are Own. .iDc and MANAGED
TX syn noIicv Il played on eighty numbers The man
ayers draw each evening twenty Of these player Y
@ aii drewn he is paid $4,000 for 81 II he draws
four numbers less he receives nothing Twice tS haze
| piay.r raccyed his money In full; In the other
where hs had bet 81, he was compelled to compromise
| Tor si5 600 This ease happened In San Francisco
The restaurants practically open day and night
Each soted for some PARTICULAR dish or sys OF cook
No for soups and stews No IA for style and fancy
dishes No for meats one near Mot ana Park SIS for
chean nrices and tho Pols RESTAURANT for American
eooSng Prices are than in American eating places
an average lunch for an Oriental Ia tea, rice chicken
d a.S Tho cost of these ia for the tea nothing; rice,