Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1886-06-16
CHINESE JOURNALS.
How San Fr2ncisco's Four Celestial News.
papers Are Brought Forth.

HOW San Fr2nCtSco's Four Celestial News.
papers Are Brought Forth.
The majority of the Chinese mer-
chants and business men in San Fran
cisco, like those in Gotham's Celestial
district, can read and write the En-
glish language, and quite number Of
them are subscribers to the daily pa
pers. That those. however, who are
not SO gifted may have an opportunity
of knowing what is transporting in the
busy world, there are at the present
time four newspapers printed in Chi
nese characters regularly published in
San Francisco. They are all issued
weekly and have an average circula-
ton of $500 copies. The majority of
these papers are sent into the interior
of the State, to Washington Territory,
British Columbia and the Sandwich
Islands. Only about one-fifth of TIE
whole number is taken in the city. Tie
subscription price of each is $3.50 per
annum, delivered by carriers in the
city, and S. year if sent through the
mails to the country or abroad.
The Oldest paper of the quartet is the
Recorder. published by Nun Kee & Co.
1t has been in existence eighteen years,
and has q subscription list of $50, of
which eighty are delivered in the city,
and the remainder mailed to the interi-
or. Nun Kee, its first editor and pro-
prietor, made fortune out of the Re-
corder. Selling out three years ago, he
returned to China to spend his declin-
ing years. The Oriental is published
lcby Wah Kee IL Co. 1t has been in ex-
istence five years, and has circulation
of about 400. The Weekly Occidental
| is now in its fourth year, and Horn
Hong & Co.. its proprietors, claim that
it is the Live" paper and has the
''largest circulation. 1t has 200 city
subscribers and 800 in the country.
Cum Shoe, its translator and reporter,
is well educated in English and Chinese,
and nothing of interest occurs in the
Chinese quarter that he does not re-
port for the paper which he represents.
The Occidental publishes the latest
Chinese jokes. Some of them are so
good that readers do not stop laughing
at them from one publication day to
another The american and Chinese
Commercial News, the latest aspirant
! for journalistic honors among the
Chinese, was started by Suey Kee Kee
q Co., little over three years ago. Its
proprietors intended to revolutionize
the Chinese newspaper business in this
city, and engaged large staff of re-
| porters, etc. Their purse, however,
was not as large as their ideas, and
year ago they gracefully retired. The
present proprietors now have the pa
per on paying basis and claim cir
culation of 700. The title of the paper
is printed in old Roman text, and above
it is representation of flaming
dragon.
The staff of Chinese newspaper
consists usually of four persons, viz: an
editor, sub-editor, translator and
printer or pressman. The editor and
the sub-editor are generally the pro-
| prietors, and each usually edits one
half the paper. The translator is
most important person. His duties are
| to pick up news around the Chinese
quarters aid read carefully the Amer
lean daily papers. From these he culls
the market reports, accounts of out
RACES ON Chinese, the passages of any
laws and ordinances particularly affect
ing the Chinese, and any other items
which he thinks will interest his coun-
trymen. These he translates into Chi
nese characters and hands them to the
editors. The editors copy the char.
acters so supplied them with the ordi-
nary Chinese pen and specially pre-
pared ink on what is called transfer.
paper The sheet of transfer-paper ia
the same size as the paper to be printed.
| When the editor has his sheet of trans
fer-paper filled with characters his
lahnv. &c oYd ho hands bic
over to the printer This functionary
has a photographic stone already
prepared, and to it he transfers the
characters on the paper. Setting"
the ink on the stone with nitric acid
and gum, he is ready for printing.
After passing wet sponge over the
stone he rolls over it an ink roller, the
ink from which only adheres to the
written characters. He then lays the
piece Of paper to be printed on the
Stone. One side only of a paper can
be printed at a time. A smart printer
can print one side of four hundred
sheets in an ordinary working day.
Five working days are required to get
out an edition of one thousand.
The charge for advertisements is reg
ulated by the number of characters en-
ployed. The advertisements generally
consist of notices of sailing days of
steamers, notices issued by the Chinese
Six Companies, and prices of sewing
machines, lamps, firearms and other
commodities which find ready sale
among the Chinese. These are insert
ed by white merchants.
Lee Fee, the interpreter and trans
later of the Recorder, is a naturalized
Englishman. He was naturallzed in
Australia, where he lived for twenty
one years. He was married at the
Congregational Church in Sydney to a
young Englishwoman eleven years ago.
They have five children, who dress In
European costume, and can converse in
English and Chinese.-SGn Francisco
Chronicle.
A Great T elegraphing Feat.
oh actin, 70 r,oHo h,y %bo .~Ar%