Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1888-07-19
CHINESE SEA GRUB.
What it Costs to Feed a Celestial in an
Ocean Steamer.

The Oceanic Steamship company's
office was crowded yesterday forenoon,
says the San Francisco Examiner, by
Cinnamon anxious to avail themselves
Of the reduced rate of passage by the
Canadian Pacific steamship Abyssinia.
Two hundred and forty took passage
by her, and sailed at II O'Clock.
''See the Abyssinia lot Of Chinese?"
asked the dispenser of hospitality at
nighboring lunch-bar. ''Seem a queer
lot. Give a great deal of trouble, most
likely. That kind always do. There
are cripples and broken-doWn men of
all kinds among them.n
F'Have you had experience in that
trader"
Eyes, for years. | have been en-
ployed in the Chinese trade quite long
time, but | have quit the sea. These
fellows will have an armory with them.
They are quarrelsome and dangerous.
and there are always sea-lawyers
aboard to stir up trouble. They tell
the ignorant coolies their rights, and if
we were not prepared to fight at the
drop of hat if would be all up with
us and the ship. We generally manage
to keep them under"
''What does it cost to feed Chinese
passengers?"
Il brought over fifteen hundred
of them one trip at an average
cost of 4 3-8 cents a day per man.
Yes, it was a little pinched, but they
had enough. Up to three hundred a
fair average of the cost is 10 cents per
head daily; above chat the average
lowers. l think the Pacific Mail
figures on u cents, butthat depends on
circumstances.
"What kind of food do they get?''
"Chiefy rice. We take twenty-six
different kinds of elbows. We take
white beans, brown beans, black beans,
red beans, green beans-every kind of
beans; orange peel, sauces, dried
fish, dried abalCne, although they get
little Of that. But the principle diet
is rice. Five pounds Of fresh beef will
90 rs far with a hundred Cinnamon as
with five white men. They take a big
mess Of rice and small piece Of fresh
meat, which they lift, bite off small
mOrsel, and return to the dish. Then
they pitch into the rice with their chop
sticks and sample the sauces. They
are fond of salt pork and salt meat.
Fresh meat goes further. They should
never get sailed meat or pork
''llave you ever had trouble with
Chinese passengers"
Often. | remember once in the
Peking we had one thousand of them,
and they kicked about their food. /
went down to find out what the trouble
was, and then brought down the chief
off no ,ian 70
their liking.
g i will give you ten minutes to be-
gin eating said the chief officer;
after that the rice will be thrown over
board
eve could not move. We were sur
rounded. Times up said / calling
my boys to clear away. Over che
goes The Cinnamon looked sulkey
for n minute or so, then sat down and
ate the rice, and that was the last of it.
I'VE never have any trouble coming
this way till after we leave Yokohama.
Up to the time he reaches Yokohama
he is all swollen out with rice, cutting
a very ridiculous figure with his
spindle legs and overhanging stomach.
After leaving Japan he is in good con-
dition, and listens to the incendiarv
talk Of the Chinese highlander. If VIC
backed down or weakened in any wav
it would be all up with us. Cinnamon
are hard crowd to handle on ship
board
You have only to give the Cinnamon
plenty to eat and you have no trouble, !"
said an attentive listener. II was in
Hong Kong when the Abyssinia came
in three trips ago, and she had trouble
about the food. She then sailed from
Victoria. The other vessels seldom
have any bother of the kind.
you think that 10 cents per day
covers the cost of food Supplied on
shipboard to each Chinese passenger"
yes. do. 1t costs less, with care,
when the numbers are large, than
when there few on board.