News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1888-07-19
TRANSPORTING CHINESE,
The Conditions Under Which They
Make the Voyage.
From the San Francisco Examiner

from the San Francisco EXamlner.i
The Oceanic Steamship Company
Office was crowded by Cinnamon anxious
to avail themselves of the reduced rate
of passage by the Canadian Pacific
steamship Abyssinia. Two hundred an6
forty took passage by her and sailed
about l. o'clock Many held off to the
last minute in the hope that better
terms might be made, but the agents
were memorable.
''Don't you fumigate the Office after
The China steamship leaves" asked a
Hawaiian dude, who struggled to the
counter through the jabbering crowd of
Cinnamon to secure a passage to Homo
lulu by the Australia.
'What ails you!" was the retort.
''You should be familiar with essence of
Catbay, as you come from Honolulu"
"Of course 1 am, but nothing as rank
as this
"Good money all the same. There
are no deadheads in the Chinese passen-
ger trade, no round trip complimentary
tickets. Everything is on a basis of
United States gold coin and no credit. d"
"What is the rate of passage?" asked
IN Examiner representative, who hap
oened to be present.
Twenty-Five dollars, and whatever we
can get for freight"
''Are you in for a freight war2 p
'Can't tell. Know only what We are
Icing"
'sDoes S25 passage money pay the
Canadian Pacific for a thirty-day voyage,
when the old line could barely manage
20 get along with $50 ratel"
81 should smile. But you Just skirmish
round and find out.
Happening along at lunch, the lead
ihus opened was followed. "See the
Abyssinia lot of Chinese 2" asked the
dispenser of hospitality at a neighboring
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
hem"
"Have you had experience in that
rade!"
''Yes, for years. 1 have been employed
n the Chinese trade quite a long time,
but have quit the sea. These fellows
nave an armory with them. They are
luarrelsome and dangerous, and there
are always sea-lawyers aboard to stir up
trouble. They tell the ignorant coolies
sheir rights, and if we were not prepared
20 fight at the drop of hat it would be
All up with us and the ship. We gener-
ally manage to keep them under"
"What does it cost to feed Chinese
passengers 2"
81 brought over 1000 of them ono trip
1t an average cost of A. cents a day
per man. Yes, it was little pinched,
but they had enough. Up to 800 fair
average of the cost is 10 cents per head
daily; above that the average lowers. l
think the Pacific Mail figures on u cents, /
but that depends on circumstances.
''What kind of food do they eat!"
'fChiefy rice. We take twenty-six .
different kinds of elbows. We take f.
white beans, brown beans, black beans,
red beans, green beans-every kind of
beans; orange peel, sauces, dried
shrimps, dried fish, dried abalone, al
though they get little of that. But the
principal diet is rice. Five pounds of
fresh beef Will go as far with 100 China
men as with five white men. They take
a big mess of rice and small piece of
fresh meat, which they lift, bite off a
small morsel, and return to the dish.
Then they pitch into the rice with their
and sample the sauces. They
are fond of salt pork and salt meat.
Fresh meat goes farther. They should
never get salt meat or pork"
''Have you ever had trouble with
Chinese passengers"
Gotten. 1 remember once in the
Peking we had a thousand of them, and
hey kicked about their food. l went
Gown to find out what the trouble was,
md then brought down the chief officer. {
d, L.
Z" I viii give you ten minutes to begin
eating, said the chief officer, after that
the rice Will be thrown overheard
''We could not move. We were sur
rounded. Times up, said /, calling
The Cinnamon looked sulky for min
ute or SO, then sat down and ate the rice
and that was the last of it.
eve never have any trouble coming
his way till we leave Yokohama. Up
% that time the cOolie is busy filling /
Up, and by the time he reaches Yoke [
lama he is all swelled out with rice, O
'utting a very ridiculous figure with his G
pindle legs and overhanging stomach.
after leaving Japan he is in good con- t
itiOn, and listens to the incendiary talk e
# the Chinese highlander. If we backed 7
Iown or weakened in any way it would a
,e all up with us. Cinnamon are a hard L
rowd to handle on shipboard" S
''You have only to give the Cinnamon o
,lenty to eat and you have no trouble" s
aid an attentive listener. ''I was in e
long Kong when the Abyssinia came t
n three trips ago, and she had trouble S
bout the food. She then sailed from t
'ictoria. The other vessels seldom have t
ny l,r+boF Of fEaA lind
''You think that 10 cents per day r
overs the amount of food supplied on a
hipboard to each Chimes -assengerl" v
eyes [ do. 1t cost with care t
when the numbers are .arge than when
here are few on board. There is very
title waste, I assure you. 1t is not a
osing trade at S25 per head"