Wichita eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1886-1890, 1888-07-08
CHINESE SEA GRUB.
COST OF FEEDING A PAGAN ON
AN OCEAN STEAMER.

AN OCEAN STEAMER.
A Crowd Of CeIestials Leavin: San Fran-
cisco for Far Cathay-A Quarreisome
Set of Passengers-Little Waste in Feed
ins-Profts.
The Oceanic Steamship company's Of
Zee was crowded the other forenoon by
Cinnamon anxious to avail themselves Of
the reduced rate of passage by the Cana
dian Pacific steamship Abyssinia Two
hundred and forty took passage by her
and sailed about 13 o'clock Many held
of to the last minute in the hope that bet
ter terms might be made, but the agents
were inexorable
Don't you fumigate the Office after the
China steamer leaves?" asked Hawaiian
dude who struggled to the counter
through the iabbering crowd Of Cinnamon
to secure passage to Honolulu by the
Australia,
What ais your" was the retort. 'You
should be familiar with the essence of
Cathay. as you come from Honolulu"
of course am, but nothing so rank
as this"
Good money. all the same. There are
no deadheads in the Chinese passenger
trade, no round trip complimentary tick
cts Everything is on basis Of United
States gold coin and no credit"
CHINESE SEA LAWYERS.
Happening along at lunch. the lead
thus opened was followed ''See the
Abyssinia lot of Chinese?" asked the dis
penser Of hospitality at neighboring
lunch bar Seem 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"
Have you had experience in that
trader
"Yes, for years. have been employed
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 it would be
all up with US and the ship We gen,
orally manage to keep them under
What is the rate of passageY' asked
a reporter who happened to be present.
twenty five dollars and whatever we
can get for freight.
Are you in for freight war;"
Cant tell. Know only what we are
doing
Does $25 passage money pay the
Canadian Pacific on a thirty day voyage,
when the old lines could barely manage
to get along with $50 rate?"
Il should smile. But you just skirmish
around and find out.
what does it cost to feed Chinese pas
sengers7"
Il brought over 1900 of them one trip
at an average cost of four and three
eighths cents day per man. Yes, it was
little pinched but they had enough
Up to 800 fair average of the cost is
ten cents per head daily. above that the
average lowers think the Pacific Mail
figures on twelve cents. but that depends
on circumstances
What kind of food do they get?"
Chiefly rice We take twenty six diff
ferent kinds of elbows We take white
beans brown beans. black beans, red
beans green beans--every kind of beans;
orange peel. sauces, dried shrimps. dried
fish. dried abalone although they get lit
tie of that But the principal diet is rice.
Five pounds of fresh beef will so as far
with LOG Cinnamon as with five white
men They take big mess Of rice and
small piece of fresh meat. which they lift.
bite of small morsel. and return to the
dish Then they pitch into the rice with
their chopsticks and sample the sauces.
They are fond of salt pork and salt meat.
Fresh meat goes further They should
never get salted meat or pork.
MUST EAT OR sTARvE
Have you ever had trouble with Chi
Hese paSsengersY'
Often | remember once in the Peking
we had a thousand of them. and they
kicked about their food | went down to
find out what the trouble was. and then
brought down the chief officer. The rice
was not cooked to their liking
81 will give you ten minutes to begin
eating said the chief officer: after that
the rice will be thrown overheard
I'VE could not move We were sur
rounded Times Up. said |. calling my
boys to clear away Over she goes. The
Cinnamon looked sulky for minute or so,
and then sat down and ate the rice, and
that was the lest of it.
1--WE never have any trouble coming
this way until after we leave Yokohama
Up to that time the coolie is busy filing
up. and by tho time he reaches Yokohama
he Is all swollen out with rice, cutting
very ridiculous figure. with his spindle
legs ard overhanging stomach. After
leaving Japan he is in good condition, and
listens to the incendiary talk of the Chi
nese high binder If we. backed down or
weakened in any way it would be all up
with us Cinnamon are hard crowd to
handle on shipboard.
You have only to give the Cinnamon
plenty to eat and you have no trouble"
said an attentive listener. Il 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 that kind"
You think that ten cents per day
covers the cost Of the food supplied on
shipboard to each Chinese passengerT
Yes, | do 1t costs less. with care.
when the numbers are large than when
there are few on board There Is very
little waste, | assure you 1t Is not
losing trade at S25 per head. San Fran
cisco Examiner.