Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1889-01-25
Al SIN A BIG MAN NOW.
Chinese Merchants Used to Stand
on Corners out Now Own
Stores.

Stores.
Visitors going through Mott street,
or Chinatown" as it is now called,
almost the first thing which strikes
their attention is the big wooden sign
of 'Wo Kee Company" situated in
large black letters about midway upon
the side of a three-story brick, which
is devoted entirely to the business OF
the firm, in Chinese and Cuban pro-
auctions. 1t is the richest firm OF Chi
namen in the eastern United States.
The two members, All Dom and FOng
Cham, are reputed TO be worth over
| quarter of million.
The senior member, Mr.. All Dom,
was in Cuba about the year 1868 as II
cigar maker; in the next year he and Il
companion came 10 New York. They
had for their joint capital 81 and "a
common old carpet bag, "a blanket and
cigarmaker's knives. They and their
baggage went to No. 81 Cherry street,
that being then the Chinese headquar-
ters of this city. Shortly after All
Dom found work as d cigar make, and
| then he and few other Chinese cigar
makers moved into Mott street (NO.
| 80, thus founding "a nucleus for the
present Chinese colony. New York"
says All Dom, ''was different in those
days when there were but a handful of
Cinnamon here. They were not per-
secuted as now; to the contrary, they
were everywhere petted and liked,
possibly because they were as u
sort of curiosity. | have known several
| nil nf Ia Of ny,
dead now Wa made from IS TO $40 "a
day by selling candies or cigars upon
the curbstones of this city. Children
as well as grown-up people came to
patronize Cinnamon simply because
they were Cinnamon, but the opinions
have changed so rapidly since then that
now the people and children will not
patrOnize them simply because they are
Cinnamon. ] know upon one occasion
while | was standing chattering with II
friend of mine who was running "a
candy store upon the corner Of Bowery
and Canal in about the same fashion
as you see the Italians are doing now, "a
gentleman came up and shook bands
with "Ah Sin" and spoke few pleasant
words with him. Then the gentleman
went away my friend found s. gold
piece in his hand. Some days" said
All Dom, 1.-The Chinese peddlers would
have their pockets full of silver and gold
pieces given him by benevolent ladies
and gentlemen, who thought they were
in great financial distress. Mostly all
the Chinese in New York were then in
the cigar business and acting rs sailors
or cooks and stewards upon vessels that
piled between here and the Asiatic
coasts. There was then not a single
laundryman here. Indeed" said Mr.
All Dom, ''we tried TO stop the first
Chinaman who came here to open a
Chinese laundry, right near Cherry
street. We even offered to assist him
into any other kind of business but laun-
dry. No. the fellow PERSISTED that "A
wash-hOuse was his favorite business.
Most all the Chinese laundrymen came
from the county of Sing Wing. | am
from Nam Hway, and even TO this day
there are but a few of my fellow towns
men who would go into the washing
business. They are mostly in the cigar
: and grocery business"
Mr.. All Dom worked at the Cigar
trade during the day and in the even
ings he smoked cigars with his friends
at "a Mott street. Gradually the little
coloney grew until several houses
in Mott street had Chinese room
ers. He noticed that all his coun-
trymen. like himself. were crav-
ing for everything that was Chin
csc. Some were actually growing
old for the mere monging for Chinese
foods, such as sharkstins, bamboo shoots.
J Beach de Mars, lotus seed soups and
birdsnests soups, or bean curdles, Chin
csc wood fingers, sour duck feet, oyster
sausages, etc. One evening in cold
December when the Chinese New Year
was rapidly approaching, Wo Quay,
one of the cigar makers jumped up
suddenly from his opium bunk and said
, he would give half of his fortune IL he
could only get sip of Chinese birdnest
soup or chopstick full of sharkfins.
Another said he would give whole
/ dollar for a pound of Chinese sailed
tunips, which are now sold on Mott
street for five cents pound, and so
went up the prices in Chinese produce
by the frenzied Cinnamon of New York
without even a Chinese cabbage leaf in
sight. Mr.. All Dom, like the good and
quiet heather that he is, took every
thing quietly, and the very next week
after getting his pay on Saturday eve
, ing he tucked half of it away in the
safest corner of his blue blouse and
kept up the addition until he had got
an even hundred dollars. This he sent
over 10 his friends in Hong Kong,
China. and in about seven months after
they sent the goods from Hong Kong
(by a sailing vesseD there arrived at "a
Mott street, New York, "a large and Sc
curely tied box from China, and it was
consigned TO Mr.. All Dom, the young
cigarmaker, now the prince of Mer-
chants.
y This box contained all sorts of Chi
nese eatables, dried. picked, canned
and smoked meats, vegetables, fishes
and preserves and spices. They form
ed the nucleus of the Wo Kee Com
pany, the large importing firm at pres
ent with its New York headquarters at
No. Mott street, and the Havana.
Hong Kong and Yokohama, Japan.
branch houses.