Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1890-08-28
oHISssE LIeHrsIse D1spAroa.
A Celestial Telegraph office and
the Operator 'TruIhfufIy Eyesc-ihea

A Celestial Telegraph office aud
the Operator rruthfaiIy Described.
The quarterly ReUieto gives The follog-
ing account OF Chinese to esraph office
and the peculiar distractions in the way
or sending dispatches: As usual in all
ofhoAlly conducted enterprises In China,
land the Chinese government aeknowl-
edges no union OF capitalists for large
enterprises apart from official manage
ment,) little encouragement Is given to
the general public. In the case of the
telegraph, the charges are high, aveS Ring
about one shilling q word, more or less
according to distance. This tariff Is,
with thrifty people like the Chinese,
quite prohlbitivs as far as social mes
RACES are concerned; and for bust
mess purposes its use is confined
to the few wealthy merchants
In the larger towns, and by them it is
used very sparingly. In the less i'm
portant places 1t Is not open to the public
at all, although the needful stations and
operators are to be found there. At one
such station, In the town Of Shin-tan in
Hupeh, we once tried to send message.
After mach inquiry we at last found our
way to the Tienpao ohu, or "lightning
dispatch Office" and were shown to an
old out.of-the-wsy two-storied Chinese
dwelling house. Climbing up an incou-
Venisntiy steep ladder we reached the
upper story, which consisted of roomy
loft, with rickety loose plank floor and |
no ceiling beneath the uncemented tile |
roof. The apartment had every sppear-
snee OF not having been awept or gar
nished since the day it was constructed. |
AS our eyes gradually grew accus-
tnD1ad n a a tNal fe.EN a. -.
the small paper windows, we perceived |
in one corner Oursained trsRtle bed
stead illuminated by diminutiyo opium
smokers lamp, in another corner a tele.
graphic signaling instrument with silk
cover to protect 1t from the dirt, and a
couple OF the usual stiff backed wooden
Chinese chairs. A few clothes-truuks
and tumble-down wardrobe completed
the furniture. As we entered, man of
~, handsomely dressed Ia silk, arose
from the bed and welcomed us to a seat,
he received us with great afusion and,
TO our surprise, seemed really pleased to
see his haunt invaded by barbalipr. A
lad Of IL or less, also gsyly dressed in
silk, produced the hospitsbIe tea,
and conversation commenced. The
manager could not accept nv mes.
sage without card from the Taotai.
or governor, who Eeuidad 40 miles dis.
tant, and with which he advised me to
provide myself on future occasion. The
lad, who turned ont to be an operator
trained in Shanghai, had merely to report
on the condition OF the wires, which he
did daily by telegraphing to tie next
station the English words "All right"
The rest Of the English he onca knew he |
appeared TO have forgotten. As to the
elder man, the manager, sociable 500.
Chow man, he talked Of himself az an
exile among saVases with no society, no
occupation. and no smusements. He
thoroughly enjoyed visit from one who
cams from the civilization Of Shanghai.
and seemed deeply to regret our depart
are. He particularly lRmented his hard
lot, In that having bought 2,0Q0 English
words Of nativs teacher Of English in
Shanghai, at a cost of 81 per hundred,
$50 he expressed himsel) he had now ,
only use for two words, and had almost
sntirsly forgotten the remaining / ,99s.