The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1893-01-03
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They Ate to Win.
NUMBER ONE.

| IDeT6 WAS u CUlu CldiuiuJ StihhOSS AZ sh0
| washroom.
Shirts to the right, shirts to the left, shirts
| before and shirts behind; clean shirts. un-
washed shirts. ironed shirts and shirts to be
| ironed; collars, cuffs, skirts, hosiery-in
| fact the usual contents of a Chinese
| laundry.
In the middle of the floor, on an i'm
promptu divan. fashioned by soapbox
and bundle OF clothes, sat seven weary
Celestals.
In front Of them stood Marchy.
You know Marchy? 1t were worth your
while to cultivate his acquaintance IL you
do not. He was born in the Flowery
Kingdom and did not leave the portals oil
the eastern door OF the great wall OF CHINA
till In his teens.
Yet he speaks English fluently and wears
San Francisco clothes. His four-ln-nand
tie is a brilliant red. lie carries cane and
cocks a shining silk hat over one eye.
Marchy is a sport.
Every holiday on the American and Chi
Dese calendars Is duly celebrated at Marchy
washhouse on Minna street, between Third
and Fourth. by feasting and INDUCING IN
sports of certain and peculiar kind.
Thanksgiving day Marchy gave turkey
eating contest. The Celestial washer or I'M
clean linen who ate the most lignum yltse
turkey won the prize. which consisted OF
So gold-plece and one day off with full pay.
Christmas day it was rice-eatlng match.
Yesterday seven Celestials stuffed them
selves with dried shrimps.
And that is why there was such cold
and clammy stiffness in that washroom.
They mad been stuffing for two solid hours
and the match was draw.
Marcby was timekeeper and referee all In
one, and two or three American sports,
friends of Marchy. were the spectators.
p Long the silence continued. 1t was so
still you could hear it. The very quietude
smote the ear drums until mortal could
stand it no longer.
Then Marchy spoke. BE said:
"Timep'
There was no response. Even Ling il
Lung, who is tall and bony and lean ana
popularity supposed to have an Unsuitable
appetite, remained silent. He moved not at
all. Again Marchy called:
'Timef
Ling il Lung groaned-but that was all.
None of the seven moved.
"Time"
This was the last call. No response.
WELL" said Marchy. turning to the
interested spectators, well have to ex-
anime the plates. If there is one cleaner
than all the others the one who ate from it
wins the match"
And so they carefully examined seven
large white soap dishes, but in vain.
The most accomplished dishwasher could not
have cleaned them better.
And this was the ninth dish. Each dish
In its turn had contained a pint of dried
shrimps, and when one dish had been
empted its exact counterpart was brought
forth and placed before the silent eaters.
1t was dinner of nine courses.
You should have seen the first course
eaten. # was fairly GUIDED down. Time.
4min. IL see. There was an intermission
of five minutes between each course.
The second course followed the course of
the first course in min. II Sec, nearly
double the time of the first course. Yes:
but the feeders were not quite so raveDous.
And then pint of dried shrimps. If one is
real hungry, may be quite relishing. 1t
different with the second pint. 1t Jagged
little, but yet disappeared in maryelously
short order
1t onght to be stated Just at this juncture
that Marchy's Celestials had been in train
ing for this event since last Thursday. To
a man they were almost starved when they
tackled that first pint.
Third course. Time. II min. ! sec.
Shrimps are dry food when dried.
Fourth course. Time. 10 min. 10 sec.,
with never a drop to drink between pints.
Fifth course. Time, q min. 2S sec. bow
thirsty they were.
And so it went on. Each course grew
longer and more agonizing. At the conclu-
sion OF the ninth course each contestant
carefully licked bis late clean and then
sank back ON the impromptu divan.
Every one of the seven sat down together.
There was no laggard. And the chances
are that had one brave soul arisen when
time was called for the tenth inning all the
others would have got up.
But they were stalled, every celestial son
of them. You could mob have crammed
another shrimp down one OF their threats
with 4 ramrod
Aside from Ling ii Lung the contestants
were All Hoo, Sen jung. All Lee Cow, You
Pan, Isl Eng and Jow Moy.
1t will be week before they eat again.
A good deal of money changed hands be-
cause Ling III Lung failed to win the con-
test. Odds were given freely on his ability
to eat more than any other Chinese in the
washhouse.
The bettors at first determined to wait to
see how many of the contestants should die.
II only Ling survived, they argued, he
would be the winner
But at dark none of the contestants were
dead and all of them had given unmistak-
able evidence of reviving consciousness A
bucket OF water was then placed before
them and the contest declared over
Before 10 O'Clock that bucket was empty
and seven Chinese were badly swollen.
Marchy is planning another surprise for
his friends on Washington's birthday.