Evening journal., 1893-05-03
CONSULAR LIFE IN CHINA
Forms of Animal Life That
Make Existence a Burden.
DR.. BBDLOB SAYS IT'S NO sNECURI

DR.. Bedloe, of Philadelphia, the Glover
Club wit aud American Consul to Annoy,
China, Explains why Things Are Not
as They Seem.
"Dr. Edward Bedloe, of Philadelphia,
the Clover Club wit who is now United
States Consul at Annoy, China, in hin
latest report to the Secretary of State
submits an inventory of the furniture
at the consulate, with some interesting
and Characteristic comments on life il
China and the effects of the insects upon
the government property, says the New
York Sun. The genial doctor apparently
imagines that his place is TO be given tc
one of 1.-THE original Cleveland men," Sc
he has cleaned up the consulate and
reported accordingly under date OF
March II. He writes
II have the honor to forward here
with an inventory of the property OF this
consulate belonging to the United States
Government. l am unable to state iti
present value on account Of the ravages
of the climate and of insect life. These
are so great that the only article in my
possession which l can pronounce un
damaged is the iron safe.
ITO an American, no matter how
philosophic, the conditions of life il
Annoy are exasperatingly novel. Almost
everv wood article is bound sooner ol
later to be devoured by white ants. Tn,
adult insect lays a million of eggs
which hatch and forthwith begin to bOr'
away from the light.
AS the grub perforates the surface o
the wood, it is as large as the point of
needle, so that the hole 1t makes is in
visible to the naked eye. 1t grow
rapidly and, by some strange chemistry
thrives upon dry wood, without an.
moisture except what it extracts o
absorbs from the atmosphere. 1t neve
stops work until it attains its full size
which is about FIVE times that of the gar
den ant at home.
"Then in large groups it bores outward
producing holes which vary in size an
shape from a circle a quarter inch il
diameter TO a seam six inches long A
it emerges it has wings, and behave
somewhat like bee in hiving season
By day it moves but little, but at dusk
starts for the nearest light.
"It is fascinated by the latter, exactl
as is a moth. 1t plunges into your lamp
by millions, and in a few minutes /
scorched and wingless. The nuisance !
so great that it stops dinners and force
people either to swelter in a close roor
or to sit in the dark. In two years hav
known over thirty dinner parties to b
broken up in this manner.
"On one occasion in this consulate tn
dead and the living ants filed ever
plate and glass and covered everythin
and everybody in the dining-room. Tn
next morning the servants swept on
more than two bushels of dead insect:
But to this trouble one gets used
"The wood from which they have cate
the interior is a mere honeycomt
breaking or collapsing without warning
Since l have been here the floor in M
office has been undermined in this wa,
and twice broke through under IN
weight 1.-THE doctor only weighs IL
pounds
Chairs, tables, boxes, bookcase, rack
doors, and windows have shared IL
same fate At the present moment
know that the ants are busy inside Of
dozen pieces Of furniture in the hous
ana l can do nothing but await the en'
For this reason l am unable to state IL
value or even the real condition of an,
thing wooden in the establishment
Minor evils are the cock roache
which fly in these latitudes and show
strong prediction for the finger mai
and toe nails of persons asleep, as well
for all kinds of book binding, leather goo
and old papers. There are too, ,several,val
eties of large spiders of ferocious aspeC
but peaceful disposition; red ants whi
fight and fear nothing, and four or fl
insects or microbes which burrow in
the skin and produce cutaneous troubl
resembling itch.
"The climate is unfavorable for t
preservation of anything. The mort
east monsoon is a perpetual gale, and
the southwest monsoon season we a
constantly visited by typhoons viii
are the cyclones of the far East
addition to the high winds is the atm,
pheric moisture, of which we have
parallel at home.
''At the damp season everything leal
The water condenses on the walls a
furniture and runs to the floor in riv
lets aud pools In cities like Hong Ko
architects Tut drying rooms in the nous