The National tribune., 1895-08-15
OFF FOR CHINA.
Scenes ut the San Francisco Dock.
Hnrp,r,s Ws,H,f

Not least interesting among the many
tourists sights of San Francisco Is the sail
| ing Of one Of the great Pacific mail-steam-
ships for China and Japan. Three o'clock
D. m. is the announced time OF departure,
| but for hours previous the huge shed cover
| ing the Brannan street wharf is tbronged
with q motley crowd of humanity such as
can be gathered in no other city. Most
prominent, because most numerous, are the
blue bloused Chinese laborers, hundreds OF
whom, having accumulated a competence
| 5000 or thereabout-in laundries fruit Or
chsrds, or hop-felds, in placer mining, the
building of railroads, or the digging of weary
miles of irrigating bitches, return to their
native land by every steamer.
| Their queer-looking luggage, packed in
| tea-chests mating, oiled-cloth, or shiny
black bags, to which are generally attached
one or more pieces Of tin kitchen-ware that
John carries home as souvenirs of America,
| is taken from them as they near the gang
way, and slid down n long plank into n
| yawning opening in the steamers side. AS
| the bewildered owners anxi0usy watch it
disappear, or perhaps make futile attempts
to follow it, they are roughly showed aside,
| and soon find themselves irresistibly drawn
into a slow-moving, perspiring stream of
| t!ISit lcisOWSf VIM pciuk au-
sorhed into series of rallied Enclosures re-
semhing sheep-pens. Each OF these con-
| tains table, at which are seated men of ju-
dicial aspect provided with blank-books and
papers printed in both English and Chinese
characters. number of these men are
Chinese representatives of the Six Com
panies, who are on hand to see that the
wouId-be traveller does not leave the coun-
try without having paid the various assess
ments to which he is liable, "a we'll as all
debts owed to his llow-cOuntrymen.
Long ere this, John has accumulated from
one source or another, great number of
papers, protective and restrictive, perhaps
certificates OF baptism, marriage, vaccination,
and moral character, or their Chinese equiva-
Tents, and at the various tables one or more
of these are demanded for inspection. In
each case the bewildered victim of red-tape
hands over the lot, as much as to say: There
| they are, gentlemen; take your choice. It's
all one to me-" The pens are connected by
little alleys, barely wide enough for one
person to pass through at a time, and after
being hustled through succession of these,
John finally reaches the most august tri-
| bunal of all, two white men in blue uni
forms and brass buttons, who, with their
official interpreter, represent The United
States Government. To these potentates
the suspected individual-for all Cinnamon
| are suspected of something-mases hum
BILE surrender of his entire stock of docu-
ments, all of which save one are scornfully
ignored. By this one he is either proved to
have legal existence or not 10 be himself
at all {; for, besides attached photograph,
which rarely looks the least like him, il
contains n minute description of his personal
appearance. This is slowly read, item by
item, while its corresponding features are
identified by observation.
At length the hour for sailing arrives, and
with it comes the concluding ceremony of
departure. All the Chinese on the wharf,
always including a number Of bareheaded
women with hair drawn smoothly down
over temple and ears. gather at its outer
end. From here, as the bow of the great
ship moves slowly past, they toss into the
air quantities of thin brown paper, cut into
three-inch squares, and each bearing CEN
trail square of gold or silver tinsel. From
the ships deck the departing Chinese voy
ayers also scatter to the winds bushels of
these money symbols, until the vessel is
wellnigh hidden from view by the flutter-
ing, gIinting cloud. These offerings are
propitiatory of the Storm Devil, and it is
hoped they will purchase from him safe
passage over his ocean domain.