The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1896-12-13
AMONG OPIUM SMOKERS.
Odd Scenes In the Chinese Quarter
of London


Through absolute darkness, where we
blindly followed the swinging light
! ahead, between rows of native huts
says the London Globe. the caves OF
which on either side almost overlapped
so closely We're they packed. TO a miser-
able den where some habituaI smoker
was easily distinguished, gaunt and hol-
low checked. Our entrance seemed to
cause no surprise. Perhaps a Istless
glance would be thrown in our direction.
but what a change when a pipe was
ready and handed ID a smOkeri There
was something terrible in the IagernesS
with which they inhaled the smoke It
Is tedious process. Each pipe holds
but drop of opium. which. when pre-
pared. is in a soft, stick. state This,
neld on the point of a wire over a fame
GntI e Swells to several times its nat
ural size and takes light, is pushed into
the little clay bowl, which. with a
straight stem OF bamboo. forms the pine.
Three or four powerful draws exhaust
the charge. The seasoned smoker Will
smoke several of these pipes before he
falls asleep. Having seen how it was
used, 1t was interesting to come on one
OF the chops where the prepared opium
Is sold. 1t was the property of some
very amusing and friendly Cinnamon.
Possibly the friendly spirit they showed
was aroused somewhat by seeing with
whom We were.
Evidently the customers of whom
distrust, as they were only admitted 10
a cage-like iEclOSure in front OF the
counter, from which there ran up to the
ceiling stout wooden bars. These people
buy the pure opium at the government
auctions. and then prepare and retail il
10 their emaciated customers. to whom,
needless to say, no credit is given The
worst feature of the habit is that the
victim viii stop at nothing which may
enable him to get the drug. Evidently
we were in the Chinese quarter of the
town, for We were taken on through
many turnings of squalid streets 70 where
some of these lovers of roast pig were
gambling Our arrival seemed 10 alarm
some o. them-probably new hands-whO
thought they were doing something very
wicked. whereas the habitues knew that
this mild form of bettinS-the stakes
were very small-waS wtnked at by the
authorities. Their chief game was eX-
traordinary fer the remarkable ski
shown by the crouper. 4 number OF COW
ries were thrown on the table, perhaps
a couple of hundred or SO. and partly
hidden by an inverted saucer being
placed over as many as 1t might cover,
that one might have as little idea or the
actual number as possible The shells
were then rapidly raked away IN lots or
three and the players bet whether three,
two or one would be left When perhaps
half the number had been removed in
this manner, the saucer is lifted to get
at the rest. Strange as it may seem. the
moment this IS done, although there
might still be a large number Of cow
ries left. both around and under where
the saucer had been, the bank al once
stated what number would remain. and
actually began 10 pay winners OF course
the raking was not interrupted, and we
could thus see if the bank were correct.
b=t in the four games We watched they
were never wrong. Practice must nave
Given them q sixth sense 1t was not
canOr