Mexico weekly ledger., 1897-07-01
From Mexico to the Orient.
AN AUDRAIN MANS ACCOUNT OF
HIS RECENT TRIP TO
CHINA.
W. K. Roberts Writes Entertainingly
of the Many Sights to be Seen
in the Flowery Kingdom.
Correspondence Of the Ledger.

Correspondence of the Ledger.
CHUNG KING, CHINA, May 8, 1897
Perhaps few remarks on my recent
journey from Mexico to central China
will be of interest to readers of the
LEDGER. 1 left Mexico on February
18th last and arrived at San Francisco
February 21st. At Frisco I merely
took time to look upa few friends and
acqualntances of former days and to
visit some of my old haunts at Golden
Gate Park and the Presidio, then on
February 23d embarked on the 8. s.
"Doric" for the Orient. Boisterous
winds beset us on the trip across the
Pacific, but our good ship weathered
it through and on March 18th found
myself viewing the splendid scenery
of the Japanese coast. The volcano
on Oshima island was in a very active
state and huge volumes of white
smoke were rolling upward from its
crater. The great peak, Fujiyama,
looked grand and picturesque with
covering of snow that glistened in the
light of the morning sun. Our ship
called at Yokohama, Kobe and Naga-
saki and passengers had ample time
to take in the sights of these cities of
the Mikado's realm. On March Goth
landed in Shanghai, China, and week
later left for Hankow by the Yangtze
river steamer, "Suiwo." The Yangtze
Kiang is not remarkable for fine
scenery between Shanghai and Han
kow, though there is some hill coun-
try in the vicinity of Nanking and
Poyang lake that would delight a
landscape artist. On April 1st l left
Hankow for Ichang by the 8. 8.
sKweilee." Between these two cities
the country is agreeablysvaried from
ranges of high and picturesque hills to
stretches of many miles of low land.
The new visitor to China will find
himself interested In the queer look
ing country people riding buffaloes or
driving these stupid animals harness
ed to antiquated wooden wheeled
wagons. There Is also some diversion
in lodging the brick bats and other
rubbish that the natives occasionally
hurl on deck at the Objectionable
"foreign devil" On April 7th sailed
from Ichang by kwatzu passenger
junk) for Chang King. Having been
over many rivers and seas since / first
wandered away from old Missouri,
some seventeen years ago, have had
experience with great variety OF
methods of navigation, but my trip in
the kwatzu developed novelties that ]
had never dreamed of. The Yangtze,
from Ichang westward, becomes a
very swift and turbulent stream that
as yet no steam vessel has attempted
to navigate. Hence, when beyond
Ichang, all trace of western methods
of navigation are lost sight of and the
mode of travel becomes purely Chi
nese. Sails and oars not being suffi-
cient to stem the strong current, ,bam-
boo tracking ropes are brought into
use, by which gangs of coolies on the
river banks haul the vessel along
The average kwatzu has three rooms
for the use of passengers, the walls oi
which are usually decorated with pic
lures of the good old times when
sages and ideal rulers abounded ir
China and hideous dragons were much
in evidence. AS preliminary tt
starting from Ichang found it neces'
sary to exchange about fifty dollarl
for copper cash for expenses on tht
trip-foreign money not being in use
away from the treaty ports. This fift,
dollars amounted to about sixty thous
and cash in strings of one Thousand
each. 1t took about three hours Il
have the cash counted and strung TO-
me at a native bank, and my mex
difficulty was to get them into m.
boat. 1 finally obtained two larg
baskets, put the cash into them an,
hired half a dozen coolies to carr.
them. OF course there was no dis
guising what the baskets contained
J and the thoughts of my boat crey
seemed to be continually upon them
: for they never lost an opportunity o
trying to fleece me of the almight.
coppers. When everything was il
readiness for the journey my lao ba
! (captain) had rooster beheaded an
its blood sprinkled on the junk's bo,
and over my cabin door, this bein
necessary to secure good luck on tn
: voyage.
The distance from Ichang to Chun
King is about 400 miles by river an
the country traversed is very rugge
and mountainous, For the most par
the mountains are too rocky and pre-
cipitous to afford much cultivable lant
but occasionally there are ranges G
low, rounded hills that are terrace
from bottom to top with fields q
wheat, peas and the opium poppy
!. These field d-terraced hills are inter
spersed with groves of cedar, bamboo
Il mulberry, etc., which, all together
affords scenery that rivals the moi
picturesque of Japan. There are man
fantastic temples, pagodas and shrine
to be seen along the river, also an oe
casional image of some Chinese deit!
Among the more noteworthy image
, are the Sui fu san kwan (keepers {
/ the waters) near Shou jen, Han gun
4 and Han po, opposite the town of 81
. Jato, ,and Tab pu So, near Ching Kuni
a These images are set In conspicuoI
r places In the cliffs on the river bani
Q and are objects Of veneration to tt
J natives. There are several mountain
= hemmed gorges with tremendous hie
!. over-hanging cliffs, where the ma
d rowed waters rush by at terrific rat
. Then there are falls and rapids tn
:. when fellows boat is being hauls
over them fairly makes his hair star
on end. When a rope breaks al
? your boat goes whirling down strea
I with many risks Of crashing into son
: other vessel or going to wreck Al
ruin on one of the numerous jagg'
reefs or boulders that line the riv
!. the sensation is most thrilling. r