Republican news item. [volume] (Laport, Pa.) 1896-19??, 1898-06-30
THE CHINESE In MANILA
THEY ARE INFLUENTIAL AND THERE.
FORE DiSLIkED.


Chinese who Have Become savages.
Forming as they do o very large
proportion of the population, nearly
equal to that of the natives them.
selves, and, having by their industry
and business ability sustained the
lame of Manila as a commercial port,
the Chinese are thorn in the side OF
:he Spanish mercantile class, aside
rom the conventional dislike extended
oy the latter toward all foreigners.
Being commercial by nature, and hav.
ting realized the good policy of keep.
ing their word in business matters, in
contrast with the everlasting procras.
;inating and 'manana"-ing of the
5paniards, they have built up large
business with the English and Ameri-
IAN houses, in the Philippines who
infinitely prefer to deal with them
,ather than with the owners of the
,oil. Their thrifty ways and tend
sncy to save money and send it home
TO China rather than to spend it where
they are is another source of griev-
ance to the naughty "Espanoles.
Then their ability and willingness
20 perform every kind Of manual
abor, from carpentering, shoemaking.
stc., to coolie work, from morning to
aight at the lowest of wages, is
cause of envious irritation to the in
aolent native "Filipinos," and con-
slant feud is waged between the two
races, which has been handed down
ior generations. In street fight,
however, 1 have noticed that the
"Filipino" is very apt to come out
ahead, although many of the coolies
lave the most superb muscular devel-
nent hich / have ever seen.
Long ago, according to history,
deet of Chinese junks, under the fa-
nous pirate chief Lii Ma Hong, bore
down on Manila with the intention of
capturing it and its many treasures.
The little garrison in the fort defended
It with gallantry such as Spaniards
,an and will display when in despera-
non, and Lii Ma Hong, possessing no
petroleum Shells" and storm COM
ing up providentially, the feet was in
gloriously defeated. Some of the
junks went ashore on the northern
coast of the island, aud there is today
curious race of so-called Chinese
'Igorotes," or savages, living i'll
the Businesses of the mountains,
and supposed to be the descendants
Of the shipwrecked pirates. A certain
day in January is the anniversary of
the fight, and on that day hardly
Chinaman in Manila dares show him
self out of doors, for every small boy,
native or Spaniard, feels in duty bound
to ''heave rock" at him.
Whenever there is big fire in the
town, it is always assumed that the
Chinese have set it, and they are very
scarce in the streets while the con tia-
grafton lasts, for tacit instructions
would seem to have been given on
these occasions to the effect that ''if
you see Chinaman hit him."
Early in the spring of 1898 the
Spanish iron steamer San Juan sailed
from Hong Kong for Manila with
cargo largely composed of Kerosene,
which had been carefully slowed as
near the boilers as possible, and on
deck, where the some three hundred
Chinese coolies who composed the
passenger list could sit on the cases
and knock the embers from their pipes
against them. 1t is not surprising
that the ship took fire when Just
within sight of Luzon, and the Span
lsh captain, with most of his officers,
promptly took to the boats and pulled
Tor the shore, leaving raging, fren-
lied mass of Chinese shrieking at them
from the doomed vessel, for no pro-
vision is made on these steamers for
the safety of the coolies in case of
accident. In few minutes the San
Juan was afre from stem to stern. AS
many as could climbed the masts, only
to fall back suffocated into the blaz-
ing furnace below. Even the more
merciful death of drowning was de-
MED them, for the sea was alive with
sharks, attracted by the glare, swarm
ing around the ship as mackerel swarm
around bucketful of curry"
Thirty-six hours later another
steamer sighted the wreck and bore
down to the rescue. Out of the
VI Is AhuA VII GO SOuc clRuty
wretched creatures were found alive,
clinging to the big gangway which
hung over the side and to the stern
davits and boat tackle, with the iron
hull of the steamer redhot in places,
and the sharks leaping at them. The
rescuing boats had literally to fight
their way through the ravenous brutes.
l saw the survivors as they were
landed. and discouraged looking lot
they were. The Sar Juan, an empty,
scorched hull, was towed in and an
chored in the mouth of the river to
cool off until the seventy thousand
Mexican dollars in her bottom could
be dug out of the debris, melted
mass. And not an expression of regret
did I hear from any of my "Chino"
friends over the disaster to their coun-
trymen. 'Pah! COOLEST" was all they
said.
The Most Antique Military Order.