Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1898-07-23
The Chinese ia Manila.

IItt ftiINSt us
Boston Transcript: Forming as they
do a very large proportion of the popu-
lation, nearly equal to that of the ma
tives themselves, and having by their
industry and business ability sustained
the fame OF Manila as a commercial
port, they are n thorn in the sid of tina
Spanish mercantile class, aside FROM
the conventional dislike extended by
the latter toward all foreigners. Being
commercial by nature, and having real
lied the good policy of keeping their
word i'm business matters, in contrast
with the everlasting procrastinating
and "manana"-ing of the Spaniards,
they have built up a large business
with the English and American houses,
who infinitely prefer to deal with them
rather than the owners of the soil.
Their thrifty ways and tendency TO
save money and send it home to China
rather Than to spend it where they are
is another source of grievance to the
naughty "Espanoles."
Then their ability and willingness to
perform every kind of manual labor,
from carpentering, shoemaking, etc,
to coolie work, from morning to night
at the lowest of wages, is a cause OF en-
vious irritation to the indolent native
"Filipinos," and Il constant feud is
waged between the two races, which
has been handed down for generations.
In a street fight, however, ! have no
ticed that the Filipino" is very apt to
come out ahead, although many of the
coolies haze the most superb muscular
- 1nVrA. a..a.. aAna
Long ago, according to history, n
feet of Chimes iunks, under the famous
pirate chief, Ii Ma Hong, bore down on
Manila with the intention of capturing
il and its many treasures. The little
garrison in the fort defended it with "a
~gallantry such as Spaniards can and
will display when in desperation, and
Ii Ma Hong, possessing no petroleum
Shells and a storm coming up provi-
dentially. the fleet was ingloriously de-
feated. Some of the iunks went ashore
on the northern coast of the island,
and there is today Il curious race of so
called Chinese "Igorotes," or savages,
living in the Businesses of the mount
aims, and supposed to be the descend
ants of the shipwrecked pirates. n
certain day in January is the anniver-
sary of the fight and on that day hard
w a Chinaman in Manila dares show
himself out of doors, for every small
boy, native or Spaniard, feels in duty
bound TO "heave n rock" at him.
Whenever there is a big fire in the
town, it is always assumed that the
Chinese nave set il, and they are very
scarce in the streets while the confla-
grafton lasts, for tacit instructions
would seem to have been given on
these occasions to the effect that If
YOU see "A Chinaman hit him."
Early in the spring of 1893 the Span
iSh iron steamer San Juan sailed from
Hong Kong for Manila with a cargo
largely composed of kerosene, which
had been carefully slowed as near the
boilers as possible, and on deck, where
the some 300 Chinese coolies who com
posed the passenger list could sit on
the cases and knock the embers from
their pipes against them. 1t is not sur
prising that the ship took fire when
Just within sight of Luzon, and the
Spanish captain, with most Of his Off
GERS. promptly took to the boats and
pulled for the shore, leaving a raging,
frcnziCd mass of Chinese shrieking at
them from the doomed vessel. for no
provision is made On these steamers
for the safety of the coolies in ease OF
accident. In a few minutes the San
Juan was afire from stem to stern. Ms
many as could climbed the masts, only
to fall back sufrocated into the blazing
furnace below. Even the more merci.
full death of drowning was denied
them, Tor h sea was alive with
sharks, attracted by the glare, swarm
ing around the ship as mackerel swarm
around n bucketful of curry"
Thirty-siX hours later another
steamer sighted the wreck and bore
down to the rescue. Out of the orig
inal 800 some eighty wretched crea-
lures 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 red
hot in places, and the sharks leaping
at them. The rescuing boats had liter
ally to fight their way through the raw
enous brutes.
| saw the survivors as they were
landed, and n discouraged looking LOT
they were. The San Juan, an empty
scorched hull, was towed in and an
chored in the mouth of the river to
cool off until the 10000 Mexican dol
lars i'm her bottom could be dug out OF
the debris, a melted mass. And not an
expression of regret did / hear from
any of my Chino friends over the
disaster to their c~ountrymen. "Pah!
coolest" was all they said.
The sunfower is cultivated in many
European countries. In Russia the
.ooJe ~ norcbad and aafen EEa non