Little Falls herald. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1889-1950, 1898-06-10

CHIMES in NILLA.
THEY ARE INFLUENTIAL AND THERE
FORE DlsLlKED BY THE SPANISH. !
American and English Houses Prefer to
Deal With the Celestials Rather Than
With the Dons - Their Constant Feuds
With the Native .sFilipinos" Ia ~
Forming as they do q very large pro-
portion of the population, nearly equal
to that Of the natives themselves, and
having by their industry and business
ability sustained the fame Of Manila
as a commercial power, they are a thorn
in the side of the Spanish mercantile
class, aside from the conventional dis
like extended by the latter toward all
foreigners. Being commercial by nature
and having realized the good policy of
keeping their word in business matters,
in contrast with the everlasting pro
crastinating and 'nanana" ing Of the
Spaniards, they have built up large
business with the English and Ameri-
can houses, who infinitely prefer to deal
with them rather than with the owners
Of the soil. Their thrifty ways and tend
ency 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
cody work, from morning to night at
the lowest wages, is a cause of envious
irritation to the INDECENT native ''Fili-
pinos,' and constant feud is waged
between the two races, which has been
handed down for generations. In a
street fight, however, I have noticed
that the "Filipiuo'' is very apt to come
out ahead, although many of the coolies
have the most superb muscular develop
ment which have ever seen.
Long ago, according to history, feet
of Chinese junks, under the famous
pirate chief, Lii Ma Hong, bore down
on Manila with the intention of cap
turing it and it's many treasures. The
little garrison in the fort defended it
with a gallantry such as Spaniards can
and will display in desperation, and Ii
Ma Hong, possessing no petroleum
Shells and storm coming up provi-
dentially, the fleet was ingloriously de-
feated. Some Of the junks went ashore
Oh the northern coast Of the island, and
there is today curious race of SO called
Chinese "IgCrotes, or savages, living
in the fastnesscs of the mountains and
supposed to be the descendants Of the
shipwrecl1ed pirates. A certain day in
January is the anniversary Of the fight,
and on that day hardly Chinaman in
Manila dares to show himself out of
doors, for every small boy, native or
Spaniard, feels in duty bound to 'theave
a rock" at him.
Whenever there is a 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 confagra-
ton lasts, for tacit instructions would
seem to have been given on these occa-
sions to the effect that eff you see a
Chinaman, hit him.
Early in the spring Of 1898 the Span
ish iron steamer San Juan sailed from
Hongkong for Manila with a cargo
largely composed Of kerosene, which
had been carefully slowed as near the
boilers as possible, and on deck were
some 800 Chinese coolies, composing
the passenger list, who could sit on the
cases and knock embers from their pipes
against them. It is not surprising that
the ship took fire when just within
sight of Luzon, and the Spanish captain,
with most Of his officers, promptly took
to the boats and pulled for the shore,
leaving raging, frenzied mass of Chi.
nese shrieking at them from the doomed
vessel, for no provision is made on these
steamers for the safety Of the coolies in
case of accident. In a few minutes the
San Juan was afre from stem to stern.
AS many as could climbed the masts,
only to fall back srffocated into the
blazing furnace below. Even the more
merciful death Of drowning was denied
them, for the sea was alive with sharks,
attracted by the glare, swarimng around
the ship as mackerel swarm around a
bucketful of ''gurry."
Thirty -six hours later another steam.
er sighted the wreck and bore down tt
the rescue. Out of the original 800,
some 80 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. Thu
rescuing boats had literally to fight
their way through the ravenous brutes
I saw the survivors as they were
landed. ;.i,u discouraged locking lo
they were. lie San Juan, all empty,
scorched hull, was towed in and an
chored in the mouth Of the river to COO
off until the 10000 Mexican dollars il
her bottom could be dug out of the de-
bris, a melted mass. And not an expires
sion of regret did hear from any Of my
"Chino' friends over the disaster tx
their countrymen. s'Pah. cooliesi' wa,