The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1899-07-28
Jordan. McGrew. COffield and
Rumbley. on Their Way
Home in the Hospital
Ships.
Celebrating IN JAPAN
Jordan Writes an Interesting
Account of the Way the
Japs Helped Them Keep
the Fourth.
YOKOHAMA, Japan, July A, 80.

wearis0me, ana not yet half over.
left San Fernando May 30 and
June Is / was ordered on board the
hospital ship Relief. On the morn
ing OF June 2! the Relief weighed
anchor at $50 and started on our
homewatd trip. NcGrew, Tull,
Ballon, j. Shively, Werner and l of
our company are on board. Among
the officers are Capt. Clark of Law
renee, Capt. Watson of Girard and
1t Ball Of Ottawa. There are about
fifteen other Kansans on board this
boat Cofiield, umoley, Webber,
Knox, Meeks, Clapp and Scott of Co.
l are on board the Morgan City and
will have reached San Francisco by
the time this reaches you, and per-
haps before.
All the way we have followed the
little chain of islands, so we have
seen some very pretty shores every
day, arriving at Nagasaki in the after
noon of June 20. The way into the
harbor Is very winding, and the hills
rising abruptly from the waters edge
make excellent posts for guns to pro.
tect the harbOr against the most
formidable fleet. The hills are high
and steep and the village of 49, 900 is
among the hillsides, in all making q
very fine picture. 1t is surrounded
| by so many islands that there is no
communication except by boat and
cable. The town lie purely a trading
poiut and Goes a thriving business.
The buildings are almost as modern
as those In the United States and
very substantial. The streets are
narrow and horse is almost curl
osity.
AS we came insO the harbor the
Russian Ears were lined up on deck
while the band rendered the "Wssh-
ington Post" very creditsbly. The
three days we were visited by all the
Japsne-e and Russian physicians,
and other curiosity viewers, the
former making very close observa-
tions. Coaling vessel is quite a
sight, especially as the women and
children and few of tae men do the
work. Married women who have
babies to care for strap the youngsters
on their backs and go ahead. don't
know how they manage to eat their
dinner or when, for | never saw them
stop when noon came, but they live
on handful of rice and a little meat
each ay,-seldom ever eating bread;
in fact saw them throw good bread
and butter into the bay that we gave
them after eating our dinners.
At p. IN. June - we started for
this port, coming through the Inland
sea. We were in sight of land all the
way, and the scenery was very fine.
1t would seem that no farming could
be done on these steep, rocky hill
sides but farms are there, tea or rice
growing everywhere, and the vii.
lagos of farms dot the water line the
entire route. In the sea there are
many islands, some not as large as
forty acres, but there are one or two
farmers there just the same, and they
go to the village where some small
steamer visits to do their trading
travelling in row boat (some use a
sail that is go slow that an Ameri.
can couldn't get anywhere in a Gen.
fury. Besides the beautiful scenes
1t would certainly ne interesting to
visit those little villages on a steam.
er. The farming is done by oxen
where the hills are not too steep, q
crooked stick with several iron
prongs answering for a share make
the implement used to stir the ground;
in the very steep places the ground
l. spaded or hOed; and thus it gOes,
not very encouraging outlook for a
venturesome young American to seek
a fortune.
We reached the entrance to this
port on the morning of July ,, but
the Captain of the boat thought he
would come in by new route, and
ran onto sand bar where we were
held up for "a hours. a Norway ship
came along and offered to pull us off
for $500 but the captain thought GOO
was enough so the latter
terms were finally concluded; they
pulled, and after breaking "a u inch
wire cable gave it up IN disgust; that
night the Relief hoated off lat high
tide.)
Yokohama has pretty break water
harbor and the city of 100000 almost
forms semi-crcle around it, The
city is very beautiful and lie located
on nice slope. The buildings are
very modern, the residences of for
eigners being especially handsome;
plenty of shade, cool water, and a fine