Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1899-11-23
U. S. Battleship Oregon,


The good old ship, after being out of
dock for thirteen months, with her bot
tom covered with barnacles, and even,
large oysters, was still able to steam a
good pace. About 400 tons of ammuni-
ton was removed from the magazine
and about the same number of tons
OF coal We're put into the bunllers, and
on the 18th we sailed for Hong Kong.
The weather was ble-they say
the China sea is always rough. We
caught the tail end of typhoon. The
seas We're running from east to west,
and as our course lay to the northward
weiwere constantly in the trough of the
sea. She did some tall rolling, but
that was all. She arrived off Victoria
Point light yesterday morning, aver
,agin" over ten knots for the entire
voyage. ~
A narrow entrance leads you between
the high hills. Ten miles up winding
river and you find yourself at Victoria,
popuiarly known as Hong Kong. A
most attractive city nestled at the foot
of Victoria Peak. The atmosphere is
cool and bracing, while the sight of an
English city, with sanitary conditions,
after our stay in the Philippines, did
our hearts good. AS soon as we drop
ped anchor the ship was surrounded by
some contrados, bum boats, wash wom-
en-, and hawkers of every description.
/ have always heard that the gentler
sex was much despised in the Orient,
but must say that was shocked to be-
hold the manner in which the women
and children Were treated. Every sam
poon and junk was propelled by wom-
en- or little girls. Poor old toothless
women We're tngging at the cars or
tending the tiller, and some of them
had babies strapped 10 their backs,
|squaw fashion. The men We're most in.
|yariably attired in silk clothing and
squatted about in small houses over
compartments, smoking and having Il
good time generally. Truly, Susan B.
Anthony would have had a splendid
field to work in here.
How long do you suppose such con-
ditions would exist under American
rule? Yet this is successful coloniza-
tion. Next week we, that is party of
US, are going to Canton, We will take
"a letter to the American minister.and
he will secure reliable guard. an
ticipate an interesting trip, especially
through the Sampan district of Canton,
where 100000 people live on the water
in all manner of small craft.
Then the great prison, joss houses,
opium joints. gambling hells, etc, win
be of interest. We are to go into The
dock Kow Loo, which is on the main
land of China. The dock is English
property. was disappointed in three
gnnboats, the Isla de Cuba, Isla de
Luzon and Don Juan de Austria, that
were raised by Constructor Hobson ut
Cavite, Philippine islands. They will
make q fair addition to the mosquito
fleet, but they are hardly large enough
to be added to our new feet.
will write to you when I return.
from Canton. Herman Kehm,
U. S. Battleship Oregon.
Kowloon, China.
Later.
Dear Courier-We have found so
much of interest in Hong Kong and
kowloon that the Canton expedition
has been put off until another time. I
have been ashore great deal of the
time since we came north and now
when l am aboard the ship with noisy
crowd of Chinese about find ii almost
impossible to write. No one but Chi
nese are permitted to work on the
ship while she is in the dry dock of the
Honk Kong Whampor Docking COM
pany. You will find the filthy pig
tails from the double bottom to the
fighting top, Talk about cheap labor!
Why these people are employed by
droves. They receive-that is, common
laborers-20 cents Mexican money,
equal to about 10 cents in gold, for a
days work. The poor, miserable
wretches stand about the dock yard
gates by the hundreds. and when Chi
nsse boss appears with 4 stack of tin
chips, each chip permitting the holder
to work one-half day, the poor crea-
lures go fairly mad in their anxiety
to secure the miserable pittance. 1t
becomes necessary for the dock com
pany's guard to use force with them,
and the large siN-foot India men wade
into the center of the rush and beat
the Chinese over their heads with large
bamboo sticks. Even these severe mea-
sures will not check them, and they
will plead ard beg for the privilege
of earning few pennies until the man
with the chips has disappeared, or I'M
til they are kicked and dragged away
from the gate.
During the meal, hour, some three
thousand Chinese pass ont through the
gate. each one OF them being thorough
|ly searched, and without the slightest
provocation they are kicked and cuffetl
about like dogs. And this is what they
tell me is successful colonization. The
English say that the Chinese must be
treated thus. They quote the old max
i'm, .Give him an inch and he will take
a mile That may be true enough,
but let us hope and pray that the
American people will never be guilty
of that kind of colonization. Notwith-
standing the two score years Of the