Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1900-09-21
CHINESE. BOAT BUILDERS.
Turn Out Ugly and UnwfeIdy Craft
with Flimsy Material, But
SeawOrthy.

The main features of Chinese ship
and boat building are the light. and
apparently frail, nature of the mate
rial with which vessels of every size
and shape are constructed; the clumsy
form given to his work by the celeS-
tial artificer, and the marvellous ease
and safety with which craft, both
large and small, ride out the toughest
weather on sea and river, says the
London Mail.
This last is no rash statement, the
writer well remembering witnessing.
when himself sailing the China sea in
the teeth of a typhoon, the total
wrecking of more than one European
vessel, while the junks, and even small
native boats within sight, simply
reefed or struck their mast sails, and
triumphantly passed with the British
ship Through the Ly-ee-moon pass.
into the sheltered harbor of Hong
Kong.
The reason for all this is not far to
seek. The beam of the junks is usual
ly broad; they sit upon the water
like fiat Moorish arch. Their sterns
are round, and by consequence, resist
i've of any tendency to take aback."
A peculiar and noticeable thing
about them is the Brobdingnagian
"eye" which glares out from each
side of the prov. This is an ancient
superstition.
The ships bamboo plankss if such a
term be allowable. are in many parts
put together with vegetable rope.
nails, 1 believe, being used only in the
hull proper. Right aft, a large cabin
&c tod tn inso
Here is enthroned the image of the
god of waters, before which the aro-
matte joss stick is forever burning.
The Chinese sailor is nothing if mt
slave to his faith in omens. and all
and sundry the supernatural beliefs
of his countrymen.
He is. when he likes, a fairly good
hand on board ship. but. being by ma
ture and edueatiye example a coward.
he more often than not seeks to save
his skin at the expense of his duty
There is very little differenceein form
and fitment between the war junk and
the commercial variety.
The weapons are not of theSesame
description as are those in the few
European-built steam warships DOS
sessed by the Chinese government Of
a long obsolete pattern. they are not
very formidable except to themselves
China has not assimilated western
| ideas with the eagerness and rapidity
OF the japanese. at any rate in the
| matter of naval progress, whatever
she may have done of late, as we are
| told. in the acquisition and mighty
laying-up of advanced types of land
armament.
Primitiveness is still writ large upon
her marine. warlike and domestic, and
although the present widespread rev.
| olution may tend to bring about a GER
tain Gilbertian 2topsy-turvydom," the
Chinaman may perhaps accomplish
that "upside-down," which in his nor
NAL position he has for centuries
failed to appreciate and even attempt.
The YangtseKiang river boats; the
quaint ''sampan," seen by the new
| arrival rocking on the gentle swell in
fHong-Kong bay; the barbaric COR,
Igeousness of the mandarin's barge
each and all are dear to the native
soul, and will be improved awayoofi1y
when improvement can no longer be
resisted That John Chinaman can
learn much of his western brother in
this connection is, of course, beyond
tquestion or argumnt, but that the oc-
cident may not find some thing interest
| ing and instructive in the methods of
the orient, as exemplified by its oldest
and vastest community, only the most
bigoted devotees of European civilfza-
ton will venture 70 deny.
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