The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1903-03-22
The REAL JOHN CHlNAMAN
THE CELESTIAL Is A SAVING SOUL
WITH FUNNY QUALITIES.
On Many Things He Can Give Amer
leans Lessons-Preparing Food
I'm San Francisco.

returned from a trip TO the Pacific coast.
They know how TO make the most OF the
worlds products and they understand how
TO utilize every inch of ground they own.
They burrow under the earth like ground
squirrels and they make the roofs of their
houses answer some good purpose besides
protecting the people underneath them from
inclement weather. / have been in San
Francisco several times but never until
last month have 1 felt that / really knew
anything about that wonderfully interest,"
ing Observation-Disclosures. To become at
all familiar with the lives OF the thousands
of Mongolians in the Pacific metropolis one
must visit their housetops. strange as that
may seem. Ii isn't the easiest thing in the
world to gain access to these upper regions
of the Chinese settlement, and few tour
lists visiting San Francisco ever see any
thing of this interesting side OF Chinese life
in America. You hear travellers constant
ly telling about the underground lodgings
and opium dens in 'Frisco's Chinatown,
but you never hear anything about the
Chinese house tops. where one may see a
great deal more of the actual life OF this
mysterious people.
THE tourist who is lucky enough TO get
hold Of a native guide that happens to be
popular among his fellow-countrymen, and
who. in consequence, is allowed the priv
ileges that others could nos enjoy should
by all means give his attention to the
housetops rather than to the places under
ground. L made tour of the roofs In
Chinatown just before leaving the coast to
return East and was astonished at all that
l saw / began my unique excursion by
ascending to the roof of an old four-story
building which was erected in the early
days of San Francisco and which is now
used By the Chinese lodging house. A
bright little Chinaman acted as my guide.
He wasn't a professional guide, thank
goodness. The Chinese making a business
of accompanying sightseers through China
town never take their patrons out of a
certain beaten track. I've been in the
hands Of these professional fellows more
than once and never saw much Of anything
that the casual stroller might not have
witnessed without aid in a walk about the
streets and alleys of the settlement.
ON THE HoUsEToPs.
From the roof of the old structure q
brief inspection showed me that the maze
of housetops all about me was swarming
with life that was as active and only a
little less populcus than that which whirled
through the busy streets below. All of the
space of Chinatown is incumbered with
buildings rising to a height of several
stories, and thus 1t comes about that the
roof is the only open-air nursery possible
to the rich and poor among the Chinese
of the city-the only garden. and the only
chance for working in the sunshine and
pure air. You hear considerable about the
Chinese race being degraded. but let me tell
you that there is no greater lover of beauty
and no truer worshiper of nature than
the Chinaman. One OF the things that i'm
pressed me most In gazing at those house,
tops was the innumerable boxes and Jars
of green plants and beautiful flowers care
fully nursed and fondly protected by their
owners, Frightening the dingy places with
their radiance and doing much toward puri-
flying atmosphere that was not bIest
with the most celebrating scents
Little children were to be seen running
and playing on the roofs. while their quaint
little mothers. In roomy blouses and panta-
looms. were busily preparing some outland-
ish and ill-smelling dishes over open braz-
iers such as are popular among all Orien-
tails. Here and there on one OF the house
tops the family wash strung on ropes from
one end of the roof 20 the other and ele-
waited to a height OF four or five feet
above the heads of the occupants. was dry
ing in the fresh winds that swept over
the city from the sea. Near by. down be-
low me. was Fish alley, known to every
body who has ever been In San Francisco an
one of the most interesting sights TO be seen
In all the city. The roofs OF the buildings
along the little thoroughfare, where fish
are sold by almond-eyed dealers. are the
centerss OF the fish-drying industry among
the Chinese. Every nook and Granny OF
the house tops on either side Of this mar
row little street are utilized for purposes
connected with the trade. The fish are
carried to the house tops In large baskets
and spread upon drying frames of ban-
boo. 1t takes from six to ten days to COM
plete the curing. Most Of the dried product
goes to the Hawaiian Islands. although q
goodly share Of It is shipped to the various
Chinese settlements In the interior OF Cali
ifornia.
1.-THE market value Of the PREPARED food.
which Is a favorite food among the Nom
golians. varies from s to 10 cents a pound.
and the curing industry is very important
one. both by reason Of giving occupation to
so many men and as to its results. 1t a. es-
timated that at all times OF the year there
are about half a million fish spread out on
the roofs of San Francisco's Chinatown.
As this commercial product is designed only
for consumption by the Chinese, no secret
is made Of the fact that the marketmen.
who have fish on the point OF decay. find
an established market among the Mon
golians. who have no objection whatever
to eating these spoiled fish after they are
well dried. Pork and sausage are also ex-
posed to the suns rays on the housetops,
and the parts of other animals and poultry
which white people do not care 10 consider
as edible are converted by the less partic-
ular Cinnamon into what they regard as
savory dishes by the magic OF evaporation.
POULTRY ON HAND.
Even at those times OF the year when
poultry is a scarce article IN the Cali
fornia market the Chinese always have a
stock of chickens and ducks on hand for
their own dining tables. which Is easily ex-
planned by the fact that a poultry indus
try Of considerable extent is being continu-
ally conducted up there on the roofs where
the white people seldom see what's going
on. The chickens and ducks are regularly
Matched out and they seem TO thrive like
sea gulls. for some reason or other. It's
funny when you come to think of II, but
it's fact beyond dispute that a China
man always has the most wonderful luck
In raising poultry without seeming 10 con-