Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-05-11
TERN OF A BURMESE JUNK ON THE 1RRAwADDY RIVER

ish caravei, and the helmsman sits upon
sort of throne, where he ca noverlook
everything that goes on around him.
And there are a variety of floating things
For example. the pottery manufacturers in
the northern part of the country, like the
lumbermen, bring their wares to market by
making them up into RATS. AS you go up
or down the Irrawaddy river you can see
hundreds of them made by flashing big
earthen jars together which, of course.
float like buoys. They are often forty or
fifty feet long and twenty-five to thirty
five feet wide and may be made OF a thou
sand pots and jars. By spreading mating
them the boatmen get level and
comfortable deck, which they load with
smaller jars fore and aft, and thus are
able to carry many tons of pottery and
make it pay its own passage. In the CEN
ter of this novel craft they build a little
house of bamboo poles dashed together and
mating fastened on with strings, that
when they reach their destination and the
raft is broken up they can roll their build
ing material into compact package and
carry it home their backs
These RATS float down on the current as
sisted by long bamboo poles and are steered
with single oar at the stern.
Nearly all the teak timber is fioated down
the river in the same way, the logs being
hauled from the forest to the river banks
by elephants. Sometimes the teak RATS
are loaded with rice and other agricultural
tie profit for himself on the side. The oil
companies have tank steamers and barges
which they fill with crude petroleum from
stationary tanks near the wells. and trans
port 1t to refnerieS situated on the bank Of
the river just below Rangoon.
On River Steamer.
corporation known as the Irrawaddy
Flotilla Company has had a monopoly of
steam navigation in Burma since 1852, and
a. II, .$<
any company in the world. with a tonnage
! of more than 100000. The express steamers
for passenger service are as comfortable as
any one could WISH and even luxurious,
and if it were not for the mosquitoes you
could scarcely imagine more enjoyable eX-
perience than a voyage of two or three
weeks upon the rivers of Burma Our
steamer was the China, one of the best in
the service carrying about 200 tons of
cargo, 250 feet long, 30 feet beam, and
with fiat bottom, drawing only three feet
of water 1t has two great decks, all open,
so that there is plenty of air and light.
On the lower deck the engines, and the
freight, which, after the hold Is filled, is
placed in great piles from the bow to the
stern, and, when every inch of available
room is occupied, the captain picks up a
double-decked barge to tow, and loads that
also with merchandise.
The upper deck is arranged in two sec
lions. The bow is fitted up for frst-cla So
".
The rooms are large and have big windows
and plenty of hooks and lockers to stow
away your things Instead of a narrow
bunk. such as you usually find upon a
steamer, they give you a wide spring bed
with mosquito netting, more comfortable
than we have found anywhere in India or
this side of Shepherds Hotel at Cairo. The
remainder of the deck is dining ROOM sit
ting room. smoking room, drawing room,
music room all in one, and is Enclosed with
sliding glass windows so that the passen-
gers can have them open in pleasant wealth
er and closed when it rains and heavy
bamboo shades can be let down as a pro-
lection against the sun. There is piano.
billiard and png-pong tables. skittles and
plenty of easy chairs The cuisine is ex-
cellent, as good as you would expect to find
upon a first-class ocean steamer. Captain
Beckett is genial. jolly companion who de-
votes himself heartily to the entertainment
of his passengers when he ties up his boat
at shutdown. He sings ali sorts of songs
thinking of>some kindness and considering
how he can make the voyage more agree
able
Bazaar on the Upper Deck.
Two-thirds of the upper deck is given up
to natives who make 1t great bazaar and
hire space, SO much square foot, upon
| which they fit up little shop stocked with
a variety of merchandise, dry goods gro
| ceries grain, fruit, hardware, glass and
| earthen ware, drugs and patent medicines,
silk and cotton fabrics of all kinds, toys
| jewelry and religious articles; indeed
everything that anybody could want And
when this big floating bazaar ties up at a
| bank, as 1t does five or six times a day, to
| discharge and receive cargo, the people OF
| the village come crowding aboard to see
| and to buy and to gossip. Then when the
| whistle blows they rush down the gang
| plank carrying their purchases in packages
| poised on the tops of their heads. AS the
/ steamers run as regularly as railway trains
| and have fixed time tables that are known
| to the public, the population of the sur
/ rounding country flock to the landing places
| to do their shopping and the deck furnishes
| spirited scene Some of the traders make
| their homes on board and, indeed, the boats
are floating villages. The same custom pre-
/ walls on the west coast OF South America
l where the steamers stop at every port long