The Oskaloosa herald., 1904-06-30
JOHN A. KALBACH
TELLS OF JAPAN
AN INTERESTING LETTER FROM
THE ORIENT.
CHINA AND THE PHILIPPINES
Beinq Under Quarantine For Ter
Days, Mr.. KsIbaeh Improves the
Time BY Writing to Friends
Through the Herald.

Here we are, good and fast, having
reached this pert the evening OF May
81. We we're boarded by the health
officials as soon as we arrived of this
port and then inspected. One OF the
Chinese passengers was found to be
quite i'll and later on it was decided
that he had the plague. That settled
it SO far as landing was concerned,
but what was to follow we could not
find out. The captain looked serious,
as also did those more familiar with
such matters than we. That night
the Chinaman died and the next
morning we were told that the ship
\ and its passengers and crew would
%haye to undergo disinfection, also be
npder strict quarantine regulations
foN at least ten days. None were al
lowed on or off the ship and during
thd day the cabin passengers were
takAn over to the station in squads OF
abdit twenty-five and they and their
clothing disinfected. The Chinese
crew and passengers, together with
all their belongings, were also taken
ashore and even more thoroughly
treated. The buildings and grounds
were clean and suitable for the pur-
pose-the officials polite, and when
it was over we were handed tea, cake
and cigars and the passengers came
back to ship in splendid good humor.
Crossing the Pacific.
With nothing to do, obliged to re-
main on ship for the next ten days,
(let us hope no longer) | thought per-
haps an account of our travels in this
PARKWAY part Of the world might be or
interest to some of our many friends
who are readers of the Herald. We
left San Francisco April 2, on the
good ship "Coptic," and after a pleas
ant voyage of six days arrived at Hon
olulu. We spent one day ashore and
having the use of carriage, we
were enabled to see most of that OF
interest in and about the city. The
day was very warm, the trees and
vegetation quite tropical, many fine
buildings, mostly built since the
American occupation. We left Hon
-alulu April 3 and nrr long 4yoyags to
Yokohama was without special incl
dent except the death of two of the
Chinese steerage, of which there were
several hundred on board. Our pas
senger list includes missionaries, tea
merchants, tourists, young men going
out to the Philippines as teachers ana
civil service employees, and a few
army men, etc. BY this time all had
become more or less acquainted with
each other and as the captain and of.
fcers are genial, the table all that
could be desired, the service good
and everything about the ship clean
as a ribbon, all combined were such
as to make this long voyage enjoy
able.
In Sight of Japan.
About p. m, April 20, the beauti
full shore lines of Japan came into
view. The hill sides were terraceo
and showed high state of cultiva
ton. Later on a small steamer pilot
ed us in so as to avoid torpedoes and
mines that had been placed in the
waters. We passed many ships as
we slowly steamed up into the harbor
and when we anchored, quarantine
men came aboard and we were all
lined up for inspection. All were
anxious for war news and the little
that was soon posted was eagerly
read. The city and shipping with
the numerous electric lights showed
up beautifully from the ship. The
next morning went ashore and soon
engaged jinrikashas for tour of
Yokohama. 1t proved a strange ex.
perience. | had formed an idea OF
what we were to see, based on what
/ had heard and read, but the happy,
contented look of the people, the
strange dress, the work being done in
the shops, the many women and chill
dren in the streets, the colored Ian
terms, the suspended signs, the BAN
J ners, the tea gardens, the cherry
blossoms, the hundreds of 'rikshas
with stout-limbed black and bare
headed men in the shafts, hurrying
to and fro, the strange foliage,-all
combined was such as to make this,
our nrst day IN Japan, one long to be
remembered.
Touring the Island Empire.
On April % our ship started on our
voyage through the great inland sea
Of Japan, stopping at Kobe and Maya.
saka, at each of which places we went
ashore. This inland sea trip is one,
once taken never to be forgotten, for
its beautiful waters and shore lines,
the hundreds Of water craft of all
sizes and queer shapes and rigging,
the terraced hill-sides, every spot
suitable for cultivation, at this time
OF the year ripening for the harvest,
such small patches OF this and that
kind of grain in irregular shapes con-
forming to the lay Of the uneven sur
face, making the distant hillsides look
like great hit and miss patch quilt.
Women Coal Heavers.
AT Nagasaki one of the sights is
the coaling of vessels. To our ship
E 1. ~. ~ :