The Norfolk weekly news-journal., 1904-01-22
GETS LETTER FROM JAPAN
]. A. Wanzer Writes Concern
ing His Experiences.
ESPECIALLY INTERESTING NOW

muCI W NUS Eo''S"''b'
The following Is n letter received |
by Miss Pearl Widaman of this city |
from j. A. Wanzer, who Is now In
Japan:
Nippon Yusen Kaisha, Dec, Dear
Pearl: As we still have several hours
here before sailing for Shanghai and
Il is too internally cold to enjoy your.
self on deck | know of no better way
TO improve the time than catching up
with my correspondence.
left Canton the last of october on
forty days leave headed for Japan to
try and recuperate from two months
siege of dysentery, and II nothing
happens to the good ship Tosa | will
be In Canton again the 10th of Decem.
ber. At Hong Kong | met gentle
man and his wife, named Gould, from
Detroit and have been with them ever
since, or rather until day before yes.
terday, the day left Kolee for here.
They sailed yesterday on the Ah
Maree for Seattle by way Of the
Great Circle and Alutian islands while
| go south for nearly 1000 miles.
I'll give you little sketch Of my
trip which will have to do for this
time as | haven't your last letter with
me to answer In detail. Your descrip-
ton of your trip to Colorado was fine
and thoroughly enjoyed. Come again,
left Canton on the Hanhow, a
night boat, and got into Hong Kong
about 2 a. m. AS the night was fine
| stayed up until we got into II. X,
as It is said of the Pearl river that no
where else in the world Is there as
much to see as from the deck of
steamer in the run of ninety miles
from Canton to Hong Kong,
We left II, X. at 4 p. m. on the sec
ond of November on the lyo Maree
and had fine weather all the way to
Shanghai. From the second day out
until we arrived opposite the Woo
Sung forts, distance of nearly 500
miles, we ran through water as yellow
as ochre, discolored by the mighty
Yangtse; .and after leaving Woo Sung
on our way across to Moyi the water
was discolored In the same manner
for one hundred miles at sea. To IL
lustrate the size of the river, as per
example we steamed through its mud
dy waters for nearly one entire day
without so much as catching glimpse
of land on either side.
p. m. Left the harbor two hours
ago and are pretty well out to sea at
this writing. have been watching
the steerage passengers tall Japs and
Chinese) at dinner. They fare pretty
well as n whole. having plenty of rice
and fish, which are their staple arti-
cles of diet, while their quarters are
neat and clean, each passenger having
n section some five by seven feet, COW
cred with several thicknesses of mat
ting, For exercise they have the en-.
tire saloon deck, which is more than
the cabin passengers have although
they may also use the saloon deck II
they wish.
AZ Shanghai we went through the
native city and also the foreign con
cessions, the latter being well built
up with wide streets flanked by good
substantial business houses. also
paid visit to the company who have
their head Office here. We left Shang
hal on the seventh at noon and got
into Moyi on the ninth about a. m
From Moyi to Kobe. a distance of SOC
miles or more, the n. Y. X. passen
gers have the option of going by raj
or continuing through the Inland sea
on the steamer. Mr.. and Mrs. Goult
and myself decided on the former ant
we were well repaid as the trip by
rail is one of the most picturesque
have ever made; the train following
the coast of the Inland sea nearly the
entire distance, being often within &
stones throw Of sailing vessels anC
steamers, passing through lovely little
villages, and again the ruins of som,
Shoguin castle or Buddhist temple
the approach being lined with gigan
tic pines and cryptomeria and the en-
trance spanned by colossal tiara O
wood or stone.
Getting into Kobe at dark we wen
TO the Oriental hotel, of which Kip
ling says "Those of you who wish t
slide through the world on sleek anC
contented stomach Il say go Il
the Oriental in Kobe"
From Kobe we went to Osaka ant
Kioto, the latter the capital of the em
pire for a thousand years up to 1856!
when it was changed to Toxic. A
Osaka we passed the imperial trail
containing the emperor who was OF
his way to Himeji to review $1,000
troops. We only caught a glimpse o
H. H. however. The most interesting
feature however was the crowds o
school children, soldiers and civilians
we passed at every station for severa
hours before meeting the imperia
train. In most of the places, especi
ally where our train ran through with
out stopping, we were often mistaken
for the imperial train and such a wav
ing of flags and mastering of troops
III