The Topeka state journal., 1906-01-18
Editor Pays First Glass Rates
for Second Glass Fare.
Horrible Experience Across the
China Sea to Manila.
LOCATED IN 2ND CABIN
Cattle Penned Not Twenty Feet
From the Dining Room.
Wishes to Retract Anything
Mean Said Of Siberia.

Tuesday. Dec. 1.-The sFTean'' Is
great shock after the siberia" 1t
has lot of Chinese cattle forward,
penned in bamboo stalls, and these
cattle are not twenty feet from the
open windows 6 the dining saloon
When we arrived on board. we found
that our rooms were in the second
cabin, although we paid hrst-class
rates. There are seats for twenty pas
seneers in the dining room ans about
thirtg=six passengers, so there will be
q second table. The boat Is a twin
screw ship, about three hundred feet
long. and Is about as good as there is
in service between Hong Kong and
Manila.
If you ever visit Manila. go by one
of the liners which touch there; don't
forget this, or you viii have a horrible
experience between Hong Kong and
Manila. A few of the boats sailing
from San Francisco. Seattle and Vic
teria to the Orient 80 direct to. Manila.
from Nagasaki, and stop at Hong Kong
UTI.tkefr- return Take one or these.
boats, If you must go to Manila, for
everyone howls about the boats be-
tween Hong Kong and Manila. They
are small, dirty, and thoroughly un-
comfortable. The Team" has no stew
steward, and a filthy lot of Chinese
walters. In addition, the agents in
Hong Kong deliberately charged q lot
of US hrst-class fare for accommoda-
! tions in the second cabin, without any
hint of the confidence game they were
working. One of the men swindIed in
this way is an American doctor who
has lived in Manila six years. He was
accompanied by his wife and they
slept on deck most of the time. being
unable to stand the room. There were
two other men in my ROOM a captain
IN the marine service and q pay
master in the navy. Another victim
was conmandant Of the naval station
at sCavite, so that the ticket agents Of
the steamship company yictmized
whoever applied. In some of the
second class cabins were four Ameri-
can women who paid for first class
passage. They were permitted to eat
at the second table in the first cabin.
In the second abin-paying second
cabin rates=were several Chinese, and
two bare footed Spanish friars.
This is the sort of thing that goes
over here. Tourists are looked upon as
legitimate prey, and worked for all
they are worth. have never heard Of
such q thing elsewhere The second
cabin rooms are located aft, very near
the stern. and the passageway to the
dining room forward reminds me. OF a
passageway in the killing department.
of packing house, except that II IS
not so clean. I would have left the
ship ia disgust after looking 1t over,
but the tender had gone back to shore,
and I was in for 1t.
At o'clock, we got away. Fortu-
nately the sea was smooth: Rad the
wealth er been rough. some of the pas
sengers in the aft cabins would have
died of seasickness.
When I went to my room, and re
mem bered that I had paid high price
to be miserable, I thought of the good
| time" travellers are supposed to have.
When a soldier roughs it, he at least
has the comfort OF knowing that his
expenses are paid, and that he receives
/ S13 a month; he has the satisfaction of
realizing that he is a patriot, and that
1 when he returns home, at the end of
1 his enlistment, he viii probably be
/ nominated for county clerk, or county
/ treasurer, and elected by a rousing ma
1 iority; but I had nothing of this kind
to comfort me. I had paid a high
/ price to be miserable. I suppose
/ have as good a bed at home as any
! man in town; but you should have seen
/ my bed on the 'eTean.' The Chinese
/ walters wear white suits that have not
/ been washed in six months. On the
upper deck"the best deck-Chinese
! servants and sailors are constantly
] passing among the passengers, carry
/ ing filth Of every kind. The passengers
are very indignant, but their indigna-
! ton does them no good My room
mates have spoken their mind to the
/ captain. but he paid no attention to
/ them, except to say that the owners of
1 the boat are making 20 per cent on
I their Investment.