The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1907-02-24
PASSING OF NEW
YORK'S CHINATOWN
Quarter to Be Wiped Out to
Make Way for a Park
A PLACE OF MYSTERIES
The Visitors Never See the Real China
town, With Its Hideous Vices.
He Sees Only the
Show place.
A PLACE OF MYSTERIES

New York February 2S-Cinatown,
one of New Yorks greatest show places,
Is doomed. 1t is to be wiped from the
map to make way for a park. Already
the strange inhabitants of this strange
quarter, which comprises about one and
one half acres, are scattering and with
in a few years the place with its temple
gongs and drums, sitting incense its
theatres with plays that seem never TO
end the shops, its restaurants adorned
by many colored' lanterns and its shock
ing dens of vice viii be but a memory.
Every visitor to New York has heard
of the Bowery and Pell and Doyers and
Matt streets. Since automobiles came in
fashion three or four companies have
found it profitable to run big sightseeing
cars which came to he known as rub
berneck' wagons. through the quarter.
The fee is 81 a head for the ride, admis-
sion to the joss house and the dirty lit
lie old theatre with its oddly painted
actors who humble and gurgle and
groan to an audience night after night
that sits stolid and smokes the ranllest of
rank cigars. New Yorl6s Chinatown has
always ranked next to San Francsco's
enee between the external Chinatown and
the hidden Chinatown must be borne in
mind The earthquake brought to light
the secrets of the Oriental quarter i'm the
western city. The upheaval of the earth
uncovered the secret doors and passages
by means of which the Cinnamon hid
themselves and their victims and lead
the police on futile manllunts through tun-
nels from house to house. 1t is believed
that when the contractors begin ra2ing
the rookeries of New York's Chinatown
similar conditions Will be found to ex-
list.
The public never sees the real China
town where. even the police admit, vice
fourishes. The public sees the show place
the fake dens prepared for visitors. The
unsuspecting visitor for a fee of 81 may
see dope joint. He will be ushered
into a sitting room where a lot of sal
cooking pills and smoking but they
are not really smoking dope 1t is
a place prepared to deceive the visitor.
When he is gone the actors in this de-
ception will continue the interrupted
card game until another person longing
10 view vice unadorned is lead in by a
guide.
The real Chinatown is something that
is hard for the white man to understand
1t has a government of its own based on
terror and graft. For its victims it draws
on Cinnamon and white men and wom-
en- of the most depraved class. In the
dilapdated tenemeuts of Watt, Doyers
and Pell streets they find Kidding places
where they can crafty their appetite for
strange vices. BY some Chinatown has
been called a citadel of concentrated de-
praYity.
The quarter has long been thorn in
the side of the police. Not long ago a
Il Ianf
some of his men were growing rich on
the fruits of Chinatown graft organized
a special Chinatown squad and the num-
erous dens were raided one after another.
Thereby many of the hiding places and
secret gambling dens were discovered
one mist understand the habits OF
the Chinaman and the Mongolan stand
ard of morals before he can understand
the mysteries of the quarter The Mon
golians live huddled together. in small
unsanitary and ill-smelling rooms.
A room of moderate proportions. like
those found in old dwellings, is divided
again and again by rough board parti-
tions into labyrinth of closet-lil<e rooms
and winding passages. All the furniture
needed is bunk usually with a lattice
like bottom a hard pillow, and stano
for the opium layout In one instance
ten Cinnamon We're found to live in TINS
way in a room twenty feet long and tel
1eeI Nlue
When the Chinaman wishes to burroN
from floor to floor. and through the walls
from house to house. or create a MD
ing place underground. his secretive dis
position leads him to adopt every pre-
caution to avoid detection by the police
An unused cellar is selected for th'
debris Hitler are carried bits of wood
plaster. masonry and earth, until in som'
places they form great heaps reaching
10 the ceiling.
A policeman who had been in the gen
eral raid on Chinatown told last Weei
how he had found open shafts leading
from floor to floor. with rude ladders II
place of stairs. At intervals there wer'
hidden openings. hardly worthy of thu
name of doors Through these Chinamer
made their way To closet-like hooks, OF
victim could he cast To the bottom
Of the shaft-a speedy death-with the
Identification of the murderer practically
out of the question. Similar shafts hat
been dug into the ground under the eel
lars The Cinnamon. descending ladde
into Them could stop in three or fou
caVe-lille inches. each with its opium lay
out and a shelf on which Ia dream.
These resorts are the 'fenderlon' o
the Chineses population. When the tact