Los Angeles herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1900-1911, 1907-07-14
When First Shipload Of Coolies Came
wrIttan Cor The Herald.


notes ever heard. making the most
weird music ever played. We forced
one Chinaman into the hold, greatly to
MS terror, and he soon quieted his COM
panions.
bearing up for Cape King we soon
nau the land and the beautiful sacred
n niUutalh FuJiama could be seen, APP
Parently arising from the sea. The
Cinnamon gathered on the deck for
ward and paid homage to Joss in pray
ers' htanies and paper offerings, all to
rival.
Tn studiousiy watching them one is
| tempted to recast his concention of
simple faith for no human he,na could
| have given to any conception NJ God
any more grateful thanks than these
gave.
"A SIX days run from Toxic to Hong
Kong without accident to mar the pas
sage mad reassuring effect on Capt
Morse, and he forgot his fears Of dis
| aster. On arrival we took orr rae,1Iar
buoy-no docks at Hong Kong-aud
| sent ashore a large shipment OF rice
cleaning or winnowing machines m
| take the place of antiquated foot work
by the natives. An up-to-date sales
man accompanied the shipment, and set
a machine up on the landing where
watched the operation of cleaning and
hulllng rice by machinery.
TN twinkling of the eye a wild rage
seized upon the mob, who saw loss of
work in the machine, and in ten sec
onds the machine and the salesman
were in the bay and were rescued with
difficulty. 1t was the quickest and
most effective labor strike 1 ever saw.
They still hull rice with foot pedals,
but every Chinaman in Hong Kong
owns a clock to time his labor by.
I'm four days we discharged and re-
loaded with rice, tea and silk, and fitted
our main freight deck for the use of the
first big batch of coolies that came to
California There were 1920 in all, and
the sight of that deck in a seaway re-
mains with me yet. Standing hunks
four high were built which could be re-
moved In daytime, and messes of twelve
men were formed throughout the lot.
we sailed at noon when they were
at dinner, and just over the bar met a
heavy groundswell which created pam
demonium among them. Vicious, bru-
tai mentally degraded they were a
menace to the lives of all on board. and
Capt. Morse took such precautions as
ne could to keep them in bounds
Seasfckness attacked all of them
and such a filthy condition followed
that 1t became necessary to clear the
deck and cleanse it. We could not drive
them on deck, and 1t was not safe for
even an armed man to go any distance
from the hatchway among them, so
necessity compelled the old Black Ball
methods of the 'fifties' in transatlantic
vessels, which consists of pot of coal
tar and red hot ring bolt plunged in
1T. making suffocating smoke no man
can breathe. This was lowered among
them and forced all on deck When
they were allowed to go below again
they seemed to understand our mean
ing and were quieted.
You often hear of Cinnamon eating
rats, but the story is overdone in the
telling. I was on this deck one after
noon when the hundreds of Cinnamon
were squatted in groups engaged at
Chinese games. Somewhere a peculiar
cry was given and all stopped play to
become interested in something in the
after part of the ship. 1t proved to be
rat. running loose among them, and
they meant to catch him. There was no
running around or beating of sticks.
Every man sat still and watched to-
ward where the rat was. In turn as
the rat ran among each group all would
grab at him, their hands covered with
their long sleeves, till one man caught
him, and then all returned to their play.
THE lucky man bore the rat to the
head where he killed and skinned it,
much as one would a rabbit, and then
cut off only the hind quarters, casting
all else overheard. These parts were
boiled in the common nut oil and
formed a chief dish for that mess
Our run home was without event
of Importance, and we found the same
officials at the dock, who babe us good
by 80 days before. The gang planks
were out and Capt. Morse was first
ashore to receive welcome from the
agent, who knew that the great ship
ments of Cinnamon meant thousands of
dollars to the company, now. and thou
sands more in the future. The forward
gang planks were out and the horde of
Cinnamon began to pass out to the
dock, where they were herded till all
were ashore, and they were a sorry
spectacle.
Capt Morse received smiling well
come from the agent, who jollied him on
his fear of something happening out of
the usual on the voyage.
CLOSE to them stood stout, middle
aged man, black-eyed and wearing a
red mustache who looked and listened
intently to all that was said and done.
81 cannot say that anything unusual
has happened, after ALL laughingly
answered Capt. Morse.
"I can say something unusual has
happened said the stout man. You
have put the nails in the coffin of Chi
nese cheap labor, and by h, we'll
drive them in
1.-THE stout man was Dennis Kearney."