Evening star., 1911-06-07

mira1 Robie was senior officer Of board
to select and fit out vessels for the aux
iliary naval force at Charleston, savan-
nah, Baltimore, New York and Boston.
Admiral Robie said. in describing the
Perry trip to Japan:
"The first point we touched in Japan
was Shut, capital of Lew Chew, June 6.
1853. The country was revelation to
every one was sketching what he saw,
even the common sailors doing 1t as best
they could.
AT Shut we found a walled city and
nese officials. through interpreters. that
he wished to visit 1t. They were appalled,,
and told him that under no circumstances
would that be permitted. The commo-
dore. however. whom we affectionately
dubbed the 'Ursa Major in his quiet,
forceful way. informed them that on the
following day he would land and visit
the city, and would expect its gates to
be opened to him.
THE Japanese were courteous and po-
lite, but we were evidently not to their
liking. They would, / think, have crushed
US had they dared, but were wise enough
to recognize our superior strength. and
so. when. on the morrow. the commodore
accompanied with about 1000 sailors and
marines, to whom fifty rounds of ammu-
milton had been furnished for guns and
our dozen howitzers. appeared at the
gates of the walled city he found them
around the city, in which no white man
had ever set foot before.
Waters Never Charted.
From Shut we went to the Bay of
Yeddo and Yokohama. The waters Of the
bay had never been charted. and We did
not know how far or to what extent they
were navigable. We had to chart them.
and the work was begun at once. Imag-
inc the surprise Of the natives. We were
told that no steamship had ever been seen
in those waters before.
THE Japs came down to meet US IN
force in hundreds of boats laden with
men armed with swords and spears bows
and arrows. escorted by their best bat
tleship an old one-sail junk. Just think
of it, and this only fifty-fve years ago!
Well, as our cutters moved ahead in their
work Of sounding and chartlng the wa
ters, the Japs would steer their boats In
front OF ours and endeavor to oostruct
our way. A show OF muskets by our men
and a determined attitude, however. soon
induced them to get out OF the way. ana
in this way the bay Of Yeddo was sound
ed and charted by u.s. .
II wish to say" he added, tnat the
Japanese were never err reai1y h,+ oes'dH .heu AID
They were always poHte' out they u'o
want to be let alone.
'The Japanese struck me then, as they
do now. as a most remarkable ano IN
telligent people.
First Railroad in Japan.
"I also assisted in building the first
steam railroad there. 1t covered the cir
cumference of circle 500 feet in
diameter with fourteen-inch-gauge
track. the equipment being about quar-
ter of the full size. I was the engineer
and ran the train, and it was amusing to
see the Japs sit on top Of the one little
car of the train and ride around the cir
cult. They surprised me again, for in a
very short while they had even mastered
the details of operating the road and run
ming the engine. The track and equip
ment had been carried out by Commodore
Perry as one of the things to impress the
people.
'.It was a wonderful accomplishment to
win over these people, and my recollec-
ton of them and my experiences among
them will always be among the pleasant
ones Of my life"