The Hood River glacier. (Hood River, Or.) 1889-1933, 1914-03-26

about Is hour owing 70 a strike among
I the Chinese fremen. The crews are
signed up at H0ngkoEg for the round
| trip at the mUuIiieent sum Of 81 per
month. The fire stokers have to work
/ in the hold in four hour shifts, and in
/ hot weather the heat is almost unbear-
able, being usually about l20 degrees.
Word had heen passed arOund among
the Chinese sailors 70 strike for higher
pay. and when the day came TO sail,
We had only half a crew, and those on
/ beard tried 10 get away. but were
closely guarded The boat might have
granted an advance. but the American
consul would not consent 10 it, as il
/ would lay the f0unation for endless
trouble in the future. The next day,
however, we succeeded in getting full
crew, and after inspection by the
/ American doctor for disease, we sailed
out Of the hartar on Friday afternon.
/ February l3. Rather an unlueky date,
the superstition ones declared, but We
had a fine trip across the China and
Japan seas.
Macao, the Pggtugese city of southern
China, is the first foothold of Europe
ans in the Chinese empire. 1t was on
| that island near the mouth of the Can
| ton river, about 40 miles from Hong
kong, that the ..Tst hardy mariners es-
! tablished trada relations with the Ce-
lestials over 3UJ years ago. Until the
British secured permanent possession
of the island of HUngkOng, Macao was
the principal port Of southern China.
| Portugal at first merely had cOnces-
sions from the Chinese government,
/ but later claimed the island as her own
and hoisted the Portuguese flag. Early
| in the last century her sovereignty was
| acknowledged, and today the island is
| a military post of that country. The
place is interesting chiefly as the Mon
/ te Carlo of the Far East. Licensed
gambling is carried on at Macao, and
| here the Chinese fan tan games are run
day and night for the patronage of
| whoever want to try their luck. Other
games of CHARGE are also operated for
| the various classes of patrons, but fan
tan is the popular game. lottery is
also operated with cash prize of
$40, 900, the drawing taking place with
great deal OF pomp and ceremony.
| The government receives a handsome
revenue from these concessions. On
| Saturday nights the various steamboat
lines between Canton, Hongkong and
Macao are crowded to the limit, and
Sunday the gambling dens are in full
! swing. Signs are displayed over the |
! fronts of the prominent places, in sew
eral languages the one in English |
reading First Class Gambling House."
Most of our party were conducted |
through some Of the large places. and
many placed bet or two on the shiny |
brass coin. Opium dens are also oper-
ated in Macao, but not publicly.
The new government of China pro-
hibits both the smoking of opium and |
gambling. Opium smoking is now
punished with death, but the penalty is |
not so severe for gambling. However,
these restrictions at Canton serve to |
fill the dens at the Portuguese city.
The principal population of Macao is
Chinese, living there in the same man
ner as at Hongkong, carrying on the
various trades and occupations, of
which the fishing industry predomin-
ates, and living n cungested quarters
but superior to Canton. The island
is hlly and has beautiful drive along
the water front where the public
buildings, European hotels and fortif-
cations are located There are many
beauty spots in the city. Several parks
or botanical gardens are delight with
their profusion of palms, shrubs and
! flowers A wide boulevard lined with
stately trees extends along the water
front of the bay, past the parks and
botanical gardens, private and public,
past stately cathedrals and European
residences, and we enjoyed the Tide
along this street in the 'rikishas very
much.
Near the Bund, short distance from
our hotel, was a pretty little English
chapel, where services are held in Eng
lish by a missionary, and the Sunday
school has an attendance of 10 or Is
children. In the church yard adjoining
are the graves of some of the early
pioneers of the Protestant faith, the
most noteworthy being the tomb of the
first English missionary to that part of
China, Robert Morrison, who spent 20
years with his good wife in missionary
work among the natives. The inscrip-
tion on his tomb, and that of his wife,
tells something of his labors. Near by
this church stands the front wall of St.
Paul's cathedral, with the cross still
standing al the apex, forcible remin-
der Of the victory of the cross over the
yicis8itudes and trails of this life. The
church was destroyed by a typhoon
several years ago, leaving but the
front wall and church entrance stand
ing intact.
The indifference of the Portuguese
government to lawlessness, and the
class of people attracted to the place
by the gambling and opium dens, have
made Macao a place of refuge for the
| Chinese pirates, whose operations along
the Chinese coast have been carried on
uninteTuptedIy for centuries. 1t is
usually at Macao that negotiations are
completed for the payment of ransom
when a rich Chinese is captured. 1t is
seldom that the pirates attack vessels
of any Of the great powers, as they
have had their lesson of relentless
pursuit and capture when they have
done So in the past. But the Chinese
government is too busy in taking care
of its smodering revolutions to bother
very much about pirates, and they con-
tInue to swOop down on the larger fish
ing boats on the coast and frequently
in the harhors and rivers with consid-
cradle success. Their favorite trick, "
however, is the kidnapping of rich
! Chinese merchants and holding them
for heavy ransom. If the ransom is
not Forthcoming they do not hesitate to
carry out their threats of mutilating or
killing their unfortunate captive.
The river boats plying between
Hongkong and Canton. and Hongkong
and Macao are occasionally held up,
even when flying the British or French
flags, much in the same manner as
masked bandits in our own country
hold up our trains. The pirates will
engage passage in the steerage on the
night boats, and when passing lonely
spot on the river will hold up the pass
engers and strip them of valuabIes.
! The officers of the boats are all heavily
armed, and in the bow of the boats,
behind strongly fortified partition
with loop holes for guns, is stationed
gathng gun and rifles. These serve as
|.. Ipt1ht tly