Morgan County Democrat. (McConnelsville, Ohio) 1886-1943, 1922-09-14

cause | had nothing less and he
said he had no change> and dime
from the school teacher because it
was all the change she had.
Very soon our vessel was moving
and some one said they were wait
| ing for us. But we did not move
far till we came to stand and re-
ceived about 600 Chinese coolies
who were being taken south for
work. The men were required to
strip to the waist and pass the in
spectors. The ships doctor and an
other doctor looked at them as they
passed, occasionally holding a fell
low up to scrutinize him more
closely-to see if he had trachoma,
for instance, and one Of the main
features of the examination was to
feel them for fever. Each man car
ried his ticket, card from the doc
tor who had vaccinated him, and
some other papers, and after pass
ing the doctors there were men to
receive such of these papers as
were to be given up at this time,
and they passed SO rapidly it kept
them busy. When the women pass
ed, the doctor simply placed his
hand on one cheek as they walked
along A few of the men were re-
jected. The crew was inspected be-
fore sailing, by drawing them up in
line, and the doctor walked quickly
along seizing the wrist of each man
for an instant, supposedly to detect
any fever that might exist. With
the formalities all over, we raised
the anchor and sailed away, keep
ing most of the time in sight Of
the shore, but riding many miles
out at sea.
There were not many passengers
in the f1rst and second cabins. A
good deal of smoking and reading
engaged some. In the evening one
of the officers brought out a phono-
and bit of ot-very-interesting
dancing, there being only one
woman aboard who seemed given to
GERS danced together. There was a
young military officer from the
Philippines, and married couple
from Chicago among the pas
sengers. One odd body, supposedly
or allegedly a naval officer from
the Philippines, told (it seems)
He was going to Rangoon to re-
cover a million and half dollars
of which the government had been
that he had been suddenly sent on
his errand and didn't know what he
was going for. etc. His face was
very red and his eyes perhaps not
quite natural He lived and slept
|
and rarely if at all ate with the 9TH
er passengers, but it was related
that his drink bill was rupees 10,
and one night he went to the doctor
for something to give him relief
when he may not have been far
from delirium. Another passenger
was a Burmese youth who had gone
to Japan to learn the sugar in
dustry but was not sufficiently in
dustrious and was being sent back
by his uncle. Here was woman
who sat much to herself. made
friends with the officers, danced
some. and made herself the object
of what was perhaps a groundless
suspicion. This young Englishman
who has been gassed and repeatedly
wounded in the Great War and is
still carrying a bullet or two, Is go
ing to Burma as forester under
contract for 20 years with the Brit
ish government, and here is young
Indian, 25 years of age, who has re-
Gently finished course in chem
;stry in the United States, and after
stopping awhile in Japan is re-
turning to his home somewhere in
the region Of Calcutta. But one of
the most interesting of the pas
sengers is Robert Hichins, aged 80
and man of the sea since he was
mere boy. He has been around At
RIGA a number of times; around the
Americas; several times around the
world; has done mine sweeping
duty; and was the last man at the
wheel and the last man to leave
the Titanic when she foundered af-
ter striking an iceberg on her maid
ed voyage in the winter of 1912.
He related some of his experiences
on that awful night when 1,675
persons perished. Mrs. Astor, he
said, was in his boat, and her hus-
band tossed her bottle of brandy
with a cheerful word that he would
see her Gin New York." perhaps
not suspecting that in a.short time
the monster ship would be under
water and he would be in eternity.
Hichins also claims to have been
the last man picked up .by the Car
pathia after he had steered his boat
in the icy waters with his feet.
Many perished from cold in the wa
ter and in the boats and more than
so were buried from the Carpathia.
The ship was stopped when they
had been made ready for burial, the
service read and the whole lot
quickly slipped over the side when
the order, ''full steam ahead" was
given. Hichins was taken to the
New York World upon arrival in
New York and received $500 for his
story. A cable from him reached
his mother in England before the
post card from the company arEiv-
ed. He denies that the captain
committed suicide, saying he was
calm and collected till the last. The
blame for the accident, Mr. Hichins
places with one of the directors of
the company who was travelling
with the ship and who escaped with
his life.
When the Arratoon Apcar reach
ed Singapore, she discharged a lot
of the coolies, about 800, who were
bound for Java, before coming to
the wharf. This is done to prevent
the escape of any who, after receiv-
ing passage and months pay in
advance, decide they do not want
to go. On this occasion, several
were missing and had to be hunted
IN The two shins were lashad To-