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Scenes in Chinatown, San Francisco,Chinatomt* lies in the vory heart of San Francisco, and in coining from the most fashionable quarter to the business portion you pass through it. They are the same bustling, pig-tailed phantoms in black cambric you see every day in Denver, only they seem to bo in legion.It is a singular fact, although what wehave here are really the scum of their own country, in passing through the town you hoar no loud talk, no broiling harangues, no obscene invectives, like one experiences in the haunts of the lower strata of any other nationality.Although 8 o’clock in the evening, manufacturers and traders had not ceased their labors for the day. Through the well lighted shop-windows you could see the watchmaker, with his eye-glass screwed into his almond-shaped orb, busy at his trade. A hundred machines were noisily pounding away on shoes. Fifty tailors in a room that was so low you could not stand upright ('having run a floor through the center of the apartment to utilize room), are still plying their needles. Standing at a desk; was an amanuensis inditing a letter, porhaps a love epistle, to some tawny maiden down below. How rapidly and gracefully he fornjed the characters with a pointed brush, making a stroke like the scratch of a cambric-needlo or widening to a heavy shade, always writing fromright to left. The “author” looked on with rapt delight not unmingled with deferential awe.Next door was a barber-shop. That craft with us have not arrived at the same degree of perfection they have with them. No Chinaman is too poor to be barbered at least once a fortnight. The shops vary in size and price, according to the aristocracy of their customers. Under the hands of this ton-sorial artist was sitting a man, his head lopped on one side, his mouth wide open, and eyes half shut, and about as imbecile and repulsive an expression as one would wish to contemplate.Does a man, whether Caucasian or Mongolian, betray the animal instincts stronger when he is being barbered than ordinarilyP Who has not marked the striking resemblance of a man in a barber’s chair, his face lathered, his eyes half closed., with a dreamy, sensuous look of abandon, to a pig rolled to his nose in a mud-hole, or the ecstatic bliss of a cow gravitating back and forth against a convenient stake, wrapped in the luxury of a good scratch? The former is as lost to the ludicrousness of his appearance to the passer-by as is either of the latter. From the array of finely-pointed instruments spread before him you would think him a dentist. But, as for that matter, he cleans the teeth, takes a fine hook and digs out their ears, nails, shaves their heads, brushes and plaits the cue (not forgetting to twine in a rag at the end, to give it a tony length), and last, but not least, takes a fine wire and cotton, and lifts the eye-lid and cleans the ball of the eye. He is not paid by the job, but by tne hour, and when a Chinaman sets out to be barbered he counts it among the delights of his life, and means it to last as long as ho can afford. A week at the theater, an opium smoke, and an expensive shave are the luxuries for which he toils weeks.Every little spare nook and cranny along the street was occupied by fruit and edible vendors. You could put the average stock in trade in a pint cup, and yet the venders had the most satisfied mercantile air imaginable. They were constantly employed makin choice morsels out of butternuts an thin slices of cocoanut tied each side. Dried fruit, watermelon seeds, heaped on tiny dishes, sticks of sugar-cane, and candies filled with scented water and musk were among the delicacies.We often indulge in the trite remark “ a penny saved,” etc., but for the true inwardness of concentrated, economy commend me to the Chinese. There is no waste matter about a hog in a Chinese market, save the bristles and toenails, the brains, heart, liver, entrails and kidneys forming Celestial dainties. So with fish, every thing save the head and scalos being eaten.We dropped into a drug store, their physicians being a combination of herb and old school. No homeopathic doses for them. They were weighing out a fierce compound, consisting of roots and minerals, the delicate little dose weighing before steeping two pounds. It would probably mako with the liquid added a moderate sized tub full. Tbore is nothing in the calendar of filthy things too nasty for the doctors to prescribe or the patients too credulous to take, oven to tne grated toe-nail of a dead man. And jot there is a “Chinese dealer” that counts numerous white patients among his patrons.We called at a fashionable restaurant. Some wealthy tea merchants were to entertain a delegation of noted countrymon that evening. The first floor was in the throes of cuisine agony for so groat an occasion. Buns baked a light brown, with guests* insignia of rank burned on the top; little pyramids of cherrios, plums and sliced oranges were erected on sauce dishes, one dish forming a course. Heaps of thin.cakes and pickles were on all sides. The refreshment rooms wore op stairs, the first room being for commoners, the second for a little highor grade, the third for aristocracy. In the latter an open scroll Work of gilded iron ran up the sides and across the top, from which hung a silken curtain dividing the apartment.^ The smaller portion was for the musicians, who discoursed a most hideous jargon of sounds whilo the guests ate. On a raised dais was a most exquisite china and gilt opium pipe, with tubes, so that they could take a smoke at the end of the repast. The other half of the room was hung with highly-colored maps and pictures, and furnished with quaintly carved chairs and tables in ebony and gilt. Covers were laid for six at a table, and consisted simply of ivory chopsticks, three plates (the size of an individual butter dish), in choice China and a wine glass holding a tablespoonful. We indulged in a cup of delicious tea served in odd enps with covers, and partook sparingly of some dried fruit. Some chopped fiddle strings every one declared looked tempting, but no one had any appetite.The guests arrived before we left, and were preceded by the host, who ushered them in with much ceremony aud overwhelming salams. They were handsomely attired in bloc broadcloth, tastefully corded with black, and wore thered button of rank and opulence upon thoir caps. After the ceremonies they settled down to easy chit-chat and seemed to bubble over with humor and wit, whioh, of oourae, was lost on ourunedu-oatod oars, but was greeted by shouts of applause by them. The next amusing thing was the waiter, who was so muon inflated with the awfulness of the occasion that he would swell into the room with an immense server, holding it as if bent to the ground with the weight of good things, in the center of which would repose, like an Island in midocean, a single sauce-dish of rice and meat.From this place we meandered up the alleys and saw the dens where they “hit at the joint,” and saw rooms ten by twelve, where were in bunks swung one above another sleeping twenty human beings. The foulness and filth of these Chinese quarters can not be described. We could appreciate the joke told by a policeman who aooompanied us of a Chinaman who died in hot weather and remained two weeks before he discovered him. Ho excused himseli on the ground that he “ had not noticed any difference in the smell of the house. ” —Cor. Denver Tribune.Tlio Anti-Turkish Naval Demonstration.Thb present naval demonstration, though more than sufficient for bombarding Duloigno, can hardly be considered as a very adequate representation of the naval prowess of the participants. The programme given by the Diritto, of Rome, the Ministerial organ, shows that England, Italy, France, and Russia contribute three vessels each; Austria, two; Germany, ono.England sends the ironclads Alexandra, Temeraire and Monarch. They are good ships, but only three out of many. The Alexandra and Temeraire are casemate ships, built of iron, respectively 325 and 285 feet long, 04 and62 feet wide, about 27 feet each in maximum draught, and having respectively 9,492 and 8,412 tons’displacement. The Alexandra has 13 1-2 inches greatest and six inches least thickness of armor ; tho Temeraire has 12 1-2 inches greatest and seven inches least thickness. BothBahorsiMi the \ a coi will wornOiandsweeprevwheiis C2sennkeptlightCcdozeanyandboilemilkthreifuls lt;lesstablelittleprevmairsugathebrowasidecoldAthat has ipurpkeyua thlt;lDgthave 9 3-4 inches backing for tho armor. The Monarch is a sea-going turret ship, a trifle longer than either of the othersand a little narrower, with about the same draught, and nearly the Tenie-raire’s displacement. But she has only 8 1-2 inches greatest and only five inches least thickness of armor. All three vessels have high speed—the Temeraire 14 1-2 knots, and tho two others about 15. The Alexandra carries two 12-inch aud ten 10-inch Woolwich guns; the Temeraire four of each calibre; the Monarch, four 12-inch, two 9-inch, and one 7-inch.Italy is represented by tho Palestro, Venezia, and Venstta. The two former, the principal ones, are 265 and 250 feet in length, 58 in breadth, and 25 in draught; they are of 5,780 and 5,700 tons’ displacement, and have a speed, respectively, of 12 and 13 knots. But the former has only 8 5-8 inches greatest and 6 inches loa3t thickness of armor, and the latter has only 6 and 4 inches; each has about two feet of wood backing. Tho Palestro carries one 11-inoh and four 10-inch guns; the Venezia, eight 10-inch and one 9-inch. These are powerful ships; but they are enormously inferior both in armament and armor to Italy’s Duilio.France sends tho Friodland, Suffron, and Hirondelle. The latter is an old-type wooden steam cruiser, of a thousand tons. Tho two former are fighting ships of 8,164 and 7,360 tons, casomated, witn 6 inches least and, respectively, about 10 and 8 inches greatest thickness of armor. They have the good speed of thirteen and fourteen knots. The Fried-land carries eight 10 3-4 and eight 6 1-2 inch guns; the Suffron carries fourteen guns, of which four are 10 3-4 inch. They are both good representatives, but not the most formidable of the Frenchpoor theu low bem of laand andi cove , obtaMa co • meai i skin intomaclt; up., it btlt; pourspoo i two j sma]I PeP*put ] of Y( one tabl( b mo i andsippprofBlt; Grai ened hot need stirr whit pulv quaichoc fine cont thicl to fr in t keepInavy.Austria’s Prinz Eugen and Kaiser are casemate frigates of 6,810 and 8,550 tons, 6 1-4 and 8 inches greatest thickness of armor, and 12 1-2 and 13 knots speed. Tho Kaiser carrios ten 9-ineh Armstrongs, and the Prinz Eugen carries eight 8 1-4 Krupps. Russia’s contribution is the Askjold, Svetlana, and Elborus. Tho latter is a small paddle gunboat of the Black Sea fleet; the other two are of the Baltic fleet. Tho Svetlana is a frigate of 3,202 tons and eighteen guns; tho Askjold, a corvette of 2,402 tons and fourteen guns. Both are unarmorod, but Russia has many armored vessels, some of considerable size and power. Germany, also, has powerful ironclads, but, according to tho Diritlo's statement, is to bo represented only by the Victoria, which is a second-class wooden corvette of 1,760 tons, but having high speed.—New York Sun.Wof nexpe of semanreaslt; whei that after not 1 judic andsamerntecthatplankindcom;ingplan(andno c with relntenerSeleiwheiandtakiisentidetoiThieves Nailod Up in a Car,When the 10 o'clock incoming train of tho Hudson River Railroad stopped at Tarry town yesterday morning, the conductor, John Rurke, discovered that the hasp oa the door of one car was broken. He called a brakemen, and, on examination, found sevoral othor cars broken open. Sliding back tho door of the last car, which contained potatoes, ho saw three heads. Ho closed the door quickly, and, sending for a hammer and nails, nailed it up seourely. The train then proceeded to this city, and at Fifty-first street it stopped and was boarded by Policeman Tennis and Tracy. They were informed by tho conduotor that three burglars were nailed up in one of tho cars. At the depot in Thirty-third Street it was found that the prisoners had cut a hole over a foot large in tho sido ot the car with knives, thus hoping to escape. It took the officers over an hour to release them from tho car, so firmly hod it been fastened. A crowd of over a thousand persons followed tho trio to tho Twenty-second Precinct Station-house. There they described themselves as George Ashley and Thomas AsHey, of Greenbush, N. Y., and John Burke, of East Albany. Thomas was only thirteen years of age, but the othor two were young men. They are Buspeoted of being members of a band of car thieves.—New York Herald.menthenstoatbestmarlseedafterIn ono tff the mines at Georgia’s Creek, hid., a driver at work sixty feet under ground was struck by lightning and instantly killed.com]wheiindieoropgreamanT iTroj as a is fc Adai tice. thin;wor]wayihapsto dlt;the rcordtistsnentthanVerrpashhaveseme year entoi long howlt; who bort is sber, a
Newspaper Details
Marshall Clark County Herald
Marshall, Illinois, US
Tue, Oct 12, 1880
Page 6
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USA 15 Nov 2018
Other Publications Near Marshall, Illinois
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