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TIIE OMAHA SUXDAY BEE: FEBRUARY 13, 1910.
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How John Bull Holds the Commercial Gateway to the Chinese Empire
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HONCrKONG TELEPHONE SERVICE. THE B0Y3 ARE CHINESE MDTHf &IRIS ARE EURASIANS
I CAN RIDE ABOUTALl DAY AT I0CTS PER HOUR
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(Copyright. 1910. by Frank O. Carpenter.)
iONOKOXG-(Special Correspond
ence of The Bee.) The booming
cities of the world are now on
this side of the Pacific. The
awakening of Asia is bringing
'in capital from Knmi.. .-.i
- nuu tiia
Mates, and the whol. rnnti....
r.m t0.,!!!V' PrUn ,nto ,,fe- Yokohama
not w uW -,M 1 w It. Toklo is
now bigger than Chicago, Osaka will rank
Hh Philadelphia, and Shanghai U ahead
Oo n here at the southern end of China
has now a population of 400.000 and It prorn-
woild. It belongs to the BriUsh. It had
hey took hold of It seventy year. ago. It
. J".? f t,W reat port ot world
and the people here claim that It has more
.v......8S luu ijverpool or London.
Island lies close to the mainland, and
with the peninsula of Kowloon It has a
harbor of ten square miles, filled with
shipping and craft of all kinds. The boat
population numbers 40.0UOO, and you com?
to the island through a swarm of sam
pans, worked by women, who stand " up
and skull their boats much like the gon
doliers of Venice. Some of them have
babies fastened to their backs, and the
little ones bob up and down as theli
mothers bend to their oars. .The babies
are held on by squares of cloth tied, on
by straps around the waists and necks ul
the mothers. The bare legs of the little
ones stick out In front.
... -
City of Plareon Holes.
Coming into Hongkong the mountainous
Island towers high above you, the upward
slopes covered with green. The shores are
lined with building five or six stories
high, with galleries running along their
ri
t
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5
5IRFRE0ERICK D. LUGARDj THE &0V. OP MONGKONCT,
MONG-KONO'S POLO CLUB. TOUR GUAM PI ON PLAYERS
are baby carriages on wheels, with bare-flight to watch the night crowd as it passed,
legged, bare-headed coolies as horses. It was a cosmopolitan one such as you will
They will -carry you anywhere In Hong- see nowhere except In Hongkong. There
fcor.g ror about 3 cents of our money a were red-turbaned. black-bearciMl Rikh no-
Within the last year a railrnnrf h. k fronts storv above irtorv. The railKHiui trP- and 'r 30 cents they will go on the licemen guardlner the traffic. British nl
started at the suburb of Kowloon on tha are divided Into, sections, - and the shoreatrot ,or an.hour.you may hire one for a diers In uniform who belong to the garri
...... ...,u. mis is being built to Canton. 8oem t0 wsJ,,B1 with white pigeon-holes
ad It will givs Hongkong rail conned rllng from the edge of the water. At tho
uons with that city and all Interior China taot ar warehouses and exporting es
The road in known as the Canton-Knwin tabllshments, which take care of the ship-
canton It joins the trunk
"" norm to Hankow, tha con
cession for which was given to the Amer
icans but sold back to China. The Chinese
ure now building that road, and when It Is
completed there will be a through freight
and passenger service from Peking to Hong
kong and the whole of the empire will be
tributary to . this port. Canton Itself has
a population of over 2.000,000. Hankow and
ts .later cities are still larger, and that
trunk road will tap a population fully as
treat .as that of the United States. Several
other railroad systems now building will
connect with it and this city will then be
the southern gateway to China by rail as
well as by sea. '
ping. Above them are offices and mercan
tile parts of the olty, and still further back,
climbing the hill, the many white, cream
and rose colored pigeon-holed structures
which form, the residences. The. buildings
extend from the sea up the mountain for a
half day for a quarter, and twelve hours
for a' dollar In silver, which means about
15 cents gold.' Some cf the streets ire so
steep that the jlnriklshaa cannot go up
them. In some places sedan chairs, car
ried on the shoulders of the men, are for
hire. The Hongkong chair of this kind
IS .made of wicker. It Is a box with a chair
inside It, and a soft dicker back, against
wl Ich one leans as he rides. It has arms
It 1,
not
world
llongrkona or Today.
a question whether Honekon win
soon ,urpM- the otner ports o(
id in the amount of its ' .hinnin-
noH handles about 300,000,000 worth of
freight a year, and more than 11,000,000 tons
of goods come in and go out of Its harbor
very twelve months. This freight is c.r
i led upon about M.OOO different vessel.. The
most of them ar. Chinese, but the, all
a o great steamers from Kurope and the
La ted State... There ar, five dlfferen
Ind 1?? IIonkon "h America!
and more tna that whc. ko
Jou can get a ship her. any day for
Europe by way of Sue. canal, and there
re regular services to the PhlUpplne"
Australia, the Dutch East Indie, and
n eVtr7 P'nt ,n th Pclfl "d Indian
ocean. The port la fre. and an enormous
mount of freight 1. transhipped to the
other countries and Islands nearby.
. ... r,1,.r .erviee by way of Hong-
also Important. By changing
you can reach iinmi ..... ..
from this place. There are vessel, which
leave nightly for Canton and almost every
dy for Shanghai. The far. to Canton Is
" and to Shanghai $60. It costs 70 to
ana tne.tlm. Is five days.
. - .-.iiuuni win tuke you to
- io jou may go to Saigon in
Lochln.n.ina. li . ,lly two na
to Mniu. while one may have a passage
to Melbourne, Australia, for 170. There
ro steamer, once or twle.'a week for
ho AmerUa,, continent. Tl4 time Is less
than a month, and th eost 1. $.'5
gold. The di.ta.ue to t-'an Fran.-I-co U
VkZ 1"nV"- l" ""'HPUr, about
1.500. It Is 80U miles from ,t-. lo silal)B.
Hal. l.tOO to Kobe, W. tilM B,J0 lo Vok.
haina and about luo ii,M. ,nolt. lo vla(il.
vostok. at the ealLlil viXli ot Trans.
Siberian railroad.
Hongkong is
distance of a thousand feet or more at an ,or the e,bws, and to these elastic pole
angle of almost 45 degrees. Streets have
been cut out around the hill, making the
whole a series of terraces, and these are
bisected at right angles by other highways
and by a cog railroad which leads to the
hotels on the peak.
The business parts of Hongkong woald be
fine anywhere. The Hongkong club cost
$350,000, and the Hongkong and Shanghai
bank has as fine offices as any financial
Institution of the United States. A new
aocut as big around as your - wrist an-.l
eighteen feet long are fastened. Inside the
poles, in front and behind, stand the two
beerers, bareheaded, yellow-skinned cool
ies with their plg-talls tied around their
heads. They rest Jhe two poles on their
shoulders and trot along single file. The
passengers are often heavy Britishers or
fleshy Chinese, and the poles rub the skin
of the shoulders, or make it callous so
mat It grows as thick as your heel. The
postofflce is now going ud. and there are usual rat for thefe chairs Is about 4 CentD'nuli... Than fl.
great buildups rising on that part of the lrlp- na 1 can rme out all day In one
kong
boats
harbor whl.n has been reclaimed from the
tea. Th material In granite and the mortar
s c'. led to the masons by women who
are paid about 10 cents a day. Brick and
stone and all. sorts of building materials
are freighted about In the same way. Each
woman has on her shoulders a, pole with
a basket fastened to either end- of It, and
the baskets are filled with bricks or stones.
A good lusty girl will carry 100. pounds at
one load, and bare-armed and bare-legged
she grunts as she tolls her way up the hill.
There are children carrying smaller bur
den, who do similar work and who are
still more meanly paid.
Chloeao Cheap Labor.
Indeed, everything Is cheap in Hong
kd.g. The city Is governed by the Brit
ish and public transportation Is regulated
by law. The town Is so steep that It Is
almost Impossible to get about excent
for 10 cents an hour. The men are anxious
to work, and when I raise my hand three
or four sets of bearers come up on the
trot and fight for my custom.
Hongkong- mt Mghl.
I took a tramp about Hongkong last night
to see how the city looks after dark. It
It not as wide open as Chicago, New York.
Paris or London, although I am told that
all sorts of wickedness goes on In the
narrow alleys which climb up the hills.
Last night everything was quiet. The
great buildings were as dark hm a pocket,
and the pigeon-hole balconies appeared to
be dead eyes In the rays of the electric
lamps. A gloom covered the mountains
back of the town, the green woods turning
to blue In the darkness and the house
lights shining like stars below the clouds
which enveloped the peak.
I walked along Queen's road to the Clock
In chair, or Jlnriklshas. The jlnriklshaa Tower and stopped there under the electric
son, and sailors In different dress of a half
dozen nations. Tho navies , of the world
come to Hongkong and their cadets and
marines may be seen any night on the
streets. There were many East Indians
clad In their calicoes, brown-skinned Ma
lays from the Philippines and. Borneo.
Japanese Just off the vessels, and Euro
peans from all parts of the west. Sampan
women In wide calico trousers and cotton
chemises moved along here and there on
bare feet, and rich Chinese merchants
took up the greater part of the sidewalk
with their silk gowns and cloth boots. Tlie
mid-streets were filled with coolies, and
over the roadway passed an endless proces
sion of rlckashas and chairs. .One long
line of the latter was filled with English
young men and women going to a dance
of the Centipede club. This club has fifty
members; and 'hence 100 legs all of which
delight to trip along In the barn dance and
were also I'arsee
girls with" white shawls over their faces,
riding about with their lovers, and black
skinned Klings half clad In white cotton.
By and by It began to rain and tho water
came down In sheets. It drenched the Sam
pan girls so that their chemises clung to
their skins, outlining their persons. The
sailors ran for shelter and the street po
licemen put on raincoats and caps over
their, turbans. The rickasha men and
chair-bearers dragged out coats of palm
leaves and covered their heads with hats
of rattan a big as umbrellas. The latter
were painted bright blue, the palm leaves
looked like feathers, and as they trotted
along inside the shafts they seemed to be
yellow-legged birds, with blue topknots
harnessed to the chairs and carriages. n
Shopping; la Hongkong;.
This is a good place to shop. The travel
Is so great that curio dealers and other
merchants from all over the enst have
opened stores here and they offer the most
beautiful goods of the orient. There are
many East Indians who sell embroideries,
silver and carpets, and Chinese who dis
play all the wealth of Canton. The . sil
verware Is beautiful and cheap. It Is made
of coin sllvtr and., is decorated with
dragons and other exquisite carvings. I
bought a solid tea set the other day the
metal of which alone weighed .$50, that
many coins being placed in one bowl of
the scales, while the pitcher, sugar bowl ' elmers stav
and teapot were on the other. The price
of the set was $100 In silver, the extra
$C0 representing the workmanship. . Fifty
dollars In silver Is less than $25 gold, and
out of that came the profit of the dealer
and the wages of the artist, who had
spent a month or more in the carving. The
same tea set would sell for twice as much
In the United States.
Among the other beautiful things sold
here sre blackwod furniture, richly
carved; ladies' dresses of grass cloth, dec
orated witlj, the -most exquisite embroid
ery; chairs and sofas of wicker work cov
ered with linen fiber, as well as rare por
celains and bamboo ware. Table linens are
especially cheap, and embroidered center
pieces and dollies of, grass cloth. are not
at all costly. Much fine Jewelry Is sold,
including some set with pearls and precious
stones. Articles In Jado are a specialty of
China, and the best of them bring high
prices. All gold Jewelry'ls made twenty
two or more carats fine. It Is so soft that
it wears away easily, but It Is always
worth Its weight In gold.
Cloak, of Peking;.
Embroidered coats, like those used for
opera cloaks at home, are sold here, but
the best place to buy 'such things Is in
Peking, and that from the palaces. Th.
supplies furnished free to the Imperial
family and court are enormous, and the
eunuchs sell the surplus to merchants
and peddlars, so that one has a chance
now and then to buy for a song'a cloak
which has been worn by a princess. Such
garments are brought in bales to the for
eign hotels of Peking and displayed there
for sale. Some of the coats may be a bit
soiled, but many are new, and there are
chances for big bargains. The same Is
true of furs of all kinds, from subles to
squirrel, the prices in most eases being
fa); below those of the United States.
This is especially true at the present time,
on account of the deaths In the Imperial
family, by which the officials have had to
dispense with the wearing of all furs not
of the white or mourning color.
Hongkong Moortn.
I happen to be here at. the time of the
races. The chief stores and business of
fices are all closed, and the banks have
not been opened for three days. There Is
no chance to get money on saints' days,
race days or any other holidays. When
there Is a cricket or foot ball match every
financial Institution shuts Its doors and
the clerks go out to play or look on.
These Britishers of the far east are fond
of amusements, and they believe In the
college boy's motto: .
"When fun and duty clash, let duty go
to smash." " -
They have their clubs at every port. I
found them In all the leading Japanese
cities, and also In Tientsin, Peking and
at the other places in China where for-
Shanghai Is a city of clubs.
and Its British and German club houses
are among the finest of the far east. The
races of that place aro national events
which bring crowds from the country
about. They are participated In by gen
tleman Jockeys who train their own
ponies.
Hongkong vies with' Shanghai as a club
center. It has a dozen or more of such
Institutions. The Hongkong club house Is ous kinds
situated down by the sea. It is a magnl-
i
fleent building, which compares well with
Hlmllar houses In NcV York and Chicago.
The Germans have a club here. The
Portuguese meet togetjher In Shelley
street, and the Japanese club has a build
ing on the lee House road. There are a
number of recreation clubs. One Is made
up of the government clerks, another Is
the- Ladies' Tennis club and other, are
devoted to cricket, foot ball and golf.
There are chess clubs, polo clubs and
yacht clubs, the latter holding regattas
every December. The Jockey club, have
their biggest races in February, and In
addition to these there are annual ath-
letlc meets between the resident and the
soldiers of the garrison, as well as swim
ming matchec.and boat races. Hongkong
has a Philharmonic society and an ama
teur dramatic club. It has also large Chi
nese theaters which are open day and
night
IntcllecJoaJ Center.
Hongkong Is psychically alive. It has
.English and Chinese dallies and weeklies,
it has colleges and schools and churches
galore. There Is an Episcopal catherdal
which was built In 1842. a church known
as 'St. Peter's, erected long ago for th.
seamen at West Point, and Protestant and
Roman Catholic churches and chapels.
The Catholics have also a cathedral. The
Jews have a synagogue, the Mohamme
dans have two mosques and the Sikhs a
temple, where they worship their gods.
There are also convents, orphanages and
foundling asylums, as well as hospital
and other charitable Institutions of varl-
Altogether, the town- la alive.
FRANK G. CARPENTER.
Quaint Features of Life
p
hum
Switching; the School.
RINC1PAL W. D. HATHAWAY
of the Clark school, Seventh
ward, Washington, Pa., is be
lieved to be the champion boy
trouncer of the world. His rec
ord: Boys trounced, 100; boys
untrounced, one; time consumed, two hours
nd thirty minutes; switches worn out,
twenty-two. '
All that prevented Principal Hathaway
from having a clear record, so to speak,
was the fact that when he reached the
one hundred and first subject of the
trouneefest he was almost tuckered out,
and the subject, a 17-year-old husky. In a
fit of playfulness, threw the principal
gently on the floor and sat upon him.
Early In the week Principal Hathaway
notified the pupils then must bo no more
snowballing on the school premises. When
the order was disregarded he supplied him
self with a bundle of switches and assem
bled the snowballers, and the greatest ex-
A
Bangkok,
ErHWASUi AtfprJoHN" A.CflErlGHTON
crown colons-. It i.
ceded to Great Hrllal,, by fliina In 1M1
ll has grown ett-adily time then, and it
nun niiMiury UnJ naval
nrst-cla-is Importance, u 8 in
I.., , ti...
.. ... ...a v nuuiiroii, comprising
iiii- m-ha'ih hi all, and it iiua
ktutlon of
headiiuar-
an
troops. i is
iu.i;J by a goenur, appointed bv tha
l.i. of England, and the man now In
ciuigD Is Sir l iileikk I). I.ugard, who
ii.i.uu iilinisclf t.tmous as governor of Ni
fccn.i. if ir Frederick receives a salary of
m..iwo a year, und has a cabinet and
legislative council to help hint, two of
vu.om are Chinese.
Ilotv llvaakonif Looks. '
Iiut Ut u take a look at the human
ide of Hie Uhui.l. This little block of
land is aiurounded by Mater. It I. only a
lull ol liavalt, achlxt and granite washed
uy tilt ca. If a glunt could stand It oil
be whirled around like top.
to email that a railroad ttaiu
con. a rUii .round It In loa than an hour,
uul It and in a peak 1,100 feel high. Th.
iVl it might I
MBH" Memory of
) -vT .,,-?'! j V ! TV I ,M
n "KT t U?VVkVS: ' AT FOUNDERS DA BANQUET
FEtBB. 7, 1910
V VIP.W n-PTUT"
BANQUET HALL
BY CILtlCHIOK TACU1TY
hlbltion of switch wielding In the history
of corporal punishment was on, ,
Some of the boys were inclined to take
the matter as a Joke, but when Principal
llathaway's switches cleaved the air, es
pecially In tha earlier minutes of hi. record-breaking
go, the amusement In th
situation diminished witheach succeeding
cleave.
Thl. llf'rEni All.
Joslah Brown, a farmer a mile north of "
Chinchilla, Pa., relates a peculiar exper
ience. Mr. Brown owned a cow with a
spotted calf. The calf was so peculiarly
murked that Mrs. Brown asked for tha
skin to be made Into a rug. Mr. Brown
complied with her request and the calfskin
rug was placed in front of the fireplace.
A few nights afterward the cow became
melancholy at the continued absence of
her calf and broke out of the barn In
search for her lost offspring. She wan
dered up the front walk and saw, through
the window, tho skin of her calf lying In
front of the fireplace.
She quietly unfastened the door with her
horns and in the morning Mrs. Brown
found her lying beside tho rug In the front
parlor.
and Ihr Dww"('aiuo Back.
Iandy, a Newfoundland dog belonging I
Nathaniel Wheelen of Clinton, N. J., re
turned to his mauler today a wallet con
taining $107 and valuable paper, that had.
been stolen from Wheeler-, bedroom ten
days ao. The wallet had not been opened.
It was believed Uie wallet had been stolen
by a sneuk thief. Mr. Wheeler says h
now thinks that Dandy stole It for spite,
having received a beating about the time
tha wallet disappeared.
"This morning I played with Dandy quit,
a little," said Mr. Wbeeler today, "and I
remarked: 'If you had been around. Dandy,
the thief would nob have got my wallet,
would he' Almost instantly the dog ran
out of the house and in about an hour he
returned and placed the wallet at my feet."
Haiti. iUhUulcksands.
ut fori the skillful use of a lariat by
Deputy Sheriff Tremble of San Bernardino,
Cal., Thomas P.ppln, hi. wife and three
children would be lying dead under th
quicksands of th Meadow valley wash.
Tho Pepplns In driving to their ranch at
tempted to ford a harmless-looking stream.
In a moment, the two horse, drawing th
vehicle were caught In th. drift of qulok
tanda The struggling beasts were quickly
swallowed, and the wagon and 1U human
occupants were following rapidly when
Tremble rode up.
He uncoiled bis lasso, threw it to Peppen,
who fastened the rope about his wife's
waist. She was drawn to safely and th
others quickly followed.
I'eppin was th last to leave, and as be
jumped from th seat of th yahlol It
disappeared beneath th and,
