An American cruiser in the East; travels and studies in the Far East; the Aleutian Islands, Behring's Sea; Eastern Siberia, Japan, Korea, China, Formosa, Hong Kong, and the Philippine Islands

Front matter

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Contents

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INTRODUCTION i

Chapter

Introduction

AFTER a term of duty at the Baltimore Manual Training School, having watched its growth from nothing to five hundred students; having seen four classes of one hundred and twenty young men graduated, settled in good employments, and well started in their chosen lifework ; having witnessed the material increase from two bare floors in the old schoolhouse on Courtland Street to the acquisition and equipment of the entire building, together with the lease and equipment of the annex, on the opposite side of the street, and the erection and furnishing of the five-story building adjoining and connecting with the old schoolhouse, — I opened my mail, on the 2d of July, and found an order which required me to report for duty in San Francisco on the 13th of the month.

The work had been laborious. There were some data for other circumstances, but none to suit our conditions. We were doing pioneer work. Every lesson and every course of study, both in the laboratories and the draughtingrooms, had to be studied out and devised, in order to obtain such as would furnish the largest amount of hand and eye work, so that it could be made to supplement the purely literary work, blending together and producing the desired result, thus solving the problem, How to adjust Manual Training to the Public-School System ? The results show how well or how ill the work has been done.

2 Introduction

Although my official relations with the school had been severed by the receipt of the order, I devoted the remaining days to getting things in shape for my unknown successor, and had never realized until then how it had endeared itself to me. But the last day came, as last days always will come !

His Honor the Mayor, and the Officers and Members of the School Board tendered me a farewell dinner at the Rennert. After sitting through the feast, from the oysters to the black coffee and cigars, where all had kind words and pleasant wishes, we all stood and sang " Auld Lang Syne." Then came the hardest part of all, the " good-bye " and the " God bless you."

A little later, I bade farewell to dear old Baltimore, and took rny seat in a Pullman sleeper of the " Overland Flyer," on the hottest night that has been known in this section for many years. As the train was rushing through the tunnel and beyond, I remembered how kind and helpful all had been to the work I was leaving behind. Our Senators and Representatives had interested themselves in it from its inception. The newspapers had sent their representatives, investigated, and commended. The Mayor, the Councils, and the School Board had been generous in their appropriations. The Chairman and Committee had always been a unit for the school. The Faculty was devoted and zealous, and the great majority of the students appreciated their opportunities.

The next night Chicago was reached and left behind us, and we were still rushing through the great flat, treeless plains towards the Rocky Mountains. Council Bluffs, Omaha, Grand Island, Cheyenne, Laramie, Green River, Granger, Ogden, Winnemucca, Reno, Trucker, and Sum-

Introduction mit, seven thousand feet above the sea-level, and scores of other cities and towns, were passed by as we sped from prairie to desert and over hills and mountains. From Summit the road ran down the Pacific slope, through Sacramento to Oakland, where we crossed the bay in the big steamer to San Francisco, having left Baltimore late on Tuesday night and arrived in San Francisco on the following Sunday morning. The car services, sleeping and dining, left nothing to be desired.

Having completed my duty in San Francisco by the end of September, I repaired to the Mare Island Navy Yard, and joined the U. S. S. "Alert" for a cruise in Behring Sea and the far East. The cruise was very interesting, and the experiences were valuable. Behring Sea and Korea were revelations to me. During a large portion of the cruise we visited Japan, China, Hong-kong, and the Philippines, which gave me the opportunity to compare, modify, or confirm the impressions of years ago ; and my desire is, to show those countries and their people as I saw them.

Chapter I

ON the morning of the i8th of June we cast off the lines that bound us to the water-front of the Mare Island Navy Yard, and steamed down the river towards San Francisco. After reaching the bay, we changed our course to keep clear of the great steamer which plies between that city and Oakland ; and passing by the city, we rounded to, and stood through the Golden Gate, running against a stiff breeze and a heavy chopped sea. As soon as we were well outside of the land, upon the bosom of the broad Pacific, bearings were taken, and the vessel was headed for Unalaska, Aleutian Islands, about twenty-two hundred miles away. The clouds lowered and became almost black, and the once chopped sea gradually increased until we had a heavy head sea, causing the old ship to roll and pitch in a most uncomfortable manner.

The little ship, that was to be our home for the next two years and a half, was an iron steamer, 175 feet long, 35 feet beam, 15 feet 6 inches deep, and of 1,020 tons' displacement. It was full bark-rigged, and had an old-fashioned bow. Her armament consisted of one eleveninch smooth-bore pivot gun, two nine-inch smooth-bore broadside guns, one sixty-pounder breech-loading rifle, and several machine guns and brass pieces.

We had a lot of almost worthless Japanese for servants, — poor fellows, who had left their island home to seek their fortunes in America. They had met with poor success, and were discouraged and homesick. To get away from their uncongenial surroundings, and with the hope of ultimately reaching Japan, they shipped as servants for our cruise. They made poor seamen ; for as the gale increased, boy after boy disappeared, — sick, down with mal de mer^ — and before the close of the day we had but one servant in condition for service. One boy to look after a dozen of us !

Our head wind and sea stuck to us, and continued to increase, as though winds and seas never came from any other direction. After experimenting for four days, it was determined to abandon the direct course to Unalaska, and to make a leading wind of the present freshness, running into Victoria, British Columbia, to refill our bunkers and to make a new start.

The bad weather we were experiencing gave us the opportunity of testing the seamanship and endul-ance of our men, as a great deal of sail-drilling was necessary ; and before the end of it we realized that we had about as fine a crew as ever went to sea. Many of them were not only good seamen, but possessed qualities that promote the happiness of a ship's company. There were some jewels in the engine department, — men who worked well, and in the early watches of the night excelled in song and dance ; they could " spout " quotations from an " improved " Shakespeare or the dime " Ready Speaker," with a fervor and gesture that would cause an actor to blush. These interested and amused the forecastle and the fire-room, and made Jack's time pass pleasantly during the loneliest hours of the nights, from tea-water to hammocks. We had men who were formerly elegant " barn-stormers," but had been financially wrecked in their showy ventures; also an ex-negro minstrel from down the coast, and an athlete who had seen

Sullivan ; but the cream of the crew was the dude barber, whose carroty frizzes were always parted in the middle. He wore the finest embroidered trousers and shirts, and the ship's name, in solid silver, on his cap ribbon ; his clocked silk hose and elegant pumps were the envy of all the youngsters, from the forecastle to the maintop. He could trip the light fantastic toe, in hornpipe or jig, make good music from almost any instrument, " splice the main-brace," or jump aloft as nimbly as any. Of course, such a paragon soon became the favorite of the crew, and, to his credit, he held this good opinion throughout the cruise. As I have stated, we had artists and poets amongst the crew, and many of their stories of imagination, told to a gaping auditory in the dark midnight watches, might *' cause each particular hair to stand on end," or provoke mirth that would disturb the slumbers of the watch below ; and we had some old fellows who were so salt that they would secure all the sea water they could stow away, to use for bathing purposes when the vessel was in fresh-water rivers.

Early on the 24th, we sighted the Olympics and headed for Cape Flattery, the most northerly point of land projecting from the State of Washington, and just opposite Vancouver Island. We entered the Strait of Juan de Fuca, between the cape and the island, and headed for Victoria, British Columbia, On one side of the strait, the great black mountains are covered with dense forests until the snow-line is reached ; beyond which the darkness is transformed into an eternal whiteness, rending the heavens and piercing the clouds, thousands of feet above us. Several Indian villages are scattered along the foot of the mountains. Braves, and squaws with their pappooses, stroll along the beach and admire the great white war-canoe that is forging its way through the waters. Others paddle their canoes upon the quiet waters, or haul seine or line in pursuit of unwary members of the finny tribe.

A cool breeze and calm sea bring our late, not sea-sick, but sick of the sea, messmates from their rooms, with appetites as big as the ship. Crackers, cheese, and beer are in demand ; and the stentorian voice of our most excellent caterer is heard in vain protests against this dangerous raid upon the sea stores. As the day passes into night, the Olympics, with a nearly full moon shining upon them, appear like masses of blackness capped with dancing gold ; and the old ship speeds on through placid waters, carrying a mass of silvery waves at her bow, which make faint dashes, and are lost upon the beach, where the tiny lights and fires of the Indians dance like "will-o'-thewisps " amidst the blackness. About ten o'clock we anchored near the inner harbor of Victoria, and were soon surrounded by a little fleet of pleasure-boats, whose happy occupants gave us some fine music, instrumental as well as vocal ; and we found that these good people were as curious to see a Yankee man-of-war as the Indians of the strait had been.

Victoria, British Columbia

Victoria is situated on the southern end of Vancouver Island, in the Strait of Juan de Fuca, and has grown from old Fort William, a trading post, which is nearly as old as the fur-trade on the North Pacific coast. It is still a seat of the Hudson Bay Company, which has fine storehouses in the city, where almost anything can be purchased or traded.

The fur-trader was close behind the hunter, and they were soon followed by the prospector and the miner, as vast quantities of gold were supposed to be hidden in the hills. The finds were not equal to the expectations, and the rush soon cleared out what was there ; but the coal mines that were discovered have proven themselves vastly more important to this portion of the world than the precious metal could possibly have been. The mines at Nainaimo and vicinity supply the whole upper Pacific coast, including San Francisco as well as the railroads and shipping, and make life, manufactures, and commerce possible. Timber is abundant, but the government cares for it, and its cutting, on a large scale, is discouraged.

The business portion of the city is built around an inner harbor which is protected by a point of land that juts out into the strait. Many improvements are being made in this part of the city : roads and streets are being changed and graded ; hollows and low places are being filled in, and hills removed, giving the place a " fussy " appearance. There are many handsome buildings that would be ornaments in any city. Through the streets several lines of cars are run, driven by electric motors. They make good speed, are easily handled, and have many advantages over the cable cars run in San Francisco. The poor car-horse is on the eve of emancipation, and there seems to be no excuse for his further employment in that capacity. The streets — roads, they are called — are lighted with electric lights.

The curious old custom is preserved in Victoria of firing a warning gun at nine in the evening ; and at nine thirty a second gun is fired, when all the public lights are extinguished and the streets and roads are in darkness.

Everything moves slowly here. Business is done in a very quiet way, and the shopkeeper's life seems an easy one. There is no push or drive, and no advertising, as we see it in our home cities. No attempt is made to push goods in the shops : they are shown, on inquiry the price is named, and you buy or not, as you please ; and yet a vast business is done in this quiet, easy way, and handsome profits are realized. Business does not begin until after nine in the morning, and ends at four in the afternoon.

lo An American Cruiser in the East

The hotels are excellent, and are conducted on the English plan.

The residents' portion of the city extends over hills and valleys, and far up the strait, vi^here, surrounded by neat little gardens filled with beautiful flowers or carefully kept lawns, stand villas and cottages, — the homes of the people. The roads are hard, smooth, and admirably cared for. They are bordered with trim hedges, and brightly painted gates open from them into little gardens. In the quiet summer evenings, the air is laden with sweet perfumes from these dainty gardens of roses.

The houses are picturesque and varied, and of a composite order of architecture that is convenient and attractive. Many of the houses are built of bricks with handsome stone trimmings, while a larger number are of wood, painted in pleasing tints ; and all have an air of quiet refinement and elegance. The climate is invigorating and healthy. The summers are delightful, and the winters are comparatively mild, for the latitude. The city contains about twenty thousand inhabitants, its population having doubled in the last three years.

We drove to " Beacon Hill " to see the magnificent sunset, and sat through the long twilight, which lasts about two hours. The route led over a fine, hard road, surrounded by handsomely hedged gardens, whose delicious perfumes filled the air ; and the elegant houses lent their beauty to the ever-changing panorama, as we wended our way up among the hills. Beacon Hill is a bare knoll of greensward, with a flagstaff from which the British jack is thrown to the breezes. From this spot a most magnificent view is obtained.

In the valley below us nestles a village with its cluster of gardens and bright little cottages. We see the coast-line, with its restless, ever-lashing sea ; and beyond, an arm of the sea studded with islands, while here and there little boats and steamers are feeling their way through the winding channels. Yonder, the forest-covered Olympics, and in the far-otF distance the snow-capped mountains of the Pacific hold up their heads in solemn grandeur.

As the " day-god " sank into the bosom of " Balboa's ocean," the tints changed from blue to silver, to gold, to fiery vermilion, the outlines of the mountains were tipped with old rose, and finally all melted into one streak of rosy red, when the heavens and the earth seemed to meet each other, and we realized that it was night, and the stars were on guard.

The guns having been fired, the lights were extinguished, and our ride back to the hotel was dismal. The lonely watchman threw the rays of his dark lantern upon us, peered at us through the darkness, and cried out : " Ten — o' — clock, — a — clear — bright — night ! " Then all was dark and still.

At Sea

On the 30th, we said good-bye to our new-made friends and made another start for Behring Sea. When we had cleared the land, and the vessel's course was set, we found ourselves confronted by head winds and seas that caused the ship to pitch and roll to such a degree as to make life miserable. On the night of the 3d, the wind and sea died out, and the 4th opened with almost a calm, with a smooth sea and as bright a sun as ever shone. The boys had not sufficiently recovered from their second attack of sea-sickness to make any attempt at celebrating the day, and the " glorious Fourth " came and went with only the " storm flag " flying.

During the night of the 4th, the fair weather left us, and by daylight we had strong head winds and seas, with cold, gloomy weather. The 6th brought us some remarkable weather, — a cold Scotch mist with drizzly rain.

Through this the sun would shine brightly for about twenty minutes ; then the mist would shut the sun out for about the same length of time, — and so it went on, repeating the order for the whole day. The next day brought us a heavy sea with a dense fog. The ship, having been lightened up considerably by the use of stores, rolled very deep, and the creaking bulkheads and blowing steam whistle were^ not soothing music for nerves already strained in endeavors to penetrate the fog and discover the rocky shore ahead.

Owing to the flatness of the earth in these latitudes, there are chances for grave errors in estimating distances ; and the fact that these waters have never been carefully surveyed and charted, makes navigation extremely hazardous. After leaving Victoria, our only visible neighbors were several schools of whales and numerous stray seals.

Early on the morning of the 9th, the fog having cleared away, the peculiar haze, which the seaman knows to be land, was discovered ahead of us. Keeping on our course, we were soon between snowy mountains, whose chilly winds sent cold shivers through our frames. The grandeur of the scenery was fascinating, and held us almost spellbound, in spite of the cold, as we felt our way through the Onalga pass, which leads into Behring Sea. On one side of us were rugged, snow-capped mountains, upon whose rocky sides not a vestige of verdure could be seen, with here and there mad torrents of melted snow plunging into the sea almost at our feet ; or mountain sides of emerald and black, up to the snow-line, from whence began their covering of white. On the port hand was Mount " Makooshin," 5,500 feet above the sea, sending forth ashes and smoke ; on the starboard, mighty cone-shaped " Shisaldin," towering 8,500 feet towards the heavens, with its everlasting mantle of snow, the mad waters of ocean and sea dashing themselves against its rocky base. All about us were islands and great snow-capped peaks, which we passed and left in the distance. " Priest Rock " stood out of the sea, tall and slender, in cowl and gown, and " Egg Island " and " Old Man " were passed as we felt our way into Behring Sea. An interesting native village about six miles away, and Beaver Bay, where Captain Cook refitted his little fleet in 1778, were visible ; and by five in the afternoon we moored the ship in the outer harbor of Iliuliuk, Unalaska.

CHAPTER II Ice-built, ice-bound, and ice-bounded

Such cold seas of silence ! such room ! Such snow-light! such sea-light confounded With thunders that smite like a doom ! Such grandeur! such glory, such gloom! Hear that boom ! hear that deep, distant boom Of an avalanche hurled Down this unfinished world!

Ice seas and ice summits! ice spaces,

In splendor of white, as God's throne! Ice worlds to the pole! and ice places, Untracked and unnamed and unknown!

Hear that boom ! Hear the grinding, the groan Of the ice gods in pain! Hear the moan Of yon ice mountain hurled Down this unfinished world!

Joaquin Miller.

ILIULIUK is a beautiful harbor, surrounded by snow-capped mountains and green valleys. Unalaska, the settlement, has been built upon a natural crescent of low hills and plains on the southern side of the harbor, and consists of a Russian church, six large residences, sixty one-story wooden shanties, a few sod-houses, two storehouses, and a lot of sheds. These are the property of the Alaska Commercial Company, whose agent, called " Prince Paul " by the natives, manages the place, under the observation of some of our own officials.

An inner harbor is formed by a point of land jutting out from the shore, opposite the middle of the settlement. Near by is a third harbor, opening into the main one, known as Dutchman's Bay, around whose shores a rival company is erecting storehouses and shanties for use of its people in future operations. At the foot of the mountains, behind the settlement, there is a large fresh-water lake, which is formed by the melted snow from the mountain's side.

" Prince Paul " came on board to pay his respects, and to invite us to a ball which was to be given in the palace that evening in honor of our arrival. But as the notice was short, and as we had not been sufficiently long beyond the pale of civilization to indulge, we were compelled to decline the honor. We lunched the " Prince ; " and when he had said good-bye, he insisted upon returning to the shore in his own barge, which, by the way, was managed by only one man. Soon after he left the vessel, a local breeze and heavy rain came howling through the little valley ahead of us. The whitecaps soon sprang up from the smooth surface of the bay, and the " Prince's " man Friday could not pull against the wind and sea. Their barge was blown upon the beach on the opposite side of the bay, where, in a drenched condition, they were compelled to abandon the boat and wade through swamp and mud to the head of the spit ; here they secured another boat and were landed near the palace.

The principal part of the settlement of Unalaska faces a roadway, which extends along the beach for about two miles from the inner harbor to the little cemetery on the hillock towards the sea. In this little cemetery there are twoscore or more quaint graves marked with the double cross, and heavily fenced in to protect the inmates from the raids of hungry wild beasts.

The islands are of volcanic origin. Immense rocks have been thrown up from the bottom of the sea in some past t6 An American Cruiser in the East

age, and a thin layer of soil has been deposited upon them. The tops of the hills and mountains are covered with snow, and there is nearly always an icy breeze blowing from the mountains, a drizzly rain, or a fog. Efforts have been made to cultivate the soil. In well-sheltered places the experiments have been partially successful, but not very encouraging. There is not a tree or a bush in the neighborhood. A tall, rank grass grows in sheltered places, where a few cattle are pastured until killing time.

A great variety of small wild flowers, including violets and heliotrope, grow about the sheltered valleys. I found more than one hundred specimens, which I pressed and sent to the President of the Woman's College of Baltimore. A fine scarlet berry, which the natives call the " salmon berry," as large as a cultivated blackberry, and of delicious flavor, grows abundantly in sunshiny places, where it has protection from the cold winds.

Unalaska is the huntsman's paradise, whether with rod or gun. There is no end to the sport. It is just beyond civilization, or rather just on its border. There are no hotels and no boarding-places, and one must rough it all the time. The " globe-trotter " and the tourist have not penetrated its boundaries, climbed its hills, nor drank its sparkling waters ; neither has the hotel clerk's headlight flashed along its beach. There are many fine sites for hotels, huts, or tents, and the hills are filled with brown and green stones, that are almost prepared for buildings.

It is delightful to live the summer through in such freedom. So close to nature ! All is so peacefully quiet, and the musical, silvery chimes from the old church belfry are only disturbed by the dashing of the surf upon the rocks, or the howling winds that come tearing like mad from the mountain-tops.

Wolves, deer, and foxes abound on the islands. Ptarmigan are plenty, and ducks and geese frequent the waters from September to May. The waters fairly teem with whales, sea-lions, seals, cod, salmon, halibut, flounders, and herring. Gamy trout give sport in the streams, while fine oysters and clams are abundant.

The principal occupation of the inhabitants is hunting and fishing. They build small canoes ("kiaks ") of the raw hide of sea animals, which they sew over a light framework of wood. These they deck over, leaving an opening large enough to get their legs through. Their hunting and fishing garments are made of the entrails of sea-lions or other large animals ; consequently, they are waterproof. These garments are called " kamlika." After taking his seat in the " kiak," the native securely fastens the skirt of his "kamlika" to the rim of the deck opening, or hatchcombing, and with the hood of the " kamlika " secured about his head, he is prepared to encounter any sea, as, with the exception of face and hands, he never becomes wet. The paddles used in these " kiaks " are doubleended, with broad blades, and are made of such wood as can be procured from whaling vessels of the Trading Company.

The melted snow from the mountains behind the settlement is collected in a little reservoir, which has been terraced into the mountain, from whence it trickles down the hillside into a fresh-water basin.

Down upon the beach, among the rocks, pebbles, and shells, a noisy family party, assisted by neighbors, were preparing hundreds of fine salmon for the winter's food supply. A right merry crowd of merry-makers they were, and the occasion might be called an Aleute harvest. The older members of the party cut the great fish down the back, removed the entrails, and passed them on to the youngsters, — little " tackers," whose ages, perhaps, ranged from four to ten years. They chopped off the heads and carried the bodies of the fish to the rear of the " home," where they were thrown upon the ground in a heap until some old women strung them over great ridgepoles to dry. The fish were placed high enough to be out of reach of any wild animals that might be forced into the settlement in search of food. They were neither washed, salted, nor covered. There was no other preparation than I have noted. Many of these fine salmon would weigh twenty or thirty pounds apiece, and the cod, in these waters, are just as heavy.

During the long winter season, the men devote their time to repairing boats and seines, making lines and spears, and lounging. Many of them, when they can obtain molasses or sugar, distil it into " hoocheno," a fiery rum, which they frequently use to excess. To prevent this, the agents are particular to sell these articles in very limited quantities; but it is surprising to see the devices of the natives to obtain the fiery beverage.

Their women devote the long hours of winter to making baskets, mats, and many other curious ornaments from finely split grasses, with which they weave gay-colored wools and silks. They also make odd trinkets from dried skins, and ornament them with fancy colors. The summer nights are nearly as light as the day. I could read a newspaper on deck until eleven at night, afterwards a deeper twilight lasted until about two in the morning, when again the paper could be read without the assistance of artificial light.

The Aleutian- Islands number about one hundred and fifty, and belong to the United States, being a part of Alaska. They form a chain which extends from the west coast of America to a point within eight hundred miles of Asia. They lie in about 55 degrees of north latitude, and separate Behring Sea from the Pacific Ocean. They are naturally divided into five groups, are of volcanic formation, and show evidences of earthquakes on every hand.

The smoke of several volcanoes can be seen at great distances on clear days.

The whole number of inhabitants on all the islands is about fifteen hundred, who, from their circumstances and surroundings, are compelled to live in a shiftless condition, and lead miserable lives. They are poor stunted Indians, who gather salmon and cod in the summer for the winter's supply of food. They live in caves and holes in the ground, or in huts made by piling rows of sods upon each other, over which they thatch a roof, and fasten the skin of some animal to a lintel to serve as a door, unless they are so fortunate as to obtain some old boards for the purpose. They dress in skins of animals, or in " store-clothes," which they receive in trade for the skins they have captured. They live on in this way until they are put into another hole in the ground, where they will remain until the last trumpet shall sound.