Ahoy Shipmates


Outlined belowis a letter of Frank B Lester, Electrician, USS Virginia:


November 3rd, 1908
Dear Papa,

Have put off writing until I could get ashore and get some impressions of the place. We arrived last Friday after a smooth passage from Yokohama, but found no such welcome awaiting us as we received in Japan. Four Chinese cruisers came out to meet us and to escort the squadron into the harbor, which as you will see on the map is quite a long one but not very wide, and having a four mile an hour tide.

On Saturday we coaled ship and took aboard one thousand tons from the USS Alexander which had received her cargo at Manila. Cleaned up the ship on Sunday and on Monday we had a chance to go ashore and take in the sights.

We are not allowed to go up into the old city of Amoy nor over into the European settlement for fear of getting the cholera or some other infectious disease. A large dock was erected where we landed and marched in a body to the grounds. On the way there we passed an old Chinese fort on top of which Chinese soldiers could be seen by the dozen. The buildings for the entertainment are erected in a circle and made entirely of bamboo, some of them being eighty feet high.

From the entertainment grounds to the temple is a walk of one-half a mile, and here I saw all the Chinese Gods depicting Love, Hate, Grief, War and other emotions of everyday life. Around the Temple was a Bazaar where the merchants held forth selling their goods, such as laces, silks, linen and other articles of commerce. On the way from the grounds to the Temple we passed thousands of Chinese graves. Rode back to the grounds in a sedan-chair carried by three coolies, these being furnished free by the Government.

Met a Dr. Snoke from Newville who has just been out here two weeks, being sent out by the Dutch Reformed Church as a physician. Myers from Carlisle and I went around with him quite a lot.

The country around Amoy is very barren and mountainous, and one can readily see why so may thousands of them starve to death each year. The temp this time of year ranges from 65 to 85 degrees/ it being very warm some days.

China has no gold standard, one of their dollars being worth about forty-five cents at the present time. There is a large amount of counterfeit coin in circulation, so before a bank issues any dollars they take a stamp and punch the coins to see if there is any lead between the two faces of the coins.

The counterfeiters having a way of taking out the silver from the center of the coin and substituting lead instead. One gets a hold of dollars defaced almost beyond recognition, but they pass as the best of money.
A boat such as we would term a row-boat in the States is here called a san-pan, each one having two eyes in the bow, for as the Chinese say; “No eyes no can see”, meaning of course that if the boat did not have any eyes he would not be able to navigate the ocean and rivers. He stands in the stern of the boat and rows facing forward.
Today is the Empress Dowagers birthday in China and election day in the States, but then we are about eleven and a half hours ahead of your time. We leave on Thursday for Olongapoo where the dry dock Dewey is located, it being sixty miles from Manila.

The Imperial Prince who is representing the Chinese government was aboard our ship yesterday from which he viewed the boat races. His name is Sang. He was given a salute of nineteen guns only two guns less than the national salute, so he is quite high up in rank.

Two-hundred and fifty men from each ship are to be allowed to go to Cairo, to see the Pyramids, Sphinx, and other places of interest around and about Cairo. I have put my name down for the trip and hope I am chosen as on to go. The rate is only ten dollars per man, which is very cheap for a trip lasting three days.

Have sent cards to all-hands, Amoy cards are rather scarce so I sent the best I could find.

Hoping you are both enjoying the best of health, and assuring you that I am.

As Always,
Frank


Cheers


Sean