Show THE CHINESE IN NEW YORK Allan Forman Vsncs Instructively of Their Y4 uil Their Projects Special t respondence1 vv YOUK March 21 The Chinese population in New York is gradually branching out into now lines of industry in-dustry and speculation and from being mainly employed as laundryraen they are gradually working their way into various other trades and businesses There a a number of first class Chinese grocery and fancy goods stores in the Chinese quarter as well as a half dozen restaurants It is not generally known but there is considerable con-siderable capital behind these unpretentious shops Yut Sing the genial grocer for example ex-ample is worth at least 500000 Wong He Chong the importer is a two millionaire Tom Lee Quong Hung Long and Tuck Hi have each over 100000 and Wo Kee of Mott street is said to bo worth 250000 But they are cautious investors and prefer the slow and safe system of moderate investments and small profits rather than the more brilliant and risky financial methods of their Caucasian Cau-casian brothers They are a great people for stock companies or syndicates Their restaurants res-taurants are largely run on the stock company com-pany plan a number of capitalists being interested in-terested in each of tile larger ones An example ex-ample of this syndicate system speculation pvrpd last Maj when there was a wonder f s 0 i of niifn off the t coast awl 1 ft > 000 of the fish were thrown upon the York market in one day The mat r was glutted over 1000000 were not used but were thrown into the river bv the fishermen Prices dropped from ten outs to one and a half cents a pound and tii n to five mackerel for a cent With the drop in prices a syndicatewas formed by a number of the wealthy residents of Chinatown and nloufc four millions of the fuh were purchased Fo a week Mott street reeked with the smell ouinolcd mackerel dried mackerel pirll l rUI I rJ and soused mackerel Everylody Wq5 v d Ic curing the fish mui in hen I than sija v uays the oui cl jKh Wol o wl i > i a < < < ur prolit of something over 150UUO an1 the original investment including hire of the men who cured and packed the fish could not have been over 14000 For some time Wong Chin Foo the enterprising enter-prising young Mongol who ran The Chinese American has been agitating the subject of a Chinese theatre The Chinese population in New York and vicinity is large enough to make it a paying investment and Wong calculated cal-culated upon receiving a substantial support from nOTelty loving New Yorkers The schemes of the exjournalist did not however how-ever find favor in the eyes of the conservative conserva-tive capitalists So they coolly appropriated his idea and are quietly organizing a syndicate syndi-cate of their own They propose to lease for a long term one of the smaller theatres in the lower end of the Bowery or possibly a large dime museum They will thoroughly overhaul over-haul it and fit it up to present the highest class of Chinese plays with a first class stock company The main difficulty is importing the company not only because of the expense ex-pense of getting them over passages and salaries sal-aries which are no small item but also on account ac-count of the stringency the laws relating to Chinese immigration Another expensive feature is the costumes A Chinese theatre has practically no scenery but the costumes are magnificent In the Chinese theatre in Sun Francisco the costumes are kept in large chests at the back of the stage and the actors take them out and put them away in full view of the audience The richest silks most expensive expen-sive and elaborate embroideries in gold and silver thread and swords and armor of the finest acuar inrrM < ed with pold and gvnis are required by the CrJiicalphne > o RH ioc The orchestra on the stage and to AMIM i can ears Chinese music is a wild Ateiul thing Expert jugglers and tumblers aro aIo always included in a Celestial t1u > trill company These people draw good salaries so it can be easily estimated that starting a Chinese theatre is a matter of no little ex ppnse The Chinaman though is sure if bo is slow and once the idea has taken root in his iiilnd as this has under the pigtails of the Vanderbilts of Mott street he will stIck to it until it is accomplished The Japanese village which had such a run in New York coupled with tho fact that it has become quite a fad with a certain class of Bohemian New Yorkers to dine at the Chinese restaurants has planted another idta in the brains of the cautious Celestial millionaires million-aires There is considerable talk among them of starting a Chinese restaurant catCr for Caucasian patronage somewhere on upper Broadway probably between Twentythird and Thirtythird streets This scheme has been but lately broached and I fancy that I happened to be one of the first Americans to get wind of it Until they know you the Chinese are the most reticent people in the worM They even feign a lack of knowledge of English They are courteous obliging gentlemanly but they obstinately refuse to understand what you say to them When however they become convinced that you are ho pang yo which is the Chinese equivalent for a mighty good fellow they become communicative and chatty enough This restaurant they propose pro-pose to fit up in Chinese style and furnish Ciiineso food cooked in the highest style of art Their bill of fare is not half so unattractive unat-tractive to the Caucasian palate as is generally gener-Ally supposed Of course it is conceded that hy can beat the world in the preparation of rice and tea But in addition to this their macaroni or meu as it is called is fully equal to Neapolitan spugatti They excel the French cooks in making chicken bouillon and a number of dishes which have no analo rs on our bill of fare are very toothsome u ohowchopsuey for example is a stew made of tripe chickens livers and gizzards giz-zards beans and celery Chopscow is a leliciou3 method of preparing roast pork while they have pastries and cakes and confections in infinite variety I have taken many friends through the Chinese quarter both here and in San Francisco and I have yet to find one who could not make a good dinner out of the ordinary Chinese bill of fare Yet the popular prejudice is so strong that I was by no means enthusiastic over tho scheme of my Chinese friends Notwithstanding Notwith-standing the love of novelty in the average New Yorker he is very careful of what he I puts into his stomach and I fancy that VISions vis-ions of kittens and rats would keep the Chinese Chi-nese restaurant from being largely patronized patron-ized I can only say that I have eaten many meals in Chinese restaurants and have never knowingly eaten anything of the kind If I have unconsciously partaken of a succulent pussy or smacked my lips over an unusually delicate rodent mistaking it for something I else I can only say that It was good and I am satisfied ALLAN TORMAK I |