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Page 25
On ascending to the next deck, one passed under a covering made of
oyster-shells, similar to that over the entrance to the saloon; under
this hung a flag which had been borne before the Emperor on one of the
most solemn religious processions. On a piece of wood near one of the
windlasses was inscribed--"May the sea never wash over this junk."
Close by was the sailors' Joss-house, containing the deity of the sea
with her two attendants, each with a red scarf. Near the principal
goddess was a piece of the wood from the first timber of the junk that
was laid; this was taken to one of their principal temples, there
consecrated, and then brought on board, and placed as symbolic of the
whole vessel's being under the protection of the deity. A small
earthen pot, containing sacred earth and rice, stood in front, in
which Joss-sticks and other incense was burnt. A lighted lamp, too,
was here always kept burning; if it had gone out during a voyage it
would have been considered an omen of bad luck. On the right and left,
before coming to this Joss-house, were paintings. One panel
represented the Mandarin Ducks; another, a Chinese lady at her
toilette; a third, a globe of gold-fish. On this deck were cabins for
passengers and supercargoes, the doors painted with different devices.
Above was the lofty poop-deck, with one of the rudder-windlasses on
it, and the mizzen-mast, fifty feet long, and placed on one side, in
order to allow the tiller to work when in shallow water. The main-mast
was ninety-five feet in length, and ten feet in circumference at the
bottom. It was one spar of teak, and just as the tree grew with merely
the bark taken off. It was not perfectly straight--a defect with us,
but not so considered by the Chinese, who prefer a mast with a bend in
it to one without, thinking it adds to the strength, and is conclusive
evidence of the goodness of the spar. This mast was hooped round, in
consequence of being cracked while undergoing the process of
hardening. The mode adopted for this purpose by the Chinese is to bury
the timber for a considerable time in marshy ground; thus treated,
they say teak becomes hard as iron. The mast did not go within four
feet of the bottom--the ship having no kelson--but, to use the
technical term, was "toggled" to two large pieces of wood which
answered as partners. To these were added two other heavy pieces as
chocks, which were intended to keep the huge spars in their places.
Neither stays nor shrouds were used. The main yards were made of teak
quite rough; the upper one was seventy-five feet long, and the lower
sixty.
The sails were made of closely-woven matting, a substance much lighter
than canvas. It holds the wind better, and rarely splits, because it
never shakes in the wind. So large and heavy was the mainsail of the
_King-Shing_, that it required forty men with the aid of the capstan
to raise it. Without the capstan eighty men would have been needed. It
had eighteen reefs. The sails were reefed by being lowered, which
precluded any necessity for going aloft.
The vane was in the shape of a fish, the body formed of rattan work,
the head and gills of painted matting, with two projections like the
antenn� of a butterfly. The tail was furnished with long streamers,
and little flags were stuck in the body for additional ornament. There
were also Chinese characters painted on the body signifying "Good luck
to the Junk." Between the main-mast and fore-mast were two large rough
windlasses stretching across the deck, and used for getting up the
anchor. By the entrance to the forecastle were two water-tanks,
capable of holding one thousand five hundred gallons each. The
fore-mast was seventy-five feet from the deck. It raked forward, and
was supported by a large piece of wood on the after part, and secured
similarly to the main-mast. The anchors were of wood, the flukes shod
with iron, and attached to the shank by strong lashings of bamboo. The
stock was composed of three separate pieces of wood lashed together by
rattan ropes, and was fixed to the crown. As the Chinese drag their
anchors on board instead of catting and fishing as other seamen do,
this position of the stock offers no impediment. The flukes were of
the same dimensions as those of similar sized anchors with us; they
were straight and not rounded, and there were no palms. There was also
a kedge, with only one fluke. The cables were of rattan. The junk had
no bitts, but to supply their place the strong beams across the deck
had large holes for stoppers. The "wales" formed another singular
feature of the vessel--airtight boxes, projecting three feet from the
side; their object was to make the vessel more buoyant, to enable her
to carry more cargo, and prevent her rolling, but this last, in my
opinion, was chiefly prevented by the size and position of the rudder.
The cook-house was placed differently from the galleys of European
vessels, being aft of the main-mast. The lower part was built of
brick, with two square holes in front for the fires. Troughs of water
were placed in front of these holes, so that any ignited fuel that
might drop out would be at once extinguished. Wood was the fuel used.
For cooking they used iron pans surrounded by red tiles. One was
covered by a kind of half cask; this was used for boiling the rice,
the cover being to preserve the steam after the water was boiled away,
which causes the rice to be beautifully done and not soddened, as is
often the case in our cooking. It also prevents it from being thrown
out when the vessel rolls. The quantity of rice for each man was about
three pounds daily. All washing of dishes, etc., was performed on a
stage outside the galley so that it might be kept perfectly clean. The
proper allowance for each mess was delivered in front. Close to the
cook-house was a water-tank of wood, painted in imitation of bricks,
and capable of holding three thousand gallons.
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