Rochester (CA 124) - Naval Cruise Book

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Q WATER SPILLS from the mountainsides, drops more than 200 feet and eventually finds its way into the rice paddies. a fleet of 16 Dutch ships, but in 1668 the city with which ROCHESTER crewmembers have become so familiar was abandoned by the Dutch as an unprofitable station. Koxinga's realm came to an end with the invasion by a Manchu fleet of the Pescadores and Formosa. From then until 1824 the island was the scene of constant rebellions, civil wars, and bloody uprisings in which Western powers V V470 , 4, X -f , , M, ,F Q ,Mer.,r- ,.-..,g,. , 4 ' ,V , . 0 V' .V ' I 17 5--1 V -ff ' ...' rzg ' ,'M.f,,,y-m'iw,,3 se' SMALL BOYS SOAK LEAVES prior to weaving them into native hats, many of which found their way aboard the ship. did not figure, to any really great extent. The period 1824-1854 might be termed European contacts renewed since the colonialistic expansions of the Western world brought European and American trading ships to Formosan shores. In 1849, the same year as the Gold Rush in California, Americans visited Keelung, examined coal mines, and suggested developing Keelung as a coaling station. This however met with opposition, even from the very learned people of the island, who thought digging into the ground would disturb the dragons lying beneath. The importance of Formosa in Far East trade is indicated by the recommendation of one American trader that southern Formosa be seized and colonized as a measure of security for the rapidly growing U.S. trade in China waters. British, American, German and French businessmen established trade in tea, camphor and sugar and went to great expense to develop the production of those items in Formosa. Com- petition with stateside sugar production became so great that the California Legislature placed an extremely high import tariff on Formosan sugar, virtually shutting off that trade. Formosa was one of the causes of an undeclared war between China and France in 1884. The French set up a complete blockade of the island's ports. On August 4 of that year, three French warships in Keelung reduced forts in the city to rubble. French marines landed and took possession of the city. After a year's stalemate a treaty was signed, part of which stipulated that Formosa and the Pescadores were to be evacuated by French troops. Upon hearing this news the Frenchmen on station were overjoyed, over 700 had died at Keelung, mostly of disease, and were buried there. About this time China developed a progressive policy on the island, improving it wherever possible. With the purpose of making Keelung a great harbor, work began on a railway to link it with west coast cities. Designed by a German engineer named Becker, the Keelung-Taipei railroad was completed in 1891. About the same time a cable was laid from Tansui across the straits to the mainland, linking Formosa with the world's telegraph system. Later a tele- phone cable was added. CCONTINUED ON PAGE 221

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F l l v V i 1 l . g-..., ,. ,,,,,, . f . .. . W , ., .i ,,,,. y- - . ,i . fi , ,If I ff'f1.,'1',, . - .zj'.g.s, ,Q-I-My ,-Ay is ff- ' - HP f I-A-f3rY.::,,.,p . 'H 4 .7 .fs .. '.':.l,:1 H-,Q V ,iff 'ft ' . 4151 , , . . ,w V45 T ffm'-' - -. '5ffFf .- .rw . . . . , N, ,. ws vw - . . , f ' ,Aw , K H vw, A ,,,: 1, ,Ei , .7 1 M .fig , yi... .:,f,Af., 1.5, ' Q.. ffl 'H 4 ' ' A 4 LZ -' V '- 'S ' ' - 41 N . g .15--' ,.:- , .4 ff' ,,-aafif 'X 'iv' ,f -Q ,f 2'??'-mL'.'B's'f'7Jf-J.KJ'l. . . ' H 1 V - 7-T 23 x.a .ff.5'f. vii-fpf' . . 1-si...--ff' aff. 1 asa, :fs-..afgfQ,.-r A TWO-MAN CONSTRUCTION GANG makes repairs to a For- mosan railroad, using lines around their waists for safety. F O R M O S A As might be expected of almost any island, fishing is a primary means of livelihood. Lack of industry and progres- sive methods has limited the mineral output of the island to coal. As was seen on the road from Keelung to Taipei, farmers are quite adept at using every available inch of ground by terracing their farms when the contour of the land does not permit normal farming. These terraced fields are one reason the Formosan uses an ox and a primitive plow-instead of modern but heavy and unwieldly farming gear. The history of Formosa is rich and colorful even for the Orient. If one were to listen to local mythology, he would learn of the following tale of the island's beginning. It seems that some dragons who lived at Five Dragon Gate near Foochow on the South China coast slipped out to sea. Under the ocean bed they traveled due east for a hundred miles, and then, in a holiday mood, they stopped to frolic. So violent were their contortions, that a chain of mountains was created where hitherto there had been only a vast expanse of the Pacific. From these mountains, proof positive of their origin, belched the fire that had sprung from the nostrils of the monsters. The highest and most majestic of their creations-Mt. Morrison-was hurled directly astride the Tropic of Cancer, a phenomenon fortunate for successive generations of navigators plotting their courses. After their astonishing high-jinks the dragons curled up and went to sleep in the slopes of the hills, emitting, upon occasion, a warning snore or two to disturb the head-hunting inclinations of a most unpleasant set of natives. Until about 1600 the island was recognized as the haunt of pirates. Japanese pirates had their headquarters in Keelung at the same time North America was being dis- covered by Columbus and his fellow European adventurers. The island remained solely a sanctuary for maurauders until 1623 when the Dutch moved in, capturing the Pescadores and moving later to Formosa itself. Dutch rule was harsh and oppressive. The principal products at this time were sugar and rice, on which the Dutch attempted to levy a heavy export tax. In 1626 the Spanish landed at Keelung and established the Fort of Santissimus Trinidad. A permanent Spanish colonial . in .r.,........-..........-..aa.r D LA ' L., LONGSHORENIEN SHOW THEIR PASSES to officials before reporting to work handling cargo on the dock in Keelung. government was established with a Fort San Domingo con- structed at Tansui, near Taipei. At present this same build- ing is being used as the British Consulate in Tansui. In 1662 a modern-day Chiang Kai-Shek by the name of Koxinga fled from China in the face of a Manchu invasion from the north and established himself as the ruler of For- mosa. A year later Keelung was attacked and captured by Q17 n Lf- .M M.-' i. - ff ' 1 - 2. V . ff, . . J . - I s- ,. V' .- 'f. , , . . -CU' f 'Ny nf , , K -1, ,, -:.-A.. n , v A V ivy, , . kd -l. ,f,gur, rf- if Y f . . p- --.-. ..- --I 4 .-ta.. .-Q-in -

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