Where once were but a few jetties fronting a section of warehouses intersticed by open country is now almost a continual frontage of landing stages, behind which are huge compounds, oil-tanks, godowns and the like. Steamers are also here. Tankers, passenger carriers, and one or two desolate, unmanned ancients at rest again after wheezy labourings during War-time activity. Of sailing ships there are none. A short year ago some few found anchorage in the lower reaches there to imply compassion on their steamer sister made scarce through ruthlessness. If she appears again it will be in response to the bidding of men who will partake of those God-given elements, the wind and the sea, which no one can monopolize and exploit as they can the nutriment of boilers, coal, and the life of the internal combustion engine, gasoline.
A deep-draught liner or two now signifies that the one time bug-bear to navigators, the Bar, is po longer a matter of concern. The ''Wo, Sing, Sang and Shing" boats still berth in their usual location and new types indicate that the survival of man-made contrivances is impossible. The scrap heap comes sooner or later.
And what of the Soochow Creek? Congestion at its mouth seems to be greater than ever. The narrowed channel infers that in time it will close up completely, to become a blind inland waterway if that little busybody, man, does not bring his mud-shovelling devices to work upon the slowly poaching banks.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.