The men gathered in the warehouse, a long, high-ceiling affair made of wood. Tall sliding doors stood opened at each end of the building allowing a cooling breeze to pass through. Crates, chests, and burlap-wrapped bundles were stacked on the wooden floor and on ceiling-high shelves. Ladders on rollers fronted the shelves. Chinese workmen stood on the ladders pulling and pushing themselves from self to shelf. The man at the top would grab an item from the shelf and hand it to the man further down and so on until the last man on the ladder would place the package on a cart. The aroma of tea, coffee, and spice mixed with the smell of cedar and vanilla. The Chinese workers called out to each other in harsh voices that sounded angry to the Americans, but would suddenly turn to laughter. Confir
