STEAMER STRIKES A ROCK.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 1939, 23 December 1913, Page 5

STEAMER STRIKES A ROCK.

WRECK OF CHINA TRADER TAIYIiAN. .

• 170 LIVES LOST. TERRIBLE EXPERIENCE, OF THE : SURVIVORS. By Telegraph—Press i.ssodAtioiv : -Conyrii:)it: (Rec. Dccomber 23, "'0.1.0,.; Peking, December Tho China Navigation Company's stea:' mer *Tak.vui (Taiyuan, 22(39 tons?) ..was' wrecked on Saturday with a.loss) it';is., believed, of over 170, lives,'..;., mostly' coolies. Tho vessel .strurk on a sunken, rock off tho Reef Islands (nortli of the San-; tor Auz group, ill the. Pacific), late .at. night. Next morning a Japanese patrol boat, and two tenders. came .to '-tho steamer's assistance, and.., found . tho Taiyuan settled down astern with a strong list. _ ; * The passengers, chiefly coolies/;': were crowded'on the fore-part of the'ship, which was tilted in tlio air. Owing.'to the heavy sea which was running tlio rescuers were unable to givo any. assistance, and after banging on the_rock till mid-day, the doomed vessel slipped into tho sea and disappeared. -

Six survivors ...were subsequently res: cued, nearly dead from exposure, from the island.

Tlio master of the wrecked steamer,' Captain Ihoreseii, states that after the vessel struck, the engines were .kept going in order to keep the vessel oh tlio rock.' Orders were issued to launch the lifeboats, but crowds of panic-stricken coolies rushed theiii. making it impos-sible-to luovo thorn from the chocks. '■■■;.

Tlio vessel continued to pound on tho , rocks till she filled with water. Shethen slipped into deep water. _ . ■ Many of the shrieking coolies were (illicitly swallowed up in the_ raging sea. Thirty-six survivors, including the captain, and another European, managed to gain the island safely. The captain, chief officer, quarter-master, and stewards mado a raft, and after drifting for hours, were driven ashore, almost perished from exposure and hunger. '; : :... '■'There is no steamer of that name'.' in Lloyd's register, trading for tho China Navigation Ooranany. Th 4 vessel -is, probably the Taiyuan. . .