HIGH SEA MUTINY.

Taihape Daily Times, 24 December 1918, Page 7

HIGH SEA MUTINY.

firemen refuse duty, heavy punishment inflicted. A story of Low the firemen on a large liner mutinied during the war has now been published in Sydney, The vessel left London on her maiden voyage to Australian ports, and some difficulty had been experienced in obtaining the right class of men for work in the stokehold, and in the end 62 Liverpool Irishmen were signed on. These men were not accustomed to long-dista»ce voyages, but apparently they were prepared to do a trip to Australan ports. In nil their previous ships they were used to nothing but the four or five day trips, with a day or two spell. In the new ship it was a different proposition. The jour ney meant at least forty days’ constant work in the stokehold, and the men proved themselves unequal to the task. In the early days of the Voyage the new ship, which had aboard many wounded soldiers, made good time. Later on the tired feeling developed, and with it came a consequent reduction in power Everything possible was done to keep the men at their posts, put it was all of no avail. Before the linev reached Bombay the trouble, which had been brewing for a week or more, came to a head. The officers and enigneers could do nothing to persuade the firemen to keep up a full head of "steam, and without, the least ceremony they stopped handling the coal. Another attempt was made to get the men to continue, but they refused point-blank to carry out the lawful commands of the captain and mutinied. The ship is of more than 15,000 tons and has to be well supplied by steam to be kept under control when on the ; high seas. When the whole of the | firemen, numbering more than 60, mutinied, it wjas difficult to find sufficient men to keep the fires burning 'fiercely, but those aboard overcame the position, and steam was maintained. The mutineers were kept aboard until the liner put in at Bombay, where they were handed over to the authorities, To mutiny in >3. British ship is the worst of crimes, and when the firemen wore brought before the court that I view was taken. Each of the men was sentenced t? imprisonment (for the duration of the war and six months after. A new lot of firemen wore signed on at Bombay, They were Cingalese, and they brought the vessel to Sydney. It was the first time for many years that a steamer of the line worked coolies in the stockhold, a clause in the mail contract making it imperative that none but white men should be employed on any of the ships.