THE CHINA MAIL. PER S.S. WHAMPOA. TRADE AT A STANDSTILL. Auckland, August 26.

Te Aroha News, Volume VII, Issue 398, 31 August 1889, Page 4

THE CHINA MAIL. PER S.S. WHAMPOA. TRADE AT A STANDSTILL. Auckland, August 26.

The "Straits Times" of the Ist ult., to hand to-day by the steamer Whainpoa, from Hongkong, says :—: — A serious riot has broken out in Bangkok amongst the Chinese populace, and it has assumed such dimensions bhab all trade is suspended, and the ships are detained in the harbour. The whole town is suffering from the outbreak, and the transaction ot ordinary business is rendered impossible. From several persons who have just left the seat of the outbreak, and should therefore be cognizant of the facts, we learn that for a considerable time past the members of the different kongsees have been at loggerheads, and although petty eruptions have been frequent, matters have never actually reached a crisis until the present time, when the coolies broke out into open warfare, and by their obstreperous manifestations towards each other, pub all trade to a standstill, and created serious inconveniences to the European inhabitants It appears that there are two kongsees in Bangkok, the coolies in the employ of Messrs Windsor, Rose and Co. and the cargo boat coolies comprising one society, while the coolies of the Borneo Co., Messrs Markwell, and the coolies employed m three Chinese - owned rice mills form the other kongsee. These two societies have several times been in collision, but on the 16bh ultimo the disturbances which eventually led on to the riot commenced, and gradually assumed larger dimensions until the night of the 18th, when the two bodies met, and after a sharp bout, during which firearms were freely used, they again dispersed. About 5 o'clock on the following morning the occupants of about 150 cargo boats that were lying by the side of the steamer Hecate, at a signal rose en masst and clambered on the Hecate's decks. Each coolie was armed with some sorb of a weapon, either spear, trident, sword, or firearm, and their peremptory storming of the Hecate, to the no small consternation of the captain and officers, was with the object of annihilating their opponents, who they thought were working on board. On being informed to the contrary, they left for the shore and getting behind their fortifications on the main road, opened the attack upon No. 2 society with a volley from the firearms, and a shower of stones and other missiles. Several times during the day the belligerents, numbering altogether about five thousand, came to close quarters, when the spears and tridents were used with terrible effect, numbers being killed on the spot, while the many wounded managed to escape and get their injuries attended to. The coolies fought more like demons than human beings. They were all more or less under the influence ot drink, their barbarity being simply hideous to behold. Several times during the conflict, after felling a victim, three or four coolies would dig their spears and tridents into the wounded man, and while life's blood was still running, they held the body aloft on their spear points, demoniacally grinning the while, showing the fearful lot that might befall others who fell into their clutches. This occurred on one or two occasions, and goes to prove the excited state of mind in which the combatants were. Although these fearful crimes were being committed, it must be said that the conflict was confined to the members of the two societies. Several Europeans were in the vicinity, but at present we have heard of no assault upon anyone. Tho battle continued all that day. About nine o'clock that morning, while the coolies were fighting as viciously as ever, about fifty mounted cavalrymen and nearly one thousand foot soldiers came upon the scene. In the rush to get away, about 15 men were unhorsed, but those who struck on with their long swords created a sheol among the belligerents, and in leas than three minutes from the time the order to charge was given, not a Chinaman could be seen. The troops were then drawn up in line along the road in such a way as to surround buildings, and so as to prevent the escape of the coolies. Several attempted to break through the ranks, bub failing to stop when called upon to do so, they were bayonetted without mercy. In the meantime a large number of steam launches were patrolling the river, so that every pos sible chance of escape was shut off to the coolies. Having gob so much order restored r the troop 3 stationed off the wharf where the Hecate was lying were ordered to search the cargo boats lying round that vessel. The soldiers had no sooner stepped off the wharf and lined along into the boats than there was a mighty horde of bewildered coolies rushing hither and thither, to the boats, into the water, on board of the Hecate, in fact the poor creatures, now mad with sheer fright, were seeking any hole or corner where there was a possible chance of escape. Several of the small boats were swamped by their numbers, but those coolies who got into the water shared the worst fate of all. The troops proved themselves to be very bad riflemen, for several of them failed to hit swimming Chinamen at twenty yards. Not to be daunted by this, the boldiers, still carrying their guns, jumped overboard and quickly overhauled their chase, when the coolies had either to return or be bayouetted to death. Not a few chose the latter, probably thinking it the better expedient than the later tribunal. After this chase the Captain of the Hecate allowed his vessel to be searched. Coolies were hauled out from the boiler furnaces, the funnel, ship's boats, water tanks, the galley, coal box, and even out of the officers' bunks, where they lay as flat as any human being possibly could lie in order to avoid detection, but ib was no good, the cute little Siamese stuck their bayonets here, there and everywhere. In this way, something like two hundred coolies were captured. As they were caught, each man's arms were tied behind his back with his own pigbail, such a posture being simply torture ' for the poor wretches. About 900 were taken into custody.