ON THE HIGH SEAS.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVI, Issue 281, 30 April 1914, Page 3

ON THE HIGH SEAS.

HELD UP BY PIRATES. CAPTAIN Tiliij WITH ROPES. BOXES BROKEN OPEN. Details of the sensational piracy on the high seas was brought to Sydney last - week by the E. and A. mail steamer St. Albans. Just before the Australian liner left Hong Kong, the Childdr, a Norwegian passenger and cargo steamer running between Hong Kong and Swatow, returned to the harbor, after having been away only twelve hours, with a wrecked interior and her crew and- passengers robbed of all they possessed. In this particular , instance pirates had evidently been informed that the Ohildar was conveying treasure. But their calculations were a trip behind-hand. On her previous voyage the vessel, in addition to the passengers iunl their belongings, conveyed treasure to the value ,of 50,0(H) dollars. It was this that the pirates had obviously planned to secure, and when they discovered their mistake their revengeful annoyance resulted in the wholesale wreckage of the ship, everything at least which couul be damaged with axes. Apart from the manlier, in which the pirates treated the ship with axes, the piracy was of the ordinary type. The Childar left llong Kong at noon on Sunday, March 18, for Swatowy with about two hundred Chinese passengers on board. When six hours out some of these passengers suddenly whipped out revolvers, held up everyone, and roped up Captain Neilsen, the chief officer and engineer. This was aone so expeditiously that before they fully realised the turn of events the three were bound up tightly and placed in their cabins, and then the pirates turned to seek the treasure which they had set out to secure. It was then that they discovered their mistake, and used axes with such recklessness. The passengers' boxes Were broken open and everything of acc6unt and in their rage of being baulked the pirates smashed fittings and cabin windows, and one even went so far as to fire Qt random through the chief officer's «abin window, where the chief officer was lying bound. The .buHet mißsed him and found a billet in the wall. , The chief the story that when sounds $e rushed out 'of '"his i'Sbin/ lmt found himselt looking down- ttiVfterrfcls of several revolvers'.' ' T«fen-'';lie"-' frits v forced to hold his ha , removed, along with his l w£tch'' l 'aiulj fehalri and anything valuable to bo wearing. Whcji this> had'Uteon done he was bound jind rolled into hi; cabin, to be 'MbS&juently shot at. He smiled peculiarly when,he said: "They trussed me up tightly. I could not move. My hands were tied up so securely that the pain caused by the ropes cutting into the skin almost made me cry. They took everything of any value belonging to me, but I thought they were going to do for me as well. We were lucky to get off as we did." The captain and the engineer were of the same opinion. {