DESPERATE PIRATES.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVII, Issue 12, 2 June 1914, Page 3

DESPERATE PIRATES.

CHINA SEA OUTRAGE. , -SUPPOSED LOSS OK 145 LIVES. Startling details concerning the burning and sinking of the Yik On S.S. Company's Tai On, a steamer of 700' tons, the death of Mr Evans, the chief officer, the wounding of Mr McCartney, the chief engineer, and the supposed loss of 145 lives, were brought to Sydney by the Aldenhiim from- Hongkong. The outrage, following the case of the Childar, on March 18, when the captain and engineer were roped up, is regarded as the most desperate act of piracy committed on the China seas for the past 30 years.

The Tai On left Hongkong on April 27, hound for the West river. The passengers included 300 or 400 Chinese. Her officers were: Captain Weatherell, Mr Evans (chief officer), and Mr T. D. McCartney (chief engineer); ami a crew ;Bt Chinese.

j FIGHT FOR THE BRIDGE. | The first signs of trouble were noticed I when-, the steamer was about three j hours out. The captain, who had been lying down, heard a rush on deck, and looking out, saw that pirates were making an attack, and that a number of , them, were attempting to scale the | bridge by means of stanchions, the lad- ■ der having been taken down. With a duck-shooting gun in his hand, the capI tain rushed along to the bridge himself, | and, meeting the first pirate who had g"ot up there, shot him dead. I Hostilities were then commenced in I real earnest, and a Portuguese guard who was on th u upper part of the Tai 'On opened fire on'the marauders and killed several of them. It was in this encounter that the chief engineer, Mr McCartney was shot in the buttock Captain Weathercll was uninjured ill the fight, but 'lie was struck in the chest with a detonator, which exploded in the first attack, and his face wsa badly singed. In the defence Of the bridge the captain was gallantly assist- ! ed 'bv the Portuguese guard named Dias. lie twice repelled the attacks of the pirates, who, it is stated, were armed with Mausers. The light lasted about half an hour, and when the pirates had retreated, it was found that Mr Evans the chief officer was missing. During the melee, the. pirates had possession oi the engine-house, and they put out. the electric lights and damaged the steering gear. - , ;

PIRATES EIRE THE SHIP. Convinced that there was little hope for taking the bridge, the pirates retreated and took refuge .under the gunwales of the boat, where they were out of range of the guns oil the bridge Then, in spite and rage at not beingable to take the craft, they set fire to the vessel in the stern. Seeing what had happened, and recognising the seriousness of the situation, the captain brought the ship's head up to tile wind, to prevent the conflagration spreading' too quickly to the fore part. The flames, however, spread with great rapidity. There was a panic amongst the passengers, and some in their fright jumped into the flames and were incinerated before the horrified eyes of their companions, who huddled up near the centre part of the ship. 'Meantime, Captain Wcnfherell, had Sent up rockets and was burning blue lights, and in a very short time the Shun Lee, the llaisang, and the Kwong Wai were racing towards the Tai On, which was by now a mass of flames.

Captain Weathercll and his crew stayed on board the Tai On until the fast posilde moment, and then jumped into the sea, and later was picked up, with four Chinese, by the Kwong Wai, clinging to the rudder. They had been in the water about half an hour. They were transferred to the Haisang. anu brought hack to Hongkong.

A SCENE OF HORROR. The passengers had by this time jumped into the water, and were found by the Shin Lee and the other steamers which had come to the rescue, clinging to the wreckage. The scenes in-and about the Tai> On were almost indescribable; the flames shot mast-high, and the smoke hindered greatly the resellers in their work and to n great extent obscured their vision. The wails and cries from tile hundreds in the water were heartrending, and as the boats drew close to the Wai On, desperate people clung to the sides of the boat, and made frenzied efforts to gain security from the ntuddv waters. The rescuers worked from 11 o'clock at night until four o'clock in the morning, and managed to save many lives. By morning the Tai On had gradually settled down and sunk, only her funnel showing above the water.

Some of these picked up were pirates, mid these were placed under arrest. On learning ot the outrage the authorities despatched two torpedo boats to the scene of trouble, but when the Aldenham lett nothing further had been heard as to whether any more of the marauders had been captured.