CHINA'S PIRATES.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVII, Issue 45, 14 July 1914, Page 6

CHINA'S PIRATES.

]3l"liNlXfi OF XIIK TAI-OX. MAXY LIVES LOST. The recent piratical attack on. tho Tai-on," which resulted in approximately 220 passengers losing, their lives, is .Inscribed us the most daring and violent act ever committed in the Canton Delta. The Tai-Gn was a vessel of 6omc 443 tons gross, and flew tho British flag. She was commanded by Captain It. H. Wetherall, who resides at Eolith Woodford', and the chief officer was a Mr. C 8. Evans. The ship for some time has been* making a weekly run between j Hongkong and Kongnvoon. which is un West River. She left uii this voyage ] at seven p.m. ■with a large cargo, 363 passengers, and a crew of 40. About ten o'clock Captain Wetherall heard a conra.otion In-tween decks amongst the passengers, and suspecting a piratical attack was being made., he ran to hi-'. cabin, seized a loaded rifle, j and by the time he got liaok to the bridge hj» saw two pirates making toward.! the bridge ladder-. Two welldirected slioi., 1 brought thin; <!■ >vn, anl, one of the crew, who in the meantime had been armed, fired on (lie pirates, who were massing to rush the bridge. Six were accounted for. As piratical attacks bad from time to time been mad.. on the (toasting vessah;. precautions ha ! been taken to protect (lie navigating bridges. Rtirhed wire en tiinglement.- and iron grilles had been fixed, m tint when cJosrl the ibridg^' and the ciigire-room were completely shut oil' from the rest of the -ship. The crew, who had .tuketi refuge docs -to tl-f bridge, close 1 (.lie gi'ille. anil through the aperture- continued to fire on the pirates. 'APPALLING SCEXRS. The hitter, unable to approach, ?oI lceted wood and rags, saturated with oil, and set lire to it, with the apparent object of smoking out the crewNo sooner was the inflammable mass lit however, than 'the flames seized the vessel in all directions, and in a very short time the deck wax a raging furnace. Shrieks rent the air. Women, wringing their hands, and losing in their terror of the •flames their fear of the pirates, rushed hither and thither, finally jumping into the sea. in their efforts to escape roasting alive. Pirates, passengers and crew took to the water, and the lii,rid flames pictured numberless forms struggling in the sea Three steamers in the vicinity,the SluinLee, the Shu-On, and tihe Hoi-Sang—-directly they perceived the hmrning vessel, hurried to the rescue, and 'by their prompt action were enabled to take m, many of the people who were floating in the water, including Captain Wetherall and the chief engineer, Mr. •MoQl'fcncy, who had been wounded. The rescue work was carried on from 11 p.m. until four in the morning, and the boats of the iShuu-Lee were successful in resc.ing 120 passengers- The captain of the ■Slum-Lee stated tl:at; be brought Ilk vessel as close to the ToiQn as the .-[hallow water would allow. The cries of the women rent the air, and the pitch darkness all around ihe doomed vessel added to the horrible picture. A hundred people perished before the vessels got near enough to lower their boats, and although hope was not abandoned for one or two hours after the last passenper had been reeove-re,! from the water, no further ferns were risible in the red glow from the ashes of the Tai-on. The difficulty of the rescue work was added to by the fact that thick ooze lay on one side 'of the stranded ves ;td. which, during t'he battle between the piiates and crew, was left unattended, and had drifted on to tho rugged coast.