work then and had no time to collect our possessions. At the pre- sent time we are practically desti- tute. We have a few effects--but no money. I do not know who are the agents of the Oldhamia in Hong- kong, but our cargo was consigued to the Standard Oil Company in Japan. "Did they refer in any way to their
enemy?".
They very grudgingly gave the Japanese credit for being humane, but otherwise they seemed to think that they were beneata their notice. We, of course, avoided saying any- thing about the war that would give At the same time, when
annoyance.
one of the officers hinted that we would go on with the Fleet to Vladi- vostock, I said we would never get there. When asked why, I said the Japanese would sink us first, upon which uney laughed outright and appeared to regard my remark as a ; joke.
They seemed to regard their presence in Far Eastern waters more in the light of a picnic than as the grim business of war. There was no attempt made to drill the men-no practice of any sort. Only once was there any ammunition brought up from below, and that was when the Samson appeared. The prize crew that came on board the Oldhamia, when ordered by their officers to load their revolvers, handled them as if they had never seen such weapons before. In some cases the Russian officers loaded the weapons for their
men and handed them back.
2
Did their appearance and actions strike you as seamanlike !" "They were more like seamen than yokels, but it was the uniform alone in most cases that made them look like scamen. For the simple work
of carrying coal and washing decks they were all right. There was no occasion for them to go aloft and they never went. But they had certainly some good shoemakers and tailors. I saw them at their trades. They did nothing for us, though. As for physique the Russians were very fine able-looking men but as silly as geese where work was con- cerned and, I should think, as far
as fighting goes. I do not think that
in any other nation you would find a finer, better-set-up body of men.
None of them were small but many could be called big men."
Were they in any way discour aged ty
They were all in fine spirits. It seemed to me that they anticipated no danger. We had a table to our- selves in the ward room. They had their red and white wines at meals but there was no intemperance, and we were allowed a kind of spirit- probably vodka or some kind of whisky. It was all right for those who cared for it,"
Mr. Ison concluded the interview by stating that the business had thrown him out of a ship. He had been in corumand with the same firm as owned the Oldhamia but went into business ashore two years ago. He determined to return to sea and joined the Oldhamia as chief officer on 19th April last. It had, therefore, been an unlucky ad- venture for him.
The following are the names and designations of the crew of the Oldhamia :-
Captain.
Alexander Stewart Wast Hartlepool Officers.
1st, James Ison 2ud, Robert Edmundson
Croyden
West Hartlepool
3rd, John Scott... West Hartlepool
Engineers' Steward.
1st, John Stewart 2nd. Albert Shipley 3rd, William Pearce 4th, Allan Urquhart
Shields Pari.
West Hartlepool Apprentices.
Charles Turner, Victor Thorpe
North England
Carpenter.
James McCubbin
Donkeyman, Alexander Ballantyne
Liverpool
Engineers' Steward.
Belfast
Isle of Manu
A. B. Seamen.
Alfred Curphey
William Allan
John Creaney Lionel Pope
Liverpool Dublin
Dorset
The last mentioned is left at Swatow suffering from dysentery.)
Firemen
Peter Murphy John Ross James Gilligan John Bell A. Gaw
B. Smith
James Riley
Michael McGuinness
Liverpool
Maryport New York
Liverpool!
Belfast
Glasgow Dublin
Belfast
There are in addition two Germans
and five Greeks.
The cook and
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