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HONGKONG TELEGRAPH SUPPLEMENT
British 8.8. Lin Tan in failing to stand by the Tai On or to render her any assistance requires fur- ther enquiry as does that of the
master
of the On Lee who similarly failed. We also wish to point out the irregularity and very possible source of danger of the practice which seems to have been universal on board vessels on thie run of carrying an unlimited number of passage runners, cargo brokers and live stock attendants who pay no fare and are commonly supposed to form an intelligence departmen for the pirates.
The police have foun the remains of about twelve people on board the Tai On, which now liea at Chung Sha-wan, behind Stonecutters Island, where she was anchored last Thursday.
On Friday it was found that shewas still burning. This fact naturally tells ?gainst the chances of further use being made of the ship.
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On Thursday as the result of visit to a house in Macao, the Macao Police effected the arrest of a Chinese who is believed to be implicated in the piratical attack on the 8.8. Tai On. It appears that the visit was made as the result of information received by the force there, and a party of detectives went to the house of one Leung Po who is also said to be concerned in the matter. As the party neared the honse a man emerged, who, as soon as be saw the police, drew his cap over his eyes.
He was met by the detectives who sent him back into the house and told off one of their number to watch him. Meanwhile they interviewed a woman aged about seventeen years, the wife of Leung Po, who it is said, was shot down during the fight on the Tai On. When she was asked where her husband was sbe replied that he went to Hongkong about a week previously. The bouse was searched and two iron bare were found, which, accord- ing to her story, had been given to her to keep, and two hundred rounds of ammunition. Again
the woman was asked what had become of her husband and after much pressing she said that he had been burnt to death on the Tai Oo.
Dealing with her own history she said she had been married to Leung Po for about a year and at the time of her marriage she did not know that he robber. The man whom the police had met as they came into the house was her husband's brother, Leung Shiu-cheong.
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The latter was searched but nothing incriminating was found about him save a bullet wound in the thigh and a grazed wound on the temple. He was taken into custody and, in answer to the police, said that five days pre- viously Leung Po asked him to go to Hongkong. He did so and put up at a boarding house. Later he met Leung Po in the street and was invited to dinner. He went, and in the course of the meal it was suggested that he should go on board the Tai On travelling steerage. He did so, bat went norely as
a passenger. While on board he heard a great deal of noise. There was con- siderable firing and in his fright he jumped overboard. As he did so someone shot him in the thigh, while later the wound to his head was caused by another man jumping on him in the water.
He floated about clinging to a plank until he was picked up by a launch and conveyed to Ching san near Macao, to which place be could easily travel by ricksha.
The watchman Silva who was also instrumental in defending the Tai On was picked up near Chingsan suffering from wounde in three places. He was first treated in Wanchai Hospital, near Macao, but when the Macao Government heard of the man's plight he was transferred to the Macao Hospital.
The Bishop of Victoria made the following reference at the Cathed. ral on Sunday morning:-
My subject this morning is Christian courage. First of all let me refer to a local event.
A dastardly crime followed by
an appalling calamity has occur- red on board a ship sailing from our port. It shows how greatly China needs the benefits of civili- sation and Christian ethics. I hope the revelation of the coward- ly cruelty and fiendish methods of the pirates will induche people of Kwang Tung to deter- mine at all costs to stop their murderous tyranny.
The event has its message to us, a Christian congregation. It calls for our prayerful and pract- ical sympathy with the sufferers. When the prayer "for the Church Militant" is said let us specially remember those who have been bereaved of their nearest and dearest, amongst the Chinese as well as the widow and child of the European officer who lost his life. Some of us will gladly sub- scribe to the fand that is being. opened to help the sufferers, particulars of which will to given in the daily papers.
Benevolent care for such is over a Christian characteristic.
The fact that some can only subscribe small sums should not. deter them from the privilege of taking part in so desirable a movement. The heroic courage· and devotion to duty on the part of those in charge of the ship are worthy of their Christian up- bringing.
On Monday a private meeting of Government officials and others for the purpose of considering was beld at the Harbour Office measures for the prevention of piracy
The Harbour Master, Captain Superintendent of Police and the Secretary for Chinese Affairs were among those who attended, as well as a number of prominent Chinese business men.
The Tang Wah Hospital auth. orities state that they have picked up 37 dead bodies in the vicinity of Ki 0. These bodies are pre- sumably those of passengers (or pirates) on board the Tai On.
Leng Chi-Kwam, who was sent to the Government Civil Hospital on the 29th ult., suffering from injuries received in the Tai On piracy, died on the 3rd inst.
HONGKONG TELEGRAPH SUPPLEMENT
We have received some photo- graphs from Mee Chung showing the Tai On still afire after the
piracy.
OIL WORKS FIRE
On Tuesday afternoon April 28 fire broke out at the Standard Oil Company'sdepot at Lai Chi Kok. It transpired to be a most serious outbreak. How it broke out is not known nor indeed is i at pre- yet Bent anticipated that it ever will be ascertained. Shortly before four o'clock a portion of the roof of tauk No. 5 fell in and a column of flame leapt into the air, follow- ed by a dense cloud of black smoke, which grew in volume and became visible from all over the harbour. A view of the top of the tank, obtained from the summit of a similar structure, showed that the top had fallen in two places, the standing portion remaining as a broad diameter to the circle. From both the open portions dense maases of fame and smoke rose.
The fire fighting appliances of the Company were immediately requisitioned and the alarm given
to
the Fire Brigade. These turned out promptly and shortly after four o'clock the Company's
Standard," and the Brigade fire floats were busily engaged pumping water through lengths of hose, to be played on the It had been surrounding tanks.
realised from the first that any attempts to quench the filmes would prove futile, and attention was devoted from the outset to keeping the adjacent tanks cool and preventing further outbreaks of the conflagration. Under the guidance of Chief Inspector Gourlay, the Fire Brigade did good work though after water had been obtained there was nothing to do but play on the other reservoira.
The heat from the flame was intense. Buckling of the two upper sets of plating on the sides set in early, and at the two places where the flames surged freely out the iron-work was white with heat,
the rivets melting and dropping ont of their holes.
With such a heat as this there was more than a little danger to the gasolene house, which was filled with a large sock of gasolene. Water had been played on the well adjacent to the burn- ing tank, but tais precaution was not considered sufficient. Coclie labour was not to hand to remove the 75,000 cases of gasolene, and the services of one hundred of the 25th. Punjabia ware quisitioned to transfer the spirit to a safe place. The number was afterwards increased and the cases were removed to a place of greater safety nearer the water.
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Meantime the pumping ap- paratus of the Company was put into action and a considerable quantity of oil was removed from the lank.
The pumps were set working and oil at the rate of about nine inches per hour was removed, water being pumped in to keep the oil at its usual level. This maneuvre had as one of its main objects, besides lessening the duration of the conflagration. the securing from damage of the tank outside the two rows of plates already involved.
The scene, while awe-inspiring during the day, grow terrific as night fell. During the afternoon the dense volumes of flame were loat sight of and the size of the fire was only to be gauged by the immense spread of smoke. Some- times, when the wind was still the fumes rose in a single colama and spread out mushroom fashion in a peculiarly interesting manner. But when night fell, the fames showed up by vivid contrast, lighting up the country side with red and yellow and illuminating the smoke, which wreathed in fantastic fashiou through all the shades of grey and brown antil all form was lost in the velvety blackness of the sky.
Shortly after eight o'clock the remaining portion of the tank- roof appeared to have fallen in, for the light from the burning in- creased in intensity and huge tongues of flame leapt many feet into the air. For miles around
a weird sight was presented on the Kowloon hills, the same light that brightened them to the eyes of people on the Viatoris side of the harbour shone on the faces of thousands of Chinese who had- seized every distant point of vaut tage to witness the strange sighs In Hongkong the picture we peculiarly beautiful. The tongue of flame was reflected across the water, ships stood out in strang, black profile against the glare while overhead the clouds were as brilliant as if the lights of some huga city below, were being re- flected. Blake Pier was always the point of view which many Europeans seized on, though from the higher levels many were able to obtain an equally fine picture. Praya East was crowded by Chinese who would scarcely make room for trams to pass, so rapt was their attention to the apectacle the conflagration afforded.
All night the fire raged, vary- ing, as the wind changed its force, from dull red limea to huge bright yellow ones, the effect throwing up a huge glare on to theeky. Inthe morning the flames were still shooting high, being visible above Stonecutters. Abrat seven o'clock, however, the fire was not so visible from a distance, the smoke obscuring the flames.
The Fire Brigade stood by ail night, their creature comforts being cared for by the Company in thoughtful style.
By 8.30 o'clock on Wednesday some 12,000 tins of baptha had been removed, this task taking all night to accomplish.
It was at that time estimated that if the wind remained in the direction from which it was then blowing, the fire should barn itself out at about 4 p.m.. while the other tanks would not be endangered. The men from the Punjabi Regiment did splen- did work in removing the naptha.
The Standard Oil Compapy seen by the Telegraph in the after- noon stated that at twelve thirty the fire was still burning at about the same rate
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