Enclosure No. 4.
117
extr.ct from the. Hong-ong Daily Press of 1.10.28.
THE "ANKING” PIRACY.
SINGAPORE GANG SEIZE UNPROTECTED
VESSEL.
THREE MEMBERS OF THE CREW MURDERED.
FULL STORY OF THE CRIME.
An immunity of five months may have lulled seafarers on the China Coast into a false sense of security. This was rudely shattered on Saturday when news was received by wireless that the Butterfield and Swire s.s. Anking, one of the largest and newest vessels of the C.N.C. fleet, had been pirated by a gang who had boarded the ship at Singapore.
The gang adopted ruthless methods and the Chief Engineer, Mr. H. Thompson, the Chief Officer, Mr. D. C. Jones, and one of the Chinese quartermasters on watch, Cheung Shun Tak, were killed while the Master, Captain C. E. Plunkett Cole, was seriously wounded and the Third Officer, Mr. A. I. Campbell, was stabbed and hit on the head. He is not, however, on the sick list and is sailing with the ship this morning.
UNPROTECTED.
The Anking runs between Singapore and Amoy. She does not come under the Anti-Piracy Regulations and is not fitted with grilles. Nor does she carry guards. She is quite unprotected against attack of this kind, for though the promenade deck com- panion ladders, fore and aft, have iron gates the deck can be easily clambered into from below and the whole length of it is open to revolver fire from the boat deck aft. The bridge itself is not protected in any way. A report was current in the Colony yesterday that Capt. Plunkett Cole had asked at Singapore for an armed guard but it had not been possible to provide him with
one.
The pirates, who were about 40 strong, had little difficulty in seizing the ship. Isolated and unarmed the officers had no chance and it was callous disregard for life on the part of the pirates that was responsible for the triple murder. The crime amounted to shooting at sight.
The pirates were in charge of the ship from Wednesday even- ing at about 6.40 p.m. till 2 a.m. on Saturday morning. Their haul is computed at some $100,000 and seven captives were taken off to be held for ransom, at least until bank drafts found of them -one to the value of $10,000 has been cashed.
PIRATES' NEW BASE.
Bias Bay has been effectively cleared up by the Canton Gov- ernment, but an equally good base, landlocked and lonely, has been found in the fine natural of Honghai Bay, a few miles to the north of Bias Bay.
A new Captain and Chief Officer have been appointed to the Anking and the ship will sail this afternoon for Swatow and Amoy. Her ensign has been flown at half mast since the tragedy.
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