CO885-9 — Page 178

124

When the boat came steamer. She was stopped by signal, and a boat sent to her.

We left behind on the back we were told to go to the Dutch ship. We did so. Russian ship all the European officers and the Chinese compradore. The Dutch ship brought us to Singapore. As long as we were on board our ship the Russians did not open our hatches or examine our cargo. We Chinese slept on deck behind the funnels on the Russian steamer. The Europeans had cabins. None of the Russians could talk Chinese. One who had lost a tooth could speak English. The Russian was a converted merchantman. I should say that we steamed about 14 knots. She was the fastest steamer in which I have been. The Russians got coal out of the hatches. I saw this done at the second hatch. We had a captain, 3 mates, 4 engineers, 1 English cook, 1 English steward, and 1 English boatswain-11 Englishmen in all.

And I make this solemn declaration, conscientiously believing the same to be true, and by virtue of the provisions of "The Statutory Declarations Act, 1835."

Declared at Singapore this 14th day of June, 1905.

Before me,

WARREN D. BARNES,

Magistrate and Secretary for Chinese Affairs.

+

CHEONG TSHAN.

In Chinese characters.

I lost some clothes and boots only, as well as my box. My men also lost boxes, clothes, and boots. My loss is the largest. I must have lost 10 dollars' worth of things. The officers took bags over to the Russian ship. They must have lost a great many things.

W. D. B.

125

I, Chan Keng Wu, do solemnly and sincerely declare that the above statement is true, and I make this solemn declaration, conscientiously believing the same to be true, and by virtue of the provisions of "The Statutory Declarations Act, 1835."

Dated at Singapore this 14th day of June, 1905.

Before me,

WARREN D. BARNES,

Magistrate and Secretary for Chinese Affairs.

Signed in Chinese characters.

ONE day on board the Russian steamer the compradore and I were sent for, and told to make out a statement of the cargo. We did so, and signed. We were not examined. The compradore was with us ('hinese all the time. He was not examined. I understood that he remained on the Russian ship by request of our Captain. The Captain told me that the compradore would have to go with him. There were three engineers, boatswain, cook, steward, and engine-room steward. This last must be the one whom Cheong Tshan makes a fourth engineer. The compradore joined with the rest of us. The ship was new to Hong Kong, She arrived there on the 27th of May, I heard, from Kobe. She had then a European crew, who were discharged, and our new crew signed on. I saw all the loading. I am accustomed to the Hong Kong- Japan trade. The freight was an ordinary one, There were 1,771 bales of cotton, about four bales go to the ton. Chop "Sham Thoi Ke," proprietor Sham Pah Meng had hired all the cargo space. The chop is in Mercer Street, Hong Kong. I know nothing about a charter to a Japanese firm. Sham Pah Meng and his men came on board and said that they had hired the cargo space. I reckon that I lost about 15 dollars' worth of things. The compradore lost all the furniture, crockery, &c., rice, food-stuffs.

W. D. B.

June 14, 1905.

PUBLIC

RECORD

OFFICE

| ། ། ། །

Reference :-

885

9 PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE, LONDON

ALLY WITHOUT PERMISSION OF THE BE REPRODUCED PHOTOGRAPHIC-

COPYRIGHT PHOTOGRAPH-NOT TO

to stop.

Enclosure 3 in No. 196.

CHIAN KENG Wv.-I am 22 years of age. I belong to the P'un Un district. I am assistant compradore on the steam-ship "St. Kilda." The steamer has for agents Bradley and Co., Hong Kong. We left Hong Kong on the 4th of this month for Yokohama. We were loaded with rice, Chinese cotton (used for padding coats), rape cake, sugar, and sundry goods, such as rattan, Chinese drug, vermilion, &c. Part of our cargo we transhipped from the steam-ship "Kamsang" from Calcutta. This was hemp, gunnies, cotton, and rape cake. We had no arms, or explosives, or war material on board. We left Hong Kong at 10 A.M. on the 4th of June. On the same day at 4:30 P.M. we met a Russian war-ship about 50 miles from Hong Kong. She signalled We stopped. A boat came alongside and took away our Captain. About an hour later the Captain came back and told us all to go on board the Russian ship. We went in the Russian ship's boats. We all went. The Russians put a crew on board the steamer. We were all on board the Russian ship by about 8 P.M. We then steamed away and our own ship followed us. Next morning (I don't know where we were), at about 8:30 A.M., we were out of sight of land--the Russians came back from our ship and the Russian ship fired a torpedo which hit her bow but did not sink her. Then the Russians fired about 10 to 20 shots at her and sank her. We had a captain, 3 mates, 3 engineers, a steward, a cook, engine-room steward, and boatswain- in all, 11 Europeans. They were all English. We had 16 stokers, 15 sailors, 10 compradore's men, and a Captain's boy, altogether 42 Chinese. The Russian ship after sinking our ship steamed to a place near Acheen. We met a Dutch steamer, and were told to go on board her. We were taken in the Russian's boats to her. Her name is "Flores." She brought us to Singapore. On the Russian ship we left all the 11 Europeans and the compradore, a Chinaman called Mok Heng Chun. We all-Europeans and Chinese took clothes with us from our own ship to the Russian ship. There was great confusion, and most of our effects we had to leave behind. The first time the Captain went on board the Russian ship he did not take anything with him, but the interpreter took away our manifest. The Russian ship had between 300 and 400 men. She had about 8 or 10 guns at the stern. The torpedo went from the side. It was not a torpedo fired from the ship. A Russian boat went and tied it to our ship, and when the boat came back an explosion took place. The Russian steamer had two funnels.

SIR,

Enclosure 4 in No. 196.

Cruiser "Dnieper," I.R.N.

May 29, 1905.

HEREWITH I forward to you seventy-eight bags and one case of mail, to be landed at the first port on your way you will call at.

This mail was taken on board of the cruiser " Dnieper," I.R.N., from the steam-ship "St. Kilda," of Liverpool, the master of which received the above-mentioned mail without any accompanying documents in Hong Kong, to be landed at ports of Japan. Seventy-three bags and one case of this mail were officially inspected on board of the cruiser and resealed with the I.R. seal of the cruiser.

Το

The Master of the steam-ship "Flores,"

S. S.

Enclosure 5 in No. 196.

T. SKALSKY,

Commander I.R.N.

Cruiser "Dnieper," I.R.N.

THIS is to certify that below-named men (forty-one Chinese) are part of the crew and compradores of the steam-ship "St. Kilda," of Liverpool, brought on board the cruiser "Dnieper," I.R.N., when this steam-ship was arrested carrying war contraband:

Chun King Ilo Ching Po

Ng Kong

Compradores (9).

Ho Kong Cheong Hai

Ab Poo

King Ching

Al Yuen Ah Hang.

t

126