1949-09-21 — Page 3

Page

Mysterious Cargo Aboard Ill-Fated ss. Chak Sang

The "mystery" of the $2 bags of red iron oxide of 5,150 tb. found among the cargo aboard the ill-fated British freighter Chak Sang deepened at yesterday's continued hearing of

THE CHINA MAIL, WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 21, 1945.

The fire was accompanied by

a great deal of noise, which was like a roaring fire. Witness could not give any explanation,

"I noticed a sulphurnud odour

added.

the Marine Court of inquiry into the explo emanating from the flames, it sion of the ship:.

The red iron oxide came aboard some time in the "oftemoon of September 6 and was stor- ed in the No. 1 'tween deck on both sides. I took delivery of it and signed the mate's receipt," Third Officer Yuan Tso-ying declar- ed in giving evidence before the five-man court at the Marine Office yesterday.

AL

the opening hearing, Can you suggest to the Court Chief Officer Brian D. John- any possible explanation for the son in his evidence professed explosion?-No, I cannot

it would be possible for any leakage of dangerous packages after remain undetected

informed the storage, witness Court,

ignorance of how that cargo came aboard. *I. cannot ex- plain the presence of the red iron oxide," he had said.

to

Under examination of Mr. D. Strellett, witness said that the ususi practice of his company was being performed in regard to the dangerous goods.

was

truisal the

The Court of Inquiry, convened on the recommendation of the Director of Marine, Mr. Neill Garland, and the local agents of the ship, Jardine. Mathesont re- sumed hearing yesterday morning I understand it and adjourned proceedings to 9.30 for the company to send a.m. today.

lester," he added. covering Members The

consist of Mr. The items sent out in the en- Neill Garland, as President, Cap-

gagement letter were selections tain J.N. MacFarlane (master of dangerous goods. mariner), Professor J. E. Driver

But for the letter. witness (Professor

of Chemistry, Hong agreed with his counsel, he would Kong University), Mr. J. Redman have no means of identifying the (Government Chemist), and qualities or the goods. Lieutenant Commander J. B.P..

Hrling, KN.

Mr. D:L. Strellct represents both the

Mt. G WE Edwards,

and the chief officer. Mr. J.L Lynn holds a watching brief for the owners. Indo-China S.N. Company.

master.

The third officer, Mr. Yuan Tso-- ying, said the 52 bags of rad iron oxide came aboard some time La the afternoon of September 6 and were stored in the No. 1 twen deet on the port and starboard sides.

"I signed the mate's receipt," he declared.

"The condition of the fron code was good. They were in (single bags," he said.

,

Asked how he knew that cargo

so well witness replied that lin took delivery of it. The hatches

battened Wene down after & p.m. that day,

"I turned up for duty at 8 p.m on September 7 and was on the bridge all the time.

Flash And Noise

"About 10.35 p.in. I was on the starboard side of the bridge watching. towards the Mariñz; Office Connaught Road, Central, for any change of the typ hoon signal when euddenly a fath from the right forward and big noise accurred. "I was knocked out by some-

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drifted away-

Chinese Sentenced For Possessing Arms

ingenious method of concealing arms and dm- ~munition by hiding them inside a seemingly most stack of newspapers, cut but inside so es to make it hollow, was revealed in a trial of the Criminal Sessions yesterday.

Wong's wife, corroborated his statement as to having soen men come to the house.

In passing sentence of five years and 10 strokes on Wong Lai-chuen, Sir Leslie Gibson, Chief Justice, remarked that

After the jury had returned obviously the three automatics, the verdict, Crown Counsel told a revolver, and 21 rounds of the Court that Wong had had a ammunition found were a previous conviction in 1943 for

for which h battery of arms belonging to dealing in arms, some gang and within Wong's was fined $400. knowledge.

Wong pleaded in mitigation Wong who not legally repre- that he had a wife and three mentod, was convicted of posses-children, a mother and an aged sion of arms and ammunition by grandmothar to support He

a jury of four men and three asked for lenients. women who retained the verdict

Pasilar sentence, Sir Leslie de- by six to one after deliberatingclared that Wony had been found för half an hour.

guilte

by the jury of a very. A Hooten, Crown Counsel,cus crime against the laws of MT assisted by: Detective Sub-Inspecthe Colony."

C.

tor Askew, prosecuted.

and

mentrition were a

It was quite obvious that the According to the prosecution, on July 28, 1949, the police acting battery of arms belonging to some on information went to a certain gang, and they were in Wong's boardfor house in Connaught

Road Central and took accused possession within his knowledge

The arms and ammunition wore into custody. Later, Wong tookordered to be confiscated. the police to the second door of 788 Pokfulam Road, where search revealeți the arms and am- munition hidden in newspapers under a bed

Left By Men thing which I could not tell! fell on the starboard side of the

Accused in his own defence "The red phosphorus was stored bridge. I did not remember any- on the starboard side of the art thing which was on the deck.

the lower deck, fram facial in-sterday told the Court from the dock that the parcel of news- "When I recovered. I saw thick deck and the potassium chlorate

"I then threw a life line to the papers was brought into his house was in the No. 2 tween deck. white smoke enveloping mejuries, and went to his aid.. Apart from

being in separate tried to stout for help-but-found boat and went after it. But be by band of men, and that he decks, they were more than 150 it difficult because of a very bad fore I could make it, the boat did not know what it contained

when it was left there by them. feet apart, Mr. Johnson said. smell." he related.

He alleged that he had been a the He added: "Apart from

"So I went to the No. 4 life-

tp" by the Chief Officer Johnson entered chemicals mentioned in the cover-for four or five minutes on the boat. There I helped the master victim of a "frame

other navigating bridge and fell down in lowering the boat I wont men who had planted the weapons the witness box again at the re-ing letter I know of no

into get him sumption of the proceedings res- chemicals loaded which made it to the boat deck.

down by the rope ladder but by in his home to "As I fell I held on to some-the time I got there the boat cast tunable. tertiay morning.

imperative. for them to be stored

thing I'm not sure whether Recounting his experience, în | apart.” the tragic night prior to the ex- The third witness from the was wire or rope-I felt great away being fully loaded. plosion. Mr. Johnson said he was ship was Mr. John Derek Mark- pain in my head, relieved by the third officer at land, second officer, who gave cor- | hand, hips, legs and the left side clorbing up again, I let go and j

of the back

pun, and weat to his cabin to re- tice.

roborative evidence on the geo- eral movements of the Chak Sang on her arrival here,

"No assistance came. I crawled

arms, right

1 "Not relishing the idea

swam towards the drifting boat.

of

"I was subsequently picked up." witness concluded.

"My right hand was cut at several places.

He told the Court that he "I managed to reach my cabinnoticed a strong smell which be "I was engaged in Funeral supervising work on our arrival to grab my handbag, containing could not identify, and saw thick

testimonials. My clothes black smoke. at Buoy B-3 and visited the holds my occasionally. The discharge of were covered with blood.

"I went to the after end of the cargo was not completed until

Reminders

Today

The fire was roaring and was Hong Kong Jockey Club Trial

of deep orange in colour.

Race Meeting. $.30 p.m.

to

Witness produced papers certi- fying engine tests made at Kow-Stanley loon Docks in July.

"I was awakened by a violent shock and found myself on my feet. I ran out to the boat deck nad saw the foredeck in flames The fire was orange-red. I could not see the damage because of the flares," witness declared. September 6. morning," he said. ship and saw Mr. Edwards in-

Ships' whistles started blowing. ¦ There

some or structing was no clearing Asked whether he could offer cleaning of the holds when wit low the No. & lifeboat further information on the be replied in the negative.

"On September 7 we went to very busy ordering the crew and "The second officer and a the Dangerous Goods Anchorage could not treat my wounds. So Chinese quartermaster were on to Bucy A-15, where I turned up I sat down on the deck and wait the fore deck and together we for duty until 5 pm, that day as ed until someone put me on the

fire, ress was on duty.

cleared the way to lower No. 2 cargo officer. lifeboat on the portside of the "To the best of my collec- main deck.

tions, the vessel arrived at A-15 "It worked perfectly. I then with the wooden batch covers on Went to my cabin to collect the the 'tween deck hatches to the cargo papers. My cabin was No. 1 and 2 holds wrecked but the electric light was). still ch

Not Examined "The cargo in the holds was

personnel

"The master told me he way

Shield Seven-A-Side Soccer Games

Club ground, Happy Valley, 5 p.m.

Giving his evidence In Mandarin through an interpreter. Ladies Récréation Club Open Quartermaster Liu Fung-chuan on the bridge said that he was

Tennis-Tournament.

lifeboat.

with the third officer. The mas-European YMCA-Army Swimming Meet at the "Y" Bath, Kow- could not Identify him; how-ter had ordered him not to leave

the bridge, witness said.

loen, at 730 pm. ever," witness said.

Knocked Out

Mr. Yuan told the Court he could not think of any explanation as to the cause of the blast,

Prior to the accident, the deck was deserted after 8.30 p.m.

There was no sign of smoke or

Covered With Blood not examined by me from the

"During this time, i noticed time I came on duty on Septem-fire before the explosion

officer's face

Mr.

Flag Whist Morning, Women's

Section, European

10 am..

Gold Seized In

ss. Van Heutsz

An application for the confiscation of 900 tacls of gold seized on board the mv. Van Heutsz on Blonday was made by Revenue Inspector Humphreys before Mr. Hin- shing Lo at Central, yester- day:

it was the largest seizure made

Revenue officers by

and this year

the "second record in this largest on Colony.

The gold was found con- cealed in the engine room and also in some other places in the said vessel.

Alleged Gamblers In Court

Twelve Chinese,

including

ten women and two men, werc charged before, Mr.. Hin-shing Lo at Central yesterday with gambling...

Defendants were Fung Wah, The 'explosion knocked him

YMCA, Chow Chum. Chan Iu, Ho. Tai, Lan Họ, Li Ng Là Ho, Wong Mai out. He did not remember any-

Li Kam, Chan Sam. Ho Lin, and thing unt he found himself in a lifeboat. He was taken to a Majong Lessons, European YMCA, Tse Yee. Fung and Chew were charged with keeping a common hospital in Kowloon, which he

The rest werd) could not specifically identify Toc H Dedication service, St charged with gambling in a com-

Carnbling house. though he mentioned Kowloon

John's Cathedral, 6.30 p.m Hospital.

? Dutth

men garbling house.

Kowloon

about 2

Assistant Superintendent "Mor- Then William E. Holivar, second Party to RASC camp personnel,rison stated that on August 5 at engineer, went into the witness

Christ Church, Tong. 8 p.m Witness said he lost his ticket Legislative Council meeting, in the burning ship.

Next witness was The chief engineer, L. A. Sanh, who saki the ship was prepared to sail at Witress at the request of the

14 pm that day. Court recollected that during!

"Some time in the afternion, his duty

noticed period he

however, the master instructed shellac being loaded in. He then studied the marked him that the ship would ride the

typhoon" where they were fat The explosion woke him up and an awakening he found his

the third

was ber 7 until the accident," covered with blood in 'his cabin. | Markland stated. We proceeded together to the poop house, where the remain- ing members of the crew had already been mustered. "They assisted in clearing the obstacles, "We

vame

DOMI

both then returned to see if any person remained on board The lifeboat from the iss. Nowroz

alongside and the jumped into it

"threw my cargo papers to the third officer but unfortunately witness they fell into the sea," said.

Describing the fumes emanating from the fire, witness said it was just, like the odour that usually follows immediately after the intial Bare of a safety match.

the acid odour has the same taste and smell,” he remarked.

plan of the storage of cargo, pre-Buoy A-15). pared at the first hearing from evidence of the Chief Officer.

bulkhead. "I saw

box.

*Dani

Coming Events

*women

2m he accompanied party of police to 31, Lockhar 2.30 Road, ground floor cockloft. Upon arrival, they saw a mahjong table in the middle of the cockloft

-and zumber of

matching money from the table. One of TOMORROW

the defendants threw something Men's Club of Hong Kong from the table to the floor.

Fourth defendant claimed that Weekly Meeting, Hong Kong

of the total money Hotel Roof Garden, 1 pm. $1,000 out

association's Speaker: Mr. T. Rowell. seized was a can Subject: "Education".

On searching three dices were Kowloon Rotary Club Lancheon,

on Fing Wah's perser. Peninsula Hotel, 12.30 F Tien ne claimed that the second Speaker: Rev. Percy Smith defendant was actually keeping Subject: Trials of a Shoethe gambling-house.

He then went out into the alleyway on the portside to the Y's at end of the inside. Just as be reached there he heard a tele graph go.

"it was for slow stera posi- tion," he said

Un.

He obeyed it

The engine room staff were cabin wrecked. siready on Jed watches from Witness agreed that, it is sub-`

2 p.m. stantially correct.

"But I do not remember seeing Reading in The Cabin the red iron oxide," he remarked.

* was in my cabin about to The hatches were left open with begin reading when I saw one gang of stevedorez standing: sudden flare on the upper deck, by in case more cargo came in.

"When I recovered I found Between

4 pm and 5 p.m., all myself outside my cabin sitting

The Court then suggested that the hatches-were closed.

"It was a very damp day. But the deck against the bathroom debris might have fallen on the telegraph system thus causing the flames shooting past signal. there was no rain, witness said.

" 1 saw the locks and bars in my porthole which overlooked This was unanimously agreed position, but I cannot remember the fore deck I immediately whether they were locked or not," got the idea that we were on trẻ. The chief engineer then came witness said.

engine room into the engine room and ordered Describing his personal

ex where I found the fourth chall pumps to be shut, and the But Mr. Johnson would not say perience relative to the explosion, gineer on watch and doing all engine room to be evacuated," he

Mr. Markland said after he went right The generator was in good declared. it was sulphur.

"While waiting for the life-off duty, the sea watches start-condition. The electric lights Wimess said he left the ship boat of the Nowrooz to return Id, and he was due to turn up we told him to stay where het aboard a Police lauad,

still op.

& lifeboat and was later taken at midnight went back to the cargo super-

હા visor's cabin and took the skɗip- སམ་ returned at 730 pun and Was and climbed up the port

T ping orders and ship's log. I then was awakened by something bridge ladder. met, a for of returned to the aft and jumped which I cannot describe. I ran debris at the top, which I cleared into the lifeboat followed by die out to the boat decs and assisted into the wheel house. The ship's the Chiel Oficer in lowering the whistle was blowing continuously. Edwards," Mr. Johnson said.

Lifeboat," be related. Asked by the Court whether No. 2.

"I heard what I assumed any ship had arrived before he left the ill-fated Chak Sang, witness replied no.

This was substantiated by Mr.

Edwards, the master of the ship."

Moderate Sea

The sea was moderate. There were strong fresh winds. I was on the burning vessel for a certain ́time," but I had no definite idea

exactly how long," he declared.

-

"I went to the

**

"I returned to my cabin to take to be a rush of steam on the fore

·

Mr. A. M. L.

Strellett

·Soares was li

absence of Mt.

CORRECTION

In the report on the opening of

my" passport and certificate and deck. This I put down to the the Chak Sang Inquiry a ab- went to the after to help Mr. fore deck steam pipe being starice mentioned ar, zinc oxide Edwards in lowering No. 4 life severed. boat.

was then taken off by the lifeboat from the Nowrooz", wit- ness recollected.

He said he had no idea as tū the cause of the blow up.

Yesterday's Wedding

Ir. and Mrs. Hu Shuspao following their wedding.

•Hong Kong Hotel ye

Sham Pao-po("C

The bride was the formor

Mell". Photo]

(52 bags of 5,150 11.) should have. Mound nobody in the wheel been red fron oxide. house and returned to the en-}-- gine room. Since 1 could not

And the matér or the deck AIRMAIL COVERS

officers and having" seen the extent of the' fire, ·I decided: to

Evacuate the staff and told that members of the public. who 1. The Canadian Pacide announce them to go up to the vippts, are sending - afrmail letters to

deck," put" en "threle" life" Jackets (and, žump: Inia the Jifeboat/-

Then I went to my cabin to

get my lifejacket and tickét,

Boat Drifts Away.

Canada by the Canadian Pacific Air Lines First Flight on Sep

wall for which tember 22 (the closes at noon, September 22) may, if they so wish, have the #belped the chief officer to covers appropriately chopped" lower the No. 2 lifeboat. As the at the Canadian Pacific office, boat went on to water. I noticed Ground Floor, Union Building, the sectand engineer bleeding on before posting

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All defendants were brought to Women's International Club, Wanchai Police Station. Film Show for Forces.

#learing as adjourned to 15- HK Amateur Athletic Association, day and further hearing was 6x- preliminary meeting, Victoriaed on November 17, 18, 23 and 24. Recreation Club, 5 p.m.

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