Enclosure 3.
Extract from the "South China Morning Post"
of the 8th. June,1905,
ON A RUSSIAN
CRUISER.
Experiences of the Captured Crew of the Oldhamia.
Chief Officer's Interesting Narrative,
Yesterday the Douglas Steamship Company's s.8. Haiching landed in the Colony 28 distressed British seamen, part of the crew of the British steamer Oldhamia, which,
as already reported, is supposed to have been sunk by the Baltic Fleet.
A representative of the "South China Morning Post" auoceeded in obtaining an interview with Mr. James Ison, chief officer of the ill- starred vessel, who kindly furnished a highly interesting and detailed from-day-to-day account of the ad-
venture.
Mr. Ison, after stating that he had just concluded a recital of his ex- periences to His Excellency the Governor, went on as follows : ---
to
The Oldhamia is a British steamer of 2,347 tons nett register, and she was bound from New York Yokkaichi in Japan with a cargo of case oil. Our last port of call was Port Said and, when we entered the China Sea, we had no thought of anything but the speedy termination of our long voyage. Everything went well until the evening of the May 18, when, to our utter astonish- ment, we sighted the Baltic Fleet comprising 48 ships. We were quickly signalled to stop by the cruiser Oleg. Our first feelings were of wonderment that the Baltic Floet still existed in such strength, Provions to leaving Port Said, we' heard that they had passed through the Malacca Straits and we were surprised to find that they had not yet met the Japanese. We were confident that, when they met the Japanese, there would not be much left of them and subsequent events have justified our belief. Our feel- ings quickly changed to annoyance and dismay. The Oldhamia was
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boarded by the officers of the Olég who, after examining the papers and interviewing the captain, exchanged signals at length with the Fleet. The order was then given for the Oleg and the Oldhamia to join the Floet and keep in company with it. We were astounded when we found that the ship was to be detained. Captain Stewart strongly protested, but no notice whatsoever was taken of him. From the very moment they came aboard, I surmised that their minds were fully made up to keep the ship.
At six o'clock on the morning of the 19th, the Fleet stopped about 150 miles south of Formosa. (When we met the Fleet, I omitted to say,
we
were making for the Bashee Channel.) We were boarded by several officers and many men from different ships. Some men open- ed the hatches and started to take cargo out with the idea,, I presume, of ascertaining its nature. Later in the morning, after an exchange of signals, a collier was sent alongside the Oldhamia and commenced to transfer coal into the Oldhamia's! bunkers. At eleven o'clock, the whole crew, with the exception of the captain, chief engineer, steward and cook, were ordered to leave the ship, which they did, and were transferred to the cruiser Dnieper, formerly the St. Petersburg, the famous Volunteer Fleet cruiser con- nected with the P. and O. Malacca hold-up. All that day (the 19th) the collier continued to put coal on board the Oldhamia-the Fleet standing by-and towards evening the whole Fleet got under weigh and steamed towards the vortheast.
We asked the officers of the Rus- sian cruiser to give us some informa- tion as to our ultimate fate or as to their intentions, but received only evasive replies.
On the 20th, we kept in company { with the Fleet still steaming north- east at various speeds
On the 21st, information was con- veyed to us that the balance of our crew (the four mentioned) had been transferred to one of the other ships of the Russian squadron.
The Oldhamia was not in sight on the 2nd and, on making inquiries, I: was informed by one of the Russian:
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17 JUL OS
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