Fondlosure!
THE HONGKONG DAILY PRESS
17th. March, 1914.
PIRACY ON THE HIGH SEAS.
SENSATIONAL EXPERIENCE OF THE CHILDAR."
CAPTAIN ROPED UP FOR FIVE HOURS.
The str. Childar, a Norwegian passenger and cargo steamer, running between Hongkong and Swatow, returned to Яong. kung yesterday, after having been away for twelve hours only, with a wrecked interior and her crew and passengers robbed of all they possessed. It is another story of the daring of Chinese pirates, and the manner in which the Childer was held up on the high soa reveals that repeated success has made the pirates really even more wildly daring in their methods,
In this particular instance pirates had evidently been informed that the Childur War conveying treasure. But their calculations were a trip behind-hand. On her previous voyage the vessel, in addition to the passengers and their belongings, conveyed treasure to the value of about $30,000. It was this which the pirates had obviously planned to secure, and when they discovered their mistake their revengeful annoyance resulted in the wholesale wreckage of the interior of the ship, everything at least which could be damaged with axes.
Apart from the manner in which the pirates treated the ship with ares. the piracy is of the ordinary type. The Childar left Hongkong at noon on Sunday for Swatow with about 200 Chinese passengers on board. When six hours out some of these passengers suddenly whipped out revolvers, held up everyone, and roped up Capt. Neilsen, the Chief Officer and the Engineer. This was done so expeditiously that before they fully realised the turn of events the three were bound up tightly and placed in their cabins, and then the pirates turned to seek the treasure which they bad set out to, secure. It was then that they discovered their mistake and used axea with such recklessncas. passengers' boxes were broken open and everything of account taken, and in their rage at being baulked the pirates smashed fittings and cabin windows, and one even went so far as to fire at random through the Chief Officer's cabin window, where
The
1 the Chief Officer was lying bound. The
"bullet missect him and found a billet in
the wall.
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23".
Our representative who went on board the Childar yesterday examined the cabin and states that the revolvers which were used must have been of a considerable size judging by the dimensions of the bullet-hole. He found the interior of the ship, and more especially the officers' quarters, very badly wrecked. Chairs and electric hangings had been broken up, the bedding bad been torn into fragments, drawers had been taken out, valuable contents removed and then the drawers were broken up. Each cabin looked the picture of ruin, The passengers' hold was even more deplorable. Broken camphor-wood boxes were strewn over the floor, along with torn and other domestic belongings, while the passengers who stood around shivering had a woe- begone expression fully in keeping with the general picture of chaos,
The Chief Officer of the Childar, who along with the Captain and the Engineer were bound up tightly for about five hours, still felt the effects of his ill-usage and was not inclined to recall the happenings of the previous evening. When he heard unusual sounds he rushed out of his cabin, but found himself look- ing down the barrels of several revolvers. Then he was forced to hold his hands out, a ring was removed, along with his watch and chain and anything valuable which he happened to be wearing. When this had been done he was bound up tightly and rolled into his cabin, to be subre quently shot at life san bed! peculiašlý when he said: "They trussed me up tightly. I could not move. My hands were tied up so securely that the pain caused by the ropes cutting into the skin almost made me cry. They took awAF everything of any value belonging to me, but I thought they were going to do for me as well. We are lucky to get off like we did." The Captain and the Engineer were of the same opinion.
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The pirates were ransacking the boat for several hours and some junks coac alongside in the usual way and carried the goods away. Before they finally left the ship, however, some of the pirates, who possessed a knowledge of engines, pulled some of the vital portions apart, while others fired two shots above the heads of the crew and passengers, and then they all moved away. Subsequently the passengers released the Captain, the Chief Officer, and the Engineer, the engines were repaired and the C'hildar returned to Hongkong. Outwardly she seemed quite spick-and-span at anchor off Stonecutters, but the pirates had left their marks on the interior. Among the
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