651676-1892-Wreek-of-S-S-Bokhara-Letter-from-Admiral-Fremantle — Page 1

THE HONGKONG GOVERNMENT GAZETTE, 23RD DECEMBER, 1892. 1107

GOVERNMENT NOTIFICATION.--No. 527.

The following Letter from His Excellency Vice-Admiral the Honourable Sir E. R. FREMANTLE is published for general information.

By Command,

Colonial Secretary's Office, Ilongkong, 20th December, 1892.

G. T. M. O'BRIEN,

Colonial Secretary.

No. 961.

(4

IMPÉRIEUSE AT HONGKONG,

17th December, 1892.

SIR,-Having recently visited the Pescadores and Sand Island, in 'Her Majesty's Ship Alacrity, it will probably be of interest to your Excellency as well as to others in the Colony if 1 inform you of my proceedings, and of the state of the graves of the unfortunate passengers and crew lost in the Bokhara.

2. I arrived off Sand Island on the afternoon of the 8th instant, and was fortunately able to land there with several of the Officers of the Alacrity. We remained there about an hour. Nothing what- ever was to be seen of the ill-fated ship, but her position was clearly shown by her 3 masts which were washing to and fro, moored by their rigging to the hull. The coral beach was strewed with fragments, chiefly broken tea boxes, everything of value which had been washed ashore having been taken by the salvors or fishermen.

3. There were 2 or 3 Chinese soldiers on the Island guarding the wreck, the salvage steamer Sampson being at Makung, the weather having been too bad to allow of salvage operations at Sand Island for the three weeks previous to my visit.

4. The graves at Sand Island are in various places on the Island. One large grave containing, I think, 24 lascars was near the wreck, and there were others strewed about here and there, 38 bodies having been buried on the Island altogether, the details of which were given generally in Captain MACLEOD'S report, a copy of which was sent to you.

All were fairly interred, though in some cases, evidently from the unpleasant effluvia, not too deeply, but each grave was well covered with sand and had a tally on which its contents were described, as nearly as possible, in Chinese characters.

For the present this is satisfactory, and I should not advocate the graves being disturbed now; .but before long the wind and rain and possibly the sea will expose some of the bodies and render re- interment necessary.

I should accordingly propose that some months hence, giving time for relatives to take any action which they may think necessary, all the bodies on Sand Island should be buried in one grave on the Island, on which a cairn and perhaps a monument might be erected.

5. I did not visit the graves on the other islands, but there is little doubt from the enquiries I made, that my description of those on Sand Island applies to the others, though in most cases they are better sheltered and less exposed to the action of the weather.

I should propose to deal similarly with them to those at Sand Island, that is in the course of some months to have them examined, and probably re-interment will be necessary, in which case I should suggest that there should be one burial place with a cairn on each of the 3 Islands-Ponghon, Pehoe and Fisher Islands.

6. After leaving Sand Island I anchored at Makung for the night, and the next morning I paid a visit to the Chentai accompanied by Mr. WARREN, Her Majesty's Consul at Anping, when I again thanked him, on the part of Her Majesty's Government, and all who had assisted in relieving the wrecked people from the Bokhara, for the kindness shewn to the survivors and the reverent care that had been taken to inter the bodies.

I also thanked the Chentai for his promptness in sending junks to the assistance of the Pallas when she was ashore at Fatsang.

Before visiting the Pescadores I called at Anping and took Mr. WARREN, Her Majesty's Consul, on board who was so active in the endeavour to relieve the survivors of the Bokhara, as well as in making all the subsequent arrangements, so that I have been able to avail myself of his knowledge of all the circumstances, and I believe that he concurs with me in the suggestions I have made in this letter.

I have the honour to be,

Sir,

Your Excellency's obedient Servant,

E. R. FREMANTLE, Vice-Admiral.

His Excellency

Sir WILLIAM ROBINSON, K.C.M.G.,

Governor,

HONGKONG.