New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1895-04-01
POOR LAM TUCK'S BABOON.
IT CAUSES ITS OWNERS DEATH AND
LIVELY. FUSS ON A STEAMER.
BY THE CREW AND FINALLY JUMPS
OVERHEARD

strange tale of tailless baboon. long-tailed
Chnaman five monkeys and entire ships crew.
all of whom got strangely mix-d up, was told by
Chief officer e. H. Butler of the British steamship
Pathan, which arrived here yesterday from Yoko-
hama and other Oriental ports. When the ship was
at Singapore. February I. Lam Tuck. the Chinese
chief steward. bought large tailless baboon for s.
which he expected 10 sell here for from ten 10
twenty times much At the same time some
Iascar sailors bought five small monkeys. The
baboon had formidable teeth. and was fierce and
powerful. He put into l9roe wooden cage
with strong bars. Captain Wright who is a Kodak
enthusiast got a notion 70 take snap shot at the
quintet of monkeys. on February 26. when in about
the middle of the Red Sea. he posed the smian
group on deck and got out his camera.
The steward. being ambitious to procure a por-
trait of his ferocous pet, put his hand through the
bars cage intending seize it by the nape of
the neck and place II with the group. The animal
got the Chinaman's wrist between it's muscular Jaws
and bit IT vciously that its teeth protruded
through the flesh on both sides or the wrist Ine
lascar sailors compelled the baboon TO release the
Chnaman by proding ii with bamboo poles till ii
screeched with pain and rage. Chief officer Butler
VINO is an adept in surgery cauterized and pouticed
the wound.
About TWO hours later the baboon gnawed hole
I'm the back of its cage sufficiently large to enable
Il tear off the boards with its paws ana rect, ana
- escape from the cage The Lascars. with bamboo
poles cha sd the babOon. which climbed nlmbly up
the starboard main shrouds and perched Itself upon
the lower masthead Captain Wright fired six shots
from his revolver at the animal, but does not know
whether any of them took Eject The baooon' now
ever began to descend the rigging. Then the crew
armed wiki bamboo poles. jtarted In TO capture the
fugitive.
There were the capain. three mates, two eng-
neers. Two quartermastcrs eight Lascar sailors and
sx Chinese cooks The steward. having been
knocked ont in tho first round sought the seciusion
OF his cabin and the sodcc Of sundry swgs OF strong
sarshu The bamboo brigade formed in two dvis-
ions and charged UP the main rigging on both sides
Ry a tremendous swinging Jump the baboon trans
ferrcl itself from the sir'otrd TO the port
Jumped about twelve feet % the port topmast PACK
stay anl. Siding down 70 the monkey ran, TOOK
I-nach ~ the two divisions which had been massed
il leapel into the sea and swan away. II was sun
swimming when lost 10 view
The steward continued 70 per'orm hiS regudr
,lties but his wrist began ana continued to swell
aHd get painful A. Port sad. on March l. SUI.
geon wia summoned. who said the wound was nor
dangerous II properly and persstcny poulticei Inc
Chluaman. however. was careless and neglected -
follow the surgeons advice. Gangrene set in ana
on March II when the Pathin put In to Gibraltar.
through stress Of weather. Rrother surgeon was
summoned but when he reached the ship the stew
ara Was dead. Poor Lam Tuck was buried BESIDE
six other Chinese under the shadow OF the historic
and impregnable rock. -,
heavy southwest gale which blew with cyc.onic
force and Was the fourth severe storm she passed
through her homewarl voyage. A. midniSht
she boarded by an enormous aa wnich stove
and washed overheard the captains gig. carried
away her ventilators and smashed the screens OF OF
her lofty bridge. The wind was accompanied by
rain snow. hail and vivid lightning. The lightning
struck the ships main royal poe Just under the
truck and bored large round hole throush II WIFI
out splitting Rplintering the spar
when the steamer entered port she flew the Amer
lean flag from halyards rove through this hole