The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1896-04-17
CHASED BY A CHINESE JUNK.
A Pirate Tries to Lay Aboard the Ship
Siam OFF the Coast of BOrneO

A Pirate Tries to Lay Aboard the Ship
Siam OF the Coast of Borneo.
The ship Siam, with cargo of cinna-
mon, frecrackers, birds nests and other
Oriental wares, got up to her pier Sat
urday night, 21S days out from Hong
Kong. The big clipper, after passing
out Of Hong Hong had a dreary drift
soons: just changing from the southwest
to the northeast.
One night in September, while the
Siam was off the Borneo coast, Second
Mate Schnack had the watch, when a
Chinese junk came sneaking up on the
wind. The mate raised signal, to
which the junk made no reply, and in
head on. Quick as flash Mate Setback
OWNED that she was Il Chinese pirate
and, yelling to the man at the wheel to
stand steady, he sang out an alarm to
Capt. Garlichs and the crew.
Before the skipper could respond the
black junk, with her lights douscd, swept
along towards the Siam and was nearly
alongside when the. mate sang out to
the man at the wheel. AS her helm
went over, the big square-rigger's stern
fell away, while the junk, missing her,
ran by. barely fathom clear of the
side. There were at least fifty men OIL
the pirate, the second mate says, and us
the Junk rushed by the Chinese rascals
could be seen crouchlng in the shadow
ing what looked like bamboo spears.
An old brass cannon that lay dashed
under the Slams forecastle head was
emptied of rusty water and loaded with
slugs, but the junk kept on before the
wind and was not seen again.
On December 8, when the Siam was in
the Indian ocean in latitude Fl .16 south
1o.,p;+r1o n ooc+ no v COY,
was born to the captains wife. In hon
or of the event Capt. Garlichs presented
to the crew square face" holding
about a gallon of the best Holland gin.
The baby was named Diedrich Gun
Their. All the captains three children
were born at sea. Little Hannah, who
is ~ year old, was born when the ship
the youngest saw the light: The eldest
Of the sturdy little 'sea dogs is Ger
hard. He is years old.
At eight bells, OH the morning of
March Z, when the Siam was forty-fve
miles off Sandy Hook, Marks. the bo'sn,
ran aft to First Mate Petersen with the
information that boats crew of ship
wrecked sailors were pulling for the
ship.
A gale of wind and an awful sea was
Oh at the time. and in this Il boat could
hardly have lived. Closer inspection,
however. disclosed tho supposed boat
was only an o.y,crturned, schooner with
bright copper bilges The standpost of
the wreck looked like a man beckoning.
At a. H., March 16, when the Siam
was rolling in a bowling gale: First
Mate Petersen sighted the portlight of
schooner hove to and unmanageable.
The Siam kept off, but the schooner again
ran down before the wind, and as she
came on her spanker boom nearly raked
the clippers port quarter. She cleared
her by about two feet.
AS the three-master like specter
ship rushed close by Mate Petersen
yelled: FLOWS President Cleveland,
capY'
The unknown schooner's skipper
growled reply:
you're forty miles nor'west of Sandy
Hook, partner. Another nor'wester s
comm. Take my advice and anchor
when you get into ten fathoms.'
But the clipper kept on, and before
long was safe inside the Hook.-New
York World.