The record-union., 1897-08-30
ARRIVAL or The
STEAMER COLUMBIA
Delayed on Her Passage From
Yokohama.
Outrage Perpetrated By Pirates on the
Canton River.
They Board a Stranded Boat and
Rob the Passengers-A Bold
Bad Brigand Captures the Gov
ernment Station at Pu1ch Gaya
and Loots It-British Steamer
Captured by Achanese Pirates.

TACOMA, Aug. 29.-The steamer CO.
lumbia arrived to-day on her maiden
voyage from Yokohama with 127 pas
sengers and a full cargo of freight She
was delayed on several occasions and
forced TO lie to tWenty-four hours on
account of breakage of machinery. One
of the firemen died of heat apoplexy
and was buried at sea.
The Columbias cargo includes LOO
bales of silk, valued at 5000, 900, which
will go across the continent via the
Northern Pacific in a special train of
eight baggage cars. The Columbia
brings Oriental advices up to July 9th
as follows:
News has just reached Hong Kong
of the prevalence of pirates on the Can
ton River and one of the most daring
outrages perpetrated. One of the sons
of Captain Chung Kwei, a Straits mill
lionaire, Chung All Phin, who recently
went up to Canton, was the victim. He,
in company with few of his relatives.
hired flower boat and We're proceeding
to their native place On the second
day the boat stuck in the mud and
could not proceed. During the night a
gang of men with painted faces and
fully armed, boarded the boat. With
revolvers Ieveled at the passengers.
they commanded silence, whilst four
men began at once to look for plunder.
All Phin brought from the Straits jew
elry amounting in value to $4,000 and
$4,000 in cash. These the pirates took,
besides clothing, etc. When they had
10
was to be obtained, they left the boat,
after threatening the victims with in
slant death if they made a noise till
two hours afterwards. In the morning
information was at once sent down to
Canton, but before the authorities had
time to send a gunboat up the pirates
had made their escape. Up to the
present nothing more has been heard of
them.
Official information received at Manila
confirms the reports previously pub
lished as to the disastrous character of
the eruption of the Mayor volcano.
Lava covered the whole mountain to its
base, and the observation of the sun
by the cloud of ashes was so great
that in the neighborhood of the disaster
artificial light had to be used at )
O'Clock in the afternoon. Several viii
lages We're completely destroyed. At
Libog $50 bodies We're recovered and
buried, and more remained in the lava.
At another place 200 persons were
missing. Some of the bodies recovered
were so completely calcined as to be
unrecognizable.
Serious floods are reported from va
rious parts of Japan. According to a
Toxic press dispatch of the 10th of
July, it is reported that next years
budget will show a deficiency of 25,-
600, 600 yen, even though the fullest
economy is observed The deficit is
chiefly due to the extraordinary ex-
penditure sanctioned by the Diet
The Shanghai "Shenpao'' contains a
letter from it's Foo Chow correspondent
with reports that the bubonic plague in
the native city and suburbs is most
serious, and that people are dying very
rapidly The center of the plague is
in the vicinity of the Tartar guild
house.
The proclamtion of the Governor
General of the Philippines offering a
free pardon to penitent rebels who sur
rendered, has now been abrogated. The
Manila papers continue to publish ac-
counts of conflicts between the Span
ish forces and scattered remnants of
the rebels, but the rebellion as an or
ganized movement is over.
The Corean Government has sent out
an official notice that the ports of
Chenanpo and Mokpo are open to for
eign trade on October 1st.
A terrible danger threatens the sugar
planters of Java, from a widespread
disease which attacks the roots of the
cane. The roots rot and the canes
die The planters stand helpless be-
fore the disease, which may ere long
bring on a failure of the sugar crop.
1t has already struck four provinces,
and has broken out even on well-kept
estates.
The latest advices from Manila pa
pers show that the rebellion is still far
from being crushed. A determined at
tack has been made on an important
town of Magcarlang, in Laguna prov
ince. by a party of rebels under the
command of Miguel Malvar. The
Spanish troops being outnumbered, re-
tired to the convent, where they forti-
fed themselves until the arrival of the
troops sent by General Laramello when
the rebels retired. leaving twenty-fv
dead. carrying their wounded off as
usual. The Spanish loss is not stated.
The friar priest of the town fought like
lion.
In Bulacan province parties of rebels
have attacked the towns of Mecanyan-
an. Angat and Bigaa, but were re-
pulsed with losses, In San Ildefonso,
in the same province, a party of 300
insurgents made an attack on the ham,
let of Bulac, but after severe fighting
were repulsed with loss of twenty
killed
The Spanish columns in Bolo Bigaa
and Santa Maria. in the same province,
attacked a party of rebels in Camalig
and killed six men.
In Pampanga province a party of 200
rebels were surprised near the town
of San Luis and driven off with the
loss of forty killed. At Magalang, in
the same province, another party of
rebels were driven off, with a loss of
eighteen killed.
In Gapana, a province of Nueva Ex-
CHA, a party attacked the town, but
were repulsed with the loss of three