The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1907-05-29
HONTH-LONG BATTLE ON SHIPBOARD
BETWEEN CHINESE AND RUSSIANS
4 Thousand Rabld Coolies and Iaddened
Peasants Engage in Deadly Combat at
All Hours Of the Day and Night
During Maori Kings Last
TranS-Paciflc Voyage.


San Diego, Ca!.-With nearly 1000
enraged Chinese and 200 maddened
Russians rushing in mobs at each
other, thirsting for blood and q fight
to the death while a helpless crew Of
half a hundred friendly Chinese and
three lonely English officers stood
between the murderous assaults in
an effort to stop the fearful carnage
only to be set upon by both forces,
while a crowded ship rolled wildly in
a fierce storm-such was the awful
experience on board the British ship
Maori King, which sought San Diego
Harbor, forced to III for refuge here
in order to prevent what appeared to
be certain wholesale slaughter.
AS a result of the race war six Rus
slams and two Chinese lie dead and
more than 200 are dangerously
wounded from knife thrusts. Accord
ing to Captain j. w. Duncan, in COM
mand Of the stricken ship, the Maori
King left Vladivostok with 921 Chi
nese, Alt Russians, a crew of fifty
six Chinese, who had long been in the
service of the boat and their officers;
Captain Duncan, First Officer T. 8.
Vernon and Second Officer T. H. Ok
ley.
1t appears that a Chinese contrac-
tor, Lee Sun Sal, lured the Chinese
on board the ship from the vicinity
of Hardin on a promise to land them
in San Francisco. When two days
out he told them a mistake had been
made, and the boat would land them
at Guayamas, Mexico. On learning Of
this deception the Chinese broke out
in mutiny, chased the officers of the
ship into their cabins, attacked those
of the Chinese crew who remained
faithful and then started a race war
on the Russians.
The officers finally fought their
way out, and, after shooting a score
of the Chinese, regained control Of
the ship. All of the horrors of mu-
tiny rampant with a horde OF rabid
coolies of the lowest and basest type
engaging in deadly combat all hours
of the day and night for nearly a
month, were intensified by the filth
of the passengers and the rotten
decks, unwashed and putrefying with
a thick coating Of offal, blood and
foul garbage.
Disease broke out among the Chi
nese, making the situation worse.
AS they refused to allow the surgeon
near them over a hundred died like
rats and were thrown overheard.
1T was a real hell ship" accord
ing to First Oficer It's. Vernon, "and
I have seen some pretty tough lots in
my time. -.
Gust a week ago we were caught
In a frightful storm. Even with a
free crew we would have had great
difficulty in riding her out. But with
a row going on between the Russians
and the Chinese it was awful. The
propeller shaft smashed through its
steel case and it took US two days to
repair it. All of this time we were
being beaten to and fro in a raging
storm, the a washing clear over
the decks. But the Chinese and
Russians were bent on numbering
each other, and the battle still went
on. Then the Chinese called for the
life of Lee Sun Sal, the contractor.
During the blacklist night, the
Chinese, most of them stripped bare
to the waist, their brown bodies slick
and shining in the lightning flashes,
surged back and forth, nearly a thou
sand of them, brandishing long
knives and screaming hoarsely in
their hideous gibberish like so many
fends on Walpurgis night.
They rushed at the Russians again
and again, cutting and slashing and
stabbing. The officers were simply
helpless"
British Vice-Consul Allen Hutch
inson has appealed to the military
authorities, and orders have been re-
ceived from Washington that as many
soldiers as necessary to 'quell the mu-
tineers be detailed from Fort Rose
Grams. Captain Duncan asks that the
United States allow a guard to &C
company the Maori King to Guaya-
mas, as the Chinese cannot be landed
on this side.