New-York tribune., 1908-07-12
CREW TRIES TO DROWN
PROTEST AGAINST FOOD.
Ten Of Tacenty-fUe Cinnamon Jump
OUerbcard- -T7cO Die.

made a concerted effort to jump overheard de-
ternlined. they said, to drown rather than to
take another voyage with Captain d. M Gunn'
the steamers commander
Ten of the number succeeded in the attempt.
of whom two were drowned while third is
in the Hudson Street Hospital suffering from
submersion
Had it not been for the desperate e1orts or
Police Sergeant Nicholas Mulhall and his crew
of three men of the harbor squad, who were on
the scene in a police launch to guard against
Just such an attempt, the whole ten would have
drowned. Only two OF them could SWIM ana
these two fought desperately against rescue
The other fifteen members of the band were
captured by a newly signed crew OF the
Strathyre and locked UP in the forecastle until
taken in charge by the police. who brought the
twenty-thr living Cinnamon to Pier A, Bat
terry.
Captain Gum began to have serious trouble
with his Oriental crew Friday morning. when
they mutinied, and going to their quarters an
nounced their determination not to work untll
they had received guarantee from the New
York agents of the steamship that their food
would be improved in quality and that they be
paid what they considered fair proportion OF
the wages due them for over eleven months
services.
CONSUL SIDES WITH THEM.
When their terms were not granted they told
the Chinese Consul, w. H. Ho, who sent rep
resentative to investigate the case The con-
suls representative, they said. declared that
they were right in their contentious and prom
ised TO return to straighten out the matter yes
terday afternoon.
Friday evening. however, they determined to
make a break for freedom, anyhow, fearing,
they said that Captain Gum would cast off in
the night and take them with him voyage
to Norfolk, Va where the Strathyre is now
bound with a to take on cargo of
coal for the American fleet
Accordingly in a body and under the leader
ship of the chief steward, Han Ching ia. an in
telligent Chinaman. who speaks good English
they made a break the ships side to the
pier as soon as 1t had grown dark, only to be
recaptured however, by the eight English and
Scotch members of the crew, assisted by the
Brooklyn police.
Had they succeeded in their attempt it would
have cost the owners of the vessel $12,500, as
they required to give bond to the United
States immigration authorities in the of
$500 for every Chinaman brought into port.
After their recapture the hustled
aboard the ship and carefully watched by the
ships officers and six Brooklyn policemen dur
ing the rest of the night.
Yesterday morning Sergeant Mulhan, together
dispatched in a police launch to relieve the
Brooklyn policeman. Sergeant Mulhall moored
his craft at the starboard bow of the Strathyre
and remained there until o'clock in the after
noon, at which hour the steamer scheduled
to sail, without noting any signs Of disturbance
TEN JUMP OVER THE RAIL
All the afternoon the frightened and hungry
Chinamen who declare that Captain Gum had
tnfo cr,Ir cior for f0IIr
days, had been reiteratng their determination
to leave the ship, and late in the day crew
of white seamen was shipped by Benham &
Boyesen, Of No. 20 State street, the agents. and
at o'clock Captain Gum gave the order to cast
off. AS the first hawser was slackened the stew
ard and leader of the mutfneers gave the signal
to his men, and with rush they started for the
rail. Fifteen of them promptly captured
by the officers and white crew, while the ten
who succeeded in their attempt landed in the
water near the police launch, taking by surprise
Sergeant Mulhall and his men, who were about
to follow the steamer out into the bay.
1T busy ten minutes as ever put
IN in my life," said Mulhal who abandoned the
wheel of the launch TO jump into the water
among the struggling Chinese ''They were
thoroughly frightened. and though some of them
lost courage when they struck the cold water.
most of them tried their best to drown. One
man swan fast as he could away from the
launch and then ducked his head, trying his
best to go down. For five or ten minutes the
water fairly seethed with tangled up Cinnamon
trying 10 kick themselves away from AS
fast as / caught one in the water I showed him
to the boat and of the other men pulled
him aboard. With the three men the launch
it was a case of rushing to the wheel engine
for moment to catch Chinaman who had
got away from us. and then of falling to to
drag them out of the water"
With the assistance Of two other launches
the eight men saved from the water and the
fifteen aboard the steamer rushed to Pier
A, Manhattan. The bodies of the two who were
| drowned had not been recovered last night. but
were being sought by Sergeant Nicholas Klute
| and a crew of three men 81 police launch.
| POLICEMEN FEED THEM.
At the station Yu va Shung could not be
resuscitated by ordinary means and he was
| sent to the Hudson Street Hospital The re-
manning twenty-five were taken to the
assembly room. where they huddled In a corner
| like frightened sheep until reassured by the
policemen and their leader. subscription was
| at once taken up by Sergeant MuihaH and 81 so
| raised among policemen and spectators was
| used in purchasing food for the half-starved
men, who consumed fifteen loaves OF bread. a
| large quantity of smoked fish and as many
doughnuts and other decacies the amount
would buy.
The ravenous manner in which they ate would
seem to bear out Their statement that they had
been practically starved for four days One OF
the carried with him a piece OF ancient
fish, with strong odor, which he said was
sample of the food they had been compelled
to eat Another man had a pocket fun OF