Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1919-08-03
ThePhantonn
Junk


Ningpo And when we say "confu-
sion" We don't mean The orderly
American kind that we are accus-
TONED to. but the real Chinese va
riety. which is very different thing.
To the ordinary visitor from western
lands it was simply pandemonium let
loose. Coolies were rushing in every
direction with bags of rice and beans
and compradores (or "overseers')
were shrieking to them at the top of
their lungs. Native passengers were
pushing and jostling one another in
mad efforts to get aboard. and only
the huge nets spread out on either
side prevented their falling over
board into the river. The only quiet
spot seemed to be the little forward
gangway. where few European pas
sehgers were climbing up to the
cabins especially reserved for them.
Ching, the first pilot, was on police
duty here with a long bamboo to in
dictate forcibly to the Asiatics that
''east Is east and west is west" and
that they belonged only on the after
part OF the steamer. Order soon came
out of the chaos as the whistle blew
for the departure. Capt. Clarke
ever popular with his European pas
sengers-took his place on the deck
just in front of the wheelhouse.
Ching pulled in the little gangplank
and shut the gate. and with the order
Let her go!" the chains ratified along
the sides and the Tien Pao swung out
into the stream.
She had been an old P. and o. coast
er In her better days and, was GER
tainly the worse for wear, but she
was holding her own with the larger
and finer liners because of the sig
nificance of her name-which with
the Chinese meant everything. Tien
Pao. or Heavenly Protection" was
their great guarantee of safety, and
1t was lucky day for her owners
when those great golden characters
were painted on her sides. Even the
hundreds of little red paper slips
which were tossed into the stream as
she churned up the foam could add
but little as offerings to the river
ghosts when high heaven had her
under its benign protection.
Down she steamed between the two
long lines of shipping. Over the Hoo
sung bar and out into the yellow
waters of the great delta of the
YAngtze. the father Of Chinese waters
and took her course southwark toward
the Islands of Poo Too. All went
we'll until just after the hour of dim
ner, when she started to enter the
Black Camel channel and sighted
straight ahead the warning beacon
on the cliff near the dangerous reef
known to navigators as the "camers
Hump. What happened to her
therein spite of the protection of
the heavenly name-was told in the
extra" issued early the next morn
Ing by the Shanghai Daily News.
EXTRA.
Serious Maritime Disaster-The Ming
20 Liner Tien Pao a Total
Loss on the Poo Toos.
THE s. 8. Wing Pao Of the Coast
Mutual Navigation Company arrived
this morning early. bringing the Of
hcers and passengers Of the s. s.
Tien Pao of the same line, which
went hard and fast onto the Cameps
Hump Tuesday evening, while try
ing to avoid collision with a large
Ntngpo junk.
'Aithough strong ebb tide was
running at the time. her passens ars
and mails were safely landed in the
ships boats near the Hal Toy beacon,
where the native officials did every
thing in their power to make them
comfortable until the returning
steamer was signaled and took them
OF the following day.
Capt. and Mrs. Gerald Duncan of
Melbourne and the Misses. Jones of
the English Church Mission School. at
Hangchow. were the only European
passengers on board. They speak
most highly of the conduct of Capt,
Clarke and his officers, who did ev-
eTything possible to allay excitement
and to insure the rescue of the
Chinese passengers and who never
left the ship until the very last one
had been safely landed"
Not very many days after the above
extra" things had settled down
again to their usual routine in the
maritime circles Of the settlement at
Shanghai. and the morning issue of
the Daily News announced to the
world that a court Of inquiry would