SCENES ON TUNGCHOW

Evening Post, Issue 29, 4 February 1935, Page 9

SCENES ON TUNGCHOW

CHILDREN AND PIRATES

THRILLING EXPERIENCE

: - V .SHANGHAI,.February; 3. .Describing the piracy on the China Navigation Company's steamer Tungchow,', carrying ;70 schoolchildren returning, to thei China Inland Mission School at Chefoo.from their Christmas holidays at Shanghai, Mr. P. J. Duncan, a schoolmaster who was accompanying the children, : stated that just after leaving the Yangtze, there,was a sudden commotion/and he saw- then Russian I sergeant heroically resisting four men, obviously pirates. They were pumping bullets into him, .arid1 he soon collapsed on the: deck. The second engineer (Mr. K. Macdonald) was afterwards shot in the chest.. He had a revolver: in his hand. Meanwhile Captain Smart, other officers, and ;the Russian guards were overpowered and. revolvers pressed into their,, ribs.' ;. Captain Smart then ordered resistance to cease. ■

Pandemonium prevailed, and the children screaming were taken into the saloon by Mr. Duncan. The pirate chief threatened to shoot all aboard and burn the ship if the captain did not prevent. the British Navy interfering. Captain Smart managed with great tact to ensure that no harm was done. -

Miss K. MacNair, headmistress •of the school, interviewed, said that after the first panic the children quickly made friends with the pirates, and their chieftain playfully pelted the boys with fruit which he had. taken from the storeroom. The children were all anxious to obtain souvenirs, and scoured the deck for cartridges.' The chieftain's pullover was found, and the children tore it to pieces, each anxious to secure a souvenir from it.* During meal times; the pirates' sat behind the women teachers with* revolvers and prodded them into their backs. It was a terrifying experience..:; On.: other occasions some of the pirates seemed to go mad, brandishing revolvers, gesticulating, and threatening to butcher everybody. - ' ■ '