WANHSIEN

Evening Star, Issue 19411, 20 November 1926, Page 18

WANHSIEN

BEITIBH NAVAL A6TIOH A GRAPHIC STORY The Peking correspondent of the ‘London Times’ thus describes the British naval action at Waahsien ■ The astonishing exploit of the British naval detachment at Wanhsien deserves to rank among the most daring of the many brilliant achievements standing to the credit of the service. Twenty-five officers and men coolly steamed into a trap around which 20,000 hostile troops were grouped, and, under the fiercest blare of fire from artillery, machine guns, and small arms, snatched a handful of imprisoned British sailors from under the noses of their captors. It was Zeebrugge on a small scale, a manifestation of the same splendid spirit that animated the greater deed. The detachment and the crews of the two tiny river gunboats that supported them upheld the finest of the traditions of the British Navy; but is it melancholy to record that eight gallant men lost their lives, while several thousand of their attackers are reputed to have been killed in a contest that should never have occurred. The facts recorded below show clearly enough that the Chinese brought the trouble on themselves through the fanaticism and ignorance of their commanders. The whole story is illustrative of the condition into which China has fallen and of the irresponsibility of the ignorant soldiery which now terrorises this una{sanhsioii lies over 1,000 miles up the mighty Yangtze, in the midst of a series of gorges famous for their beauty and grandeur. The whole of the waters of an enormous catchment area combine in one great stream to burst through the mountainous band which bars the way to the sea. Deep and dark lagoons alternate with rocky defiles through which the river races fiercely. For centuries native junks have laboriously navigated the gorges, shooting downstream in peril of the rapids, towed upstream by monster bamboo cables hauled by hundreds of naked coolies. It is only of quite recent years that powerfully engined shallow-draught steamers have conquered the gorges, and there are now some forty such vessels regularly engaged in the trade between Ichang and Chungking. Wanhsien is the halfway house between these two ports, an important city having access through the mountains to a great interior in its rear. Wanhsien has always been a point where the Western militarists have found it convenient to harry the shipping, whether in the shape of the old-fashioned junks or the new foreignbuilt vessels more or less of the Mississippi type. During the constant wars that have raged in Szechwan for ten years past troops have continually' passed up and down the river, and their transport has become a great business and an unspeakable pest to commerce. THE TROOP NUISANCE.

British steamers, being the most numerous, have suffered most from the troop nuisance. Batches of soldiers demand passage, and are not to be denied unless naval assistance is within reach. Transport accorded to the troops of one side is declared a hostile act by their opponents, and visited on unfortunate skippers, who have been subjected to force majeure. Payment is generally evaded or flatly refused. _ Shooting at steamers has been the principal diversion of troops and bandits stationed on the river, and until recently was not particularly dangerous, as_ the sportsmen had the mistaken notion that the funnel was the vulnerable pari of the target. They have learnt better, and every steamer ia now heavily bulwarrod with steel plates, backed by Heavy bales of merchandise, and is prepared to be peppered indefinitely. Owing to con stant interference, it had recently been deemed necessary te station ELM S Cockchafer at Wanhsien for the protection of British shipping, whl.n, by treaty, has the right to mavigate China’s inland waters.

On August 27 the s.s. Wanisien was boarded at 'Wanhsien by 100 soldiers, whereupon the skipper appealed to the Cockchafer. The general ashore was informed that the trops could not be carried, or there would be a breach of neutrality. The general, however, ordered his men to stay on board and '•esist any attempt to remove them. The nesit day a Chinese officer visited the Cockchafer, and t£o position was fully explained to him.* He claimed that troops had been moved for other generals, and that hia were equally entitled to facilities, to which the answer was that in all previous cases where troops had been carried the commanders had been coerced. On the 29th the s.s. Wanliu arrived flying the signal “Send an armed guard.” She reported that whan landing passengers farther downstream she had been boarded by sixteen soldiers, and that as more were seen coming from shore she had steamed slowly ahead to prevent them from coming on board. Simultaneously fire was opened on her from both sides of 'fie river, while the soldiers on boara had tried to rush the bridge and engine room—-an attempt foiled by the ship’s officers. Meanwhile one of the_ sampans approaching came into collision with another and capsized, but it was believed that none of the eight soldiers in her was drowned, as there were many other boats around to pick up men in the water. During the passage to Wanhsien the soldiers seized and bound the ship’s compradore, threatening to kill him and the captain. On arrival at Wanhsien the soldiers excused themselves on the ground that they tried to detain the Wanliu in order to get compensation for the alleged drowning of their comrades.

Next arrived the s.s. Iping (American), in which were the soldiers who had failed to catch the Wanliu. Some fifty of these landed and lined the bank abreast of the Wanhsien, threatening her with their rifles. The guard from the Cockchafer, however, deterred them from action, and the Wanliu proceeded on her voyage upstream. Just as the Wanliu steamed off, the place of the hundred soldiers who had barricaded themselves in the Wanhsien was taken by 400 men under the direct orders or General Yang Sen, Wu Peifu’s commander, who is seeking to regain control of Szechwan, an officer who has occupied high positions and has had frequent and friendly dealings with foreigners. He followed his men and told the captain that he intended arresting every British ship until full reparation had been made for the alleged _ sinking of the sampan by the Wanliu. His men then posted themselves all over the ship in positions commanding the Cockchafer. Meanwhile thousands of troops on both banks made hostile demonstrations against the gunboat. The same evening, the steamship Wamtung arrived from Chungking, and was immediately occupied by several hundreds of troops- Next day the demonstrations against the Cockchafer were renewed, and the officers of the two merchant vessels were made prisoners in their quarters. SUPPLIES CUT OFF. On the 31st communication between the Cockchafer and the shore was stopped, and supplies were cut off. The sampan attached to the gumbo at, however, made for the bank as unusl, the boatmen not knowing of the new orders. He was brutally butchered before the eyes of the ship’s company. Next day the steamship Tienkwang arrived with the British Consul at Chungking aboard, come to negotiate with General Yang Sen for the release of the two British vessels. The general, however, took such high ground, declaring that the Wanliu had sunk three junks containing over fifty soldiers, for which 85,00Ud0l compensation was demanded, that nothing could be done. He flatly refused to release the ships or their officers. In returning the Consul’s call the following day he continued defiant and truculent, and all endeavors to resume negotiation were fruitless.

The position of affairs was then reported to the admiral downstream, and reinforcements were asked for im order to save the lives of the three foreign officers in each ship, and if possible those of the Chinese crews who had been most loyal to their officers. In response'the Widgeon was ordered from Chungking to Wanhsien, while an expedition was prepared at Ichang, composed of detachments from H.M.S. Despatch, Scarab, and Mantis statiohed downstream. Meanwhile the position of the foreign officers held prisoner in the two ships was becoming increasingly dangerous, and on September 5 the two gunboats, the Widgeon having arrived on the scone, took up positions close to the Wanhsien and the Wantung to try to protect the officers pending tho arrival of the relief expedition. It was expected the same evening in the s.s. Kiawo, a river boat hastily fitted out with such defences as could be improvised at short notice. The plan was to run her alongside first one and then the other vessel, driving the troops overboard and releasing the prisoners. If possible, it was intended to cut out the ships themselves and bring them away. Cockchafer and Widgeon were cleared for action in order to co-operate. During tho evening the position became very tense, for the Chinese evidently knew of the approaching expedition, and the shores were alive with troops. • THE FIGHTS. At 6 p.m. tho Kiawo was sighted, and as she steamed slowly up against the current there was little to distinguish he? from any, peaceful merchant-

man. She made straight for the Wanhsien, which looked equally peaceful, for , a batch of Chinese were squatting on ' the deck eating their evening meal. When the Kiawo ran alongside and grappled, and her boarders made th- " rush, four hidden machine guns opened up a withering fire on them, and hundreds of soldiers sprang into view with their rifles. Apparently the first outburst killed Commander Darley and Lieutenant Higgins, but the board’ng party closed m on the soldiers-ami tought hand to hand, while the covering force in the Kiawo mowed down the Chinese with rifle and machine-gun fire at point-blank range. The Wanhsien was soon a shambles, but in tho confusion the ship’s officers were released and brought aboard the Kiawo, which then sheered off.

During this terrific scrimmage the troops and batteries on shore opened on the gunboats. The Cockchafer, while returning the fire, moved close up to the Wantung, whose three officers jumped overboard, two of whom were picked up, the third uphappily being drowned. Meanwhile the Widgeon had steamed close in and bombarded the troops with shrapnel and machine guns, doing tremendous execution. The Cockchafer then opened fire with her Sin guns on predetermined marks, the first shell blowing Yang Sen’s headquarters into the air. There was no indiscriminate firing _on the city, but only at points in military occupation. As the Kiawo dropped down the river the gunbotits drew off and ended the fighting, which had lasted little over an hour, during which the troops were severely punished. It is estimated that probably 3,000 were hilled. It is stated > that Yang Sen, having made all tho: arrangements for the wanton attack ■ upon the British forces, departed into the hills some hours before tho Kiawo appeared. Owing to the difficulty of communication, details have only just begun io reach the capital, and the above is still an incomplete summary of tbe whole tragic story, though accurate in the main facts. Tho Hankow Press publishes various accounts of tho affair, some obtained from eye-witnesses, all of whom agree as to the gallantry oi the naval force. The Cockchafer’s big gun is reported to have been particularly effective, and it is sttaed that one 6in shell which sped along a street of Wanhsien without hitting anything created so violent a draught that the flimsy walls of the houses on both sides fell outwards, .