MUTINY ON OIL STEAMER.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LVI, Issue 17255, 3 September 1919, Page 7

MUTINY ON OIL STEAMER.

DRUNKEN CREW RUN AMOK. WIRELESS CALL FOR HELP. Australian and N.Z. Cable Association. (Reed. 7 p.m.) LONDON. Sept. 2. An exciting story of a mutiny at sea was told at the Portland Police Court when five of the crew of the oil tank steamer Mariska were charged with several offences. The captain said that the men broached some alcohol which was part of the cargo. " They behaved like madmen. They wanted to hoist a red flag, and rushed the captain, whose revolver had been interfered with and wpuld not fire. The men overpowered him and chased the captain's wife, who attempted to jump into the sea. The mate prevented her. The wireless | operator called the War Khan, [ which sent an armed party aboard and placed the mutineers in irons.

Details of the n. tiny on the Mariska, | cabled from London en August 15, stated that the negro firemen could not resist the temptation offered by the thousands of casks of spirits on the vessel. Breaking the hatches, they filled themselves with liquor and ran amok. They overpowered their officers, wrecked the wireless and b'udgeoned the wireless operator, but not before he had sent out S.O.S. signals. The call of distress was p : cked up by the oilship War Khan, which sighted the Mariska drifting with fires out. Nobody was visible, and an armed boarding party found the decks strewn with broken whisky bottles. The mutineers were overpowered with slight opposition, as many of them were helplessly drunk. The loyal crew and officers were released, some of the latter being in irons. The captain was locked up in his cabin and bludgeoned before he could draw his gun.. The boardi ing party started the fires on the Mariska I and lent firemen to assist the loyalists to take the boat to Brest.