DARING PIRACY

Southland Times, Issue 18965, 13 June 1923, Page 11

DARING PIRACY

CHINESE STEAMER LOOTED. AN EXTRAORDINARY AFFAIR. The YYing Ping, a small ship running between Hongkong and Canton, was pirated near Whampoa on a recent trip to the Chinese port. The Wing Ping is a cargo steamer owned by the Lee Hong Steamship Company at Hongkong. According to a communication received by the Lee Hong Company from a member ot the crew on March 14, an ingenious device to stop the ship was employed by the pirates who numbered about 100. Leaving Hongkong about 7 p.m., on March 12, with a large cargo of rice and small consignments of assorted merchandise, the Wing Ping reached Whampoa, near Canton, about 8.30 on the morning of March 13, when the propeller suddenly fouled a submerged wire cable purposely laid there to stop the ship and attached to two boats with pirates on board. All efforts to free the propeller from the entanglement failed. The shaft broke, and the ship became crippled. The two pirate boats each fired a volley of shots at the ship to acquaint those on board wyth the probable consequences if resistance were attempted. Several men on the Wing Ping were wounded, one seriously. The two boats then drew alongside, and transferred their pirrite gangs on to the ship. A systematic search was carried out in the crews’ quarters, the compradore’s office, and other parts of the ship, during which few things of value, if any at all, escaped attention. The pirates had control of the ship from 8.30 in the morning till 5 p.m. and, strange to say, during this space of time no assistance was received by the unfortunate ship either from passing boats or from the shore. Undisturbed the pirates managed to remove all the cargo and several thousands of dollars worth of property belonging to the crew. When they left, the hold was almost denuded. The bulk of the plunder comprised r:cc. the greater part of which was insured. Over two thousand bags Were put by the marauders into their own boats, which took them to a quiet place where the unloading was performed. In (he compradore’s compartment several hundred dollars were stolen from a safe. The coup effected is estimated to yield the pirates about 20,000 dollars’ worth of loot. Several men, including the comprador, were abducted, and are held apparently for ransom. What happened to the ship after the pirates left her is not stated. It is known, ’ however, that the Wing Ping is now in Canton undergoing repairs, and that she will return to Hongkong as soon as the work is completed.