A collision occurred in the Bonham Pass on Friday (6th) between 4.20 and 5 p.m. between Messrs. Siemssen & Cv.'s steamer Peking, Capt. Schultz, and the C, M. S. N. ©o.'s steamer Fushun, Captain Croad. The former vessel was bound from Wuhu Canton with rice and pulse, having left Woosung at 10 a.m, on Friday. ho same afternoon, while proceeding to sea, the weather got foggy, and Cuptain Schultz considered it advisable to anchor till the fog lifted, so he turned back and anchored in nine fathoms, some two and half miles off Elliot Island. While she was at anchor with fires banked, the short blasts of a fog horn or whistle were heard a long way of and the bell of the Peking was rung. The wind was blowing from the direction of the sound, and shortly afterwards the high bow of a steamer, which was tly recognised as the Fushun, was seen coming up through che fog. Captain Schultz called out as loud as he could to the approaching steamer to starboard, but a collision occurred, the Fushu ramming the Peking on the starboard ikiny her on the bulkhead dividing the starboard: bunker from the main hold, and crashing through her side and decks furs distance of between 5 and 6 feet. Captain Schultz being convinced that there was no hope for the Peking, sent for everybody on board, some fifty people, to go tothe side where the two vessels were locked together, and made them climb up the bows of the Fushun The Peking rapidly filled and before he left the vessel, the water was pouring in over the port bulwarks, Captain Schultz was the last to get on board the Fushun, Captain Croad having kept steamer's bows in the hole in the Peki side all the time.
Capt. Croad then backed out and the Peking sank, bow first, in nine fathoms, the funnel being just awash, but during the night the strong tide carried away the funnel. No-one saved anything and some 200 sheep onthe deck were drowned as was also the captain's dog. From the time of the collision to the time the Peking sank was about seven minutes. When the people on board the Fushun saw the Peking, the order was given to reverse the en; but she was so close that there wi sufficient time to stop her way.
Three-quarters of an hour before th collision, the weather was tine and clear and the Pechiti, bound in from Foochow, saw the Fushun ahead of her, but the f set in from Video and she lost sight her. The Pechili passed Bonham at 4.35 pin. and afterwards saw the Peking rik. She anchored to render assistance, ud picked up two of the Peking's life bonys and saw a chest of drawers and some wreckage floating about.
After the Peking sank the Fushwi anchored, and the two officers of the Peking' hung a lamp on her foremast as a warning to vessels approaching. They could not get back to the Fushun till that steamer got up her anchor and went to their assistance. On Saturday morning, attempts were made to engage a junk to stand by the wreck, and exhibit a lamp at night till the Coast Inspector could be communicated with, but they could not find any junk people willing to undertake the job. A couple of balls were constructed and hung on the fore stay. Bonham bears from the wreck S. 35 E. magnetic 74 miles distant, and the wreck is in the track of vessels, The damage done to the Fushun, w! arrived here on Saturday night, is not excessive, and the repairs will not probably. cost much less than Fis. 10,000. Phe stern is bent and perhaps cracked, but this cannot be ascertained till there hins been a more detailed examination. On the port side there are two holes and five plates above the water line are either broken or bent, three of them being broken, On the starboard side, two of the upper plates on the load line are ripped apart for some feet, while the other plates down to the water and below it are bent, and the frames inside are either bent or broken, all the damage being forward of the collision bulkhead. She has gone into Tungkadou Dock, The Peking was an iron screw steamer of 954tonsnet, and 1,476 gross, She was built at Neweastle in 1881 and came out to shanghai the same year. She made 115 trips under the English flag and 76 under the German. The vessel was insured in home offices and the cargo locally.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.