A private telegram received wanghai from Hongkong on Thurs lay morning states that the Hon kong authorities had ordered an inquest to commence on Thursday' afternoon on the bodies of some of the victims of the clusion between the str. Leung Kwong and the steam launch Moonshine.
Tt will be remembered that the collision occurred in the Capsuimun Pass on the night of May 9, two British officers of the Leung Kwong, and about 80 Chinese passengers the same ship, losing their lives. It has been asserted that the Chi ese deaths occurred mainly owing. to the grilles of the Leung Kwong being locked at the time, with the result that the unfortunate passengers were caught like rats in a trap, with no possible hope of rescue, although three other vessels were on within a few moments of Sarvivors of the disaster related most pitiful story in connexion with the steerage passengers, whose! only possible means of exit was through the grille doors. "In the confusion no one' opened the grille ad the heartrending screams of the Steerage passengers subsided into a piteous moan as the Leung Kwong)
(On May 48 and 19 q Court of Inquiry sat "at Hongkong in connexion With the collision, but~ the} terms of reference of the Court were apparently s0 limited that no idence was admitted which vould throw any light on either the responsibility for the collision or the Feason for the heavy loss. of life tehieh occurred. The sole finding of the Court was to the effect that che Moonshine was navigated in a proper manner and that no blame is Attributable to the coxswain of this The proceedings and finding of he Court occasioned a great deal of criticism among shipping men at Hongkong and on the China Goast generally, the opinion being that the Hongkong Government, in order to avoid the light of publicity being thrown on the fact that the provision of grilles (under the Hong-Kong Piracy. Prevention Regula-mins) clashed with Board of Trade Regulations and had intentionally limited the scope of the Inquiry. Steong comment to this effect. has appeared in the press of both Hong-Kong and Shanghai. Tt is belived that in addition private representations were submitted to the Hongkong Government asking that, the! affair should publicily be investigated in all of its aspects, and par-in regard to the responsibility for the collision and the reasons for the ser Tt fs not known 'Thursday's inquest were concerned, though it' is believed that as. the remains of Mr. F. E. A, Armstrong, the chief officer of "the Leung Kwong, were recovered soon after the accident, the manner in which met his death would be inquired into. A large number of bodies of Chinese were also recovered. some of them, we understand, definitely being recognized as having been on board the Leung Kwong when the collision occurred
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.