There were included in this party "the captain of the str. I-Ping (a Dane), the captain of the str. Chi Lai (an Australian), the captain of the str Chi Lan (a Finn), these three vessels belonging to an Ame merican Company, the Yangtze Rapids Steamship Company, the captain of the str. Yung An (Italian flag), an American, the pilot of a French gunboat (a British subject), and an. American missionary of the Methodist Episcopal Bission, who went. they were] armed, there was nothing to do but} meet their demands and give them party had just pai Voritablo hell, wh welled at the point of 'a gun Sarry' thousands disorganized,
ang belonging to, the for from v8, running up' and down the river carrying thousands each. trip, it will be realized what a high type of courage and unselfish service. those men showed in volunteering. for this serious undertaking. atr. I-Ping, an American vessel, ws selected to carry the expedition and her skipper, Captain S. Frandsen, was placed "in command with full Bowers. The crew all gladly con-ented to go.
The [-Ping weighed anchor at 6.45 a.m. on the morning of February 14 and headed up stream. About 9.45 Gm,, she sighted the Chi Chuen in the distance, beached on the sund on. tthe left bank of the rive choreus Kong Ling Rapid.
wroached very carefully, as wi could sce men in uniform, carrying, rifles, on the bank. They did not threaten us in any way and soon we re within hailing distance, and, Chi Chuen, in going through the pid, had hit a submerged rock and umped over it throughout her length, ripping open plates. Every hold had been flooded almost at. once and the fires extinguished immediately, It was a miracle her skipper had succeeded in beaching her on her momentum.
In order to save the cargo, as well as to ascertain and repair the damage, it was necessary to discharge the cargo on the bank. Then the trouble began. On a previous trip the I-Ping had left two. lighters at this point, and there were about 25 Ichang coolies with these, but the local people, probably at the instigation of the brigands, as well as part of the crew of the vessel, refused to allow them to work. Ben. were secured from a.village at the Chin Rapid, six miles farther up-river, Dut these made exorbitant demands, and were finally paid several hundred dollars to discharge part of the argo, when in ordinary circumstances the whole cargo could be discharged for from $40 to $60.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.