now aN Tenaxe Connesroxvest The navigation of the upper, Yangtze, always attended by great risks, has now become more hazardous than ever through danger of attack by brigands upon unproteet~ ed vessels. Steamers which travel under gunboat escort, or with an armed guard on board are safe from the brigands, but isolated vessels at anchor for the night, or ships in distress through accident, are exposed to grave danger.
'The Yangtsze Rapids Company's steamer Chita, under Captain F. J. Fickerment, recently escaped'. double disaster? namely, wreck and raid. After meeting with cident through striking a submerge ted rock and saving the ship from wreck by beaching her, Capt. Fiekerment hod to defend his vessel, almost single handed, against a dastardly attack by brigands.
The Chita was proceeding from chang to Chunyking with Chinese passengers and cargo on February} 5 and had reached mileage 206, about 82 miles above Wanhsien, when she struck a submerged rock, The shock was heavy and the resultant damage severe. The forehold quickly flooded, causing the vessel to list and rapidly sink. To escape total wreck, Capt. Ficker-} ment took the steamer across the: river and beached her on a shingle bank, narrowly averting disaster,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.