Last Moments at Inquest on the Chief Engineer The Mylie's mess boy, Ling Ah-tsung, who is the solitary survivor of last week's terrible tragedy of the sea, was able to give evidence at the resumed inquest last Friday on Arthur Harvey Green, chief engineer of the ill-fated vessel who was picked up in an open boat by the str. Sinkiang on Wednesday. After hearing medical and other evidence, Mr. G. W. King, H. M. Coroner, accompanied by Mr. S. Wyatt-Smith, shipping Vice-Consul, who attended on behalf of the Board of Trade, visited St. Luke's Hospital, where the mess boy is now an inmate. Seated at the bedside of the lone survivor, the Coroner listened to one of the most moving stories of shipwreck ever heard in Shanghai In telling of the manner in which the vessel met her doom, the witness said she was heeled over to starboard for half an hour before sinking, and went down on that: side, indicating that she was overwhelmed by a terrific beam sea.
Charles William Puttick, master-of the C. N. S. Sinkiang, said that when his vessel was 10 miles east-southeast of the Patehekok Island, the chief officer reported that there was a ship's life boat ahead, with a sail partly set. The. Sinkiang was slowed down and steamed towards to. On getting alongside the lifeboat, witness saw the deceased's body. The boatswain jumped into the boat and hauled it aboard. Witness saw the name Mylie om the stern of the boat. Deceased was sitting on the tanks of the boat with his head on his arms. His legs were in the water, the boat being two-thirds full of water. The craft had been badly holed and was floating on its tanks. Witness thought that Mr. Green must have been dead for about two days. His face was dark. There was no food nor water in the boat and not even a water beaker. On removing an old jacket from the stern $23 were the body witness found another found. On moving the arm of
two dollars. The only clothing worn by deceased was a singlet. A pair of trousers was washed out of the boat when it was hoisted on board. The deceased's right foot was badly. lacerated, raft and steamed alongside it. There was a moderate, typhoon swell, but no break in the sea: getting near the raft witness thought he saw another corpse, but a man jumped up and waved his hands. The ship's boat, in the charge of the chief officer, went to the raft and brought the survivor on to the Sinkiang. The man seemed fairly coherent. He told the Sinkiang's officers that he was: mess boy to the chief engineer. There were four others on_ the raft who had died." He had been on the raft six days and had had no food or water. According to him the Mylie went down at 9 pin. pu the Thursday, Several] odds and ends were floating about. They were the usual odds amd ends from a ship, but might not have been those of the Mylie.
In reply to Chief Det.-Insp. Reeves, witness said the - objects seen were on the usual course of ships in that locality. The Sinkiang was on her usual course from Swatow.
Dr. N. Hay Bolton, who performed the post-mortem, said he felt sure deceased lived for one or two days after taking his last meal. There was little evidence of food or Higestive products. He probably died on about the 26th from exposure. He must have suffered from the sun. The erosion on the leg might have been caused after death. Witness would say that a Chinese might have stood a better chance, as Chinese were used to being without a hat.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.