In the meantime the Taian Meru succeeded in getting off, but the force of the tide carried her into the stream, Being swept across th river, struck the Yuen Lee, then getting up her anchors, on the port side just forward of the bridge, splitting open practically the whole her side in hold No. % which was flooded immediately. Holds No. 1 and No. 2 being common, there being "no bulk-heads, the' water quickly filled hold No. 3, and she {settled by the head, her engines being rendered immediately helpless by the inrush of water. It was a fortunate thing for the crow thi her boilers did not explode. Several minor explosions in her interior were heard, and it is believed that the spread of the water inside was facilitated by the bursting of other barriers as a result of those. The Taian Maru damaged her bows, bat not seriously and was able to proceed upriver unassisted.
Assistance for the sinking vessel was quickly on hand, The tug F Luce reached her within a fe minutes, ard the Harbour Master in his launch, and viver police from the hulk xt Pootung were on, the scene almost immediately. There being no hope of keeping her afloat gait there being the danger of her into his launch, but some of the others, who had been slaving lowe: down with the donkey boilers, har a narrow escape, All found either launches, the tug, or sampans without so much as getting wet. Members of the crew were not so fortunate. Some-of them were caught unawares, apparently believing the ship safe from sinking, at any and these hurried ping and stumbling down the stoping decks in full view of the banks. Some reached the bulwarks and jumped straight into the water, where pan men pulled them aboard their craft with boat-hooks and oars. The tug Fuh Lee made a last desperate effort to hold the sinking ship and draw her back towanls shallow water, but she, too, had to east off, For a few moments the stern of the vessel was visible, then that also slid beneath the stream, the water boiling and bubbling over: the place where it had been.
The wreck had no sooner dis than the place was full of g depredatory sampans, scavengers with hooks busily pulling up pieces of wood, baskets of fruit, and other odds and ends which came to the surface and were whisked away by the current. Attracied by a cry from the bank one of these men hooked the unconscious body a man who, though artificial respiration was tried at once, prove! to be dead. He was subsequently ifed us one of the donkey:
eers, and it would appear that he had been caught below when the ship made her last dive.
During the fight to save the vessel, which lasted from 10. hen the collision occurred until ten minutes after noon, crowds of Chinese and foreigners watched from the Bund Gardens, the foreshore, and the jetties along the Bund, seeing from dry land a wreck which was as spectacular as anything that could have been seen in mid-ocean, The Yuen Lee was built in 1906 in Norway and was formerly known as the Dovre. She changed her flag to Chinese one year ago. The Ching Kee Ca., her owners, have their head office in Chefoo, and cording to their local office the vessel was insured. She was 1215 gross registered tonnage, 846 net, and had been most of her time on the China coast.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.