TEAMING at full speed from Weihaiwei to Tsingtao on Saturday following the receipt of urgent wireless messages from ithe British naval authorities in Shanghai, H.M.S. Birmingham, latest addition to the Royal Navy's cruiser strength in the Far East, promptly secured the release of the British-owned Shanghai coastal steamer, St. Vincent de Paul, a few hours after she had arrived at Tsingtao under the escort of a Japanese-operated Customs cruiser on charges of smuggling arms and ammunition at Shayangho, south of Haichow, the same day.
Following the arrival of the British cruiser, negotiations were opened with the Japanese authorities and the release of the St. Vincent de Paul was secured a few hours afterwards. She will arrive in Shanghai at about 10 a.m. today and an enquiry into the Japanese charges against the vessel and her detention at Tsingtao will be opened.
Meanwhile, negotiations are still proceeding between the Norwegian authorities in Tsingtao and the Japanese for the release of the two Norwegian coastal steamers, the s. Haidnor and the s. Havthor, which were seized at Shayangho with the British vessel and taken with her to Tsingtao. It is expected that, after a period of questioning, the two vessels will be allowed to leave Tsingtao in the immediate future.
First news of the seizure of the three vessels came on Saturday when the owners of the St, Vincent de Paul, Messrs. Herlofson, Gordon and Reeves, received a dramatic wireless message from one of the Norwegian ships which described how a Customs cruiser under Japanese control had stopped the British vessel from unloading her cargo of matches, paper and kerosene into junks at Shayangho and had then ordered all three ships to proceed to Tsingtao under escort.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.