In Bias Bay

ARMY & NAVY

One evening last week the little U. S. gunboat Fulton, carrying a complement of 186 officers and men under Commander Harry D. McHenry, was cruising in as ugly a bit of water as lies off the coast of China. Bias Bay, 50 miles northeast of Hongkong, is notorious as a base of operations for Chinese pirates. A high sea and an incoming fog made it more unwholesome than usual. At 6:35 p. m. the officers were at mess when an exhaust gasket on one of the Fulton's Diesel engines blew out. In an instant spurting flames enveloped a tank containing oil for the engines. The tank exploded and fire filled the engine room.

A gong rang sharply, followed by a hurried bugle call, and as the ship's bell began to sound the call to fire stations. Commander McHenry, dropping his knife and fork, rushed on deck. Flames were leaping from the ventilators; the fire was already beyond control. Hastily an S. 0. S. was sent, a moment before the wireless cabin was engulfed in flames. Men from sick bay were placed in boats and lowered to the water. The rest of the ship's company were forced to the bow by the conflagration amidships.

Eight miles away the freighter Tsinan turned about and guided by the pillar of fire ascending to the sky made for the scene. The British destroyer Wishart, warned by wireless, arrived under forced draft at 8 p. m. Cautiously maneuvering through the murk her commander, with magnificent seamanship, brought the bow of his ship against the bow of the fiery Fulton, held her there while the remainder of those aboard the Fulton leaped to safety. A Filipino cook boy broke a leg, an electrician hurt his spine. Six others had lesser injuries but before morning all the Fulton's 187 men and her cat were brought alive to Hongkong.

A few hours later the wreck of the Fulton, still flaming, was being towed to Hongkong by two Admiralty tugs under escort of another British warship, and Bias Bay was clear of all ships except the Norwegian freighter Norviken steaming slowly southward from Foochow. Suddenly 22 Chinese passengers aboard the Norviken whipped out revolvers, rushed the bridge, overpowered the officers, rushed the engine room, smashed the wireless. At their leisure the pirates stripped seven European passengers of their valuables, lowered boats and. unmolested, made for the shore carrying ten nonpiratical Chinese to be held for ransom.

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