The British steamer Kow-shing, owned by the Indo-China Co., left
Shang-hai on July 17th, bound to Taku, under charter to carry Chinese
troops from that port to Asan, on the coast of Korea. Arriving at Taku
on the 20th, arrangements were made to ship the troops, and on the 23rd
1100 came on board, including two generals, a number of other officers
of various ranks, and a German ex-army officer named Hanneken, who came
as an ordinary passenger. At 9.50 p.m. on the 23rd the ship proceeded
on her voyage to Asan. All went well until the morning of the 25th,
when off Shopeiul Island, we passed a man-of-war flying the Japanese
naval ensign, with a white flag above it. This vessel proved to be the
Chinese warship Tei-yuen. Shortly afterwards we sighted three Japanese
men-of-war, the Naniwa, Yoshino, and another (probably the Akitsushiu).
The Naniwa at once steamed towards us, flying a signal ordering us to
stop. She also fired two blank charges, and signalled us to anchor,
which we did at once. The Naniwa then steamed away, apparently to
communicate with the other ships. I at once enquired by signal if I
might proceed, to which the Naniwa replied, “Heave-to or take the
consequences.” A boat then came from the Naniwa and an officer came on
board. He was received at the gangway, and he asked to see the ship’s
papers. They were shown him, and his attention particularly called to
the fact that she was a British ship. Numerous other questions were
asked and answered, the most important one being, “Would the Kow-shing
follow the Naniwa?” Being utterly helpless against a man-of-war, I
replied that there would be no alternative but to do so, under protest,
if ordered. The officer then left the ship, and proceeded to the
Naniwa. Shortly after, being still at anchor, I was ordered by signal
to cut, slip, or weigh immediately. The Chinese generals learning
the meaning of the signals, and finding preparations were being made
to follow the Naniwa, objected most emphatically. They were told how
useless it would be to resist, as one shot would sink them in a short
time. The generals then said they would rather die than obey Japanese
orders, and, as they had 1100 men against about 400 on the Naniwa, they
would fight sooner than surrender. They were told that if they decided
to fight, the foreign officers would leave the ship. The generals then
gave orders to the troops on deck to kill us if we obeyed the orders
of the Japanese or attempted to leave the ship. With gestures they
threatened to cut off our heads, to stab or shoot us; and a lot of men
were selected to watch us and carry out the order. A signal was then
made requesting the Naniwa to send a boat, in order to communicate
the state of affairs. A boat was at once sent, but a crowd of armed
Chinese took possession of the gangway, until I prevailed on the
generals to send them away. Eventually the officers came alongside, and
a message for the commander of the Naniwa was sent, stating that the
Chinese refused to allow the Kow-shing to be taken, and insisting upon
returning to Taku. It was again pointed out that she was a British
ship, and that she had left port before war had been declared. The boat
then returned to the Naniwa, and on her arrival a signal was hoisted
ordering the Europeans to leave the ship at once. A reply was given
that they were not allowed to leave the ship, and asking for a boat to
be sent. Notice was sent to the engineers to be handy on deck in case
the Japanese fired. The Naniwa shortly afterwards replied that a boat
could not be sent. The Naniwa then hoisted a red flag at the fore,
which was apparently a signal for discharging a torpedo, as one was
fired at the Kow-shing, but missed her. A broadside of five guns was
then fired. At the time I was on the bridge, my officers having left
it, and seeing that the soldiers set to watch me had left their station
at the foot of the ladder, I rushed to the wheelhouse, and, after
obtaining a lifebelt (the last one remaining), I jumped over the ship’s
side. In doing so I heard a terrific explosion, and upon returning to
the surface of the sea I found the atmosphere was thick with smoke and
fine coal-powder. I at once struck out for the shore, distant about
1¼ miles. There were many Chinese in the water, but I only saw one
European, Mr. von Hanneken. As the air cleared, a bullet struck the
water close to my ear, and was followed by a shower of bullets. Knowing
that shot from the Naniwa could not strike near me, owing to being
sheltered by the hull of the Kow-shing, I turned on my back, and saw
the Chinese soldiers firing at me from the deck and the ’tween deck
ports. As far as possible I protected the back of my head with the
lifebelt, and swam as low in the water as I could. Shortly after the
Kow-shing went down, stern first. After being in the water some time,
I was picked up by the Naniwa’s cutter, in a very exhausted condition.
The same boat had already rescued one of the quartermasters, who had
been wounded in the neck by a rifle bullet. On arriving at the Naniwa
we found that the chief officer was the only other person saved by
the Japanese, leaving five Europeans connected with the ship, and the
passenger, missing. We anchored off Shopeiul about 9 a.m. The firing
commenced about 1 p.m., and we were taken aboard the Naniwa about 2.30
p.m. During the evening the Naniwa steamed away, arriving the next
morning at the rendezvous of the Japanese Fleet in Korea. We were then
transferred to the Yayeyama, together with a Danish electrician, named
Muhlenstedt, and about sixty Chinese, who were taken prisoners from the
Chinese steamer Tso-kiang, the same clay. The Yayeyama then proceeded
to Sasebo, arriving on the morning of the 28th. From Sasebo I and Mr.
Tamplin, the chief officer, came here in a small tender at noon on
Sunday last, having in the mean time been interviewed by Mr. Suyematsu
Kencho, President of the Imperial Board of Legislature, who came down
from Tokyo for that purpose. The quartermaster remained behind owing
to his wound not having properly healed up, whilst Mr. Muhlenstedt
is being further detained. During our detention we received every
care and attention necessary for our comfort. After arriving here we
proceeded to H.M.’s Consulate, and made an affidavit of the entire
circumstances. The Naniwa, I may mention, had been damaged on the port
quarter from a shot fired from the Tche-yuen in the morning. I can
positively say I did not see the Japanese fire on the Chinese in the
water. The Chinese killed many of their own people.