| Summary: | Science To Fight Chinese Pirates. SCIENCE 10 FIGHT CHINESE PIRATES Wireless on Oriental Craft Will Foil Raiders. GUNS ALSO VITAL Recent Steamer Capture Sensational Chapter in Drama of Sea. By Associated Press. NEW YORK, Aug, 12.-- Pirate bands, the scourge for years of the Chinese coast, have become so increasingly active in recent weeks that government officials have proposed new steps to deal with them. A modern weapon to combat an ancient form of lawlessness was one of the plans. The national minister of communications, after conferring with naval authorities, has recommended that Chinese ships, many of which lack modern means of communication, install wireless sets. Employment of anti-pirate guards, sharp-eyed men adept at marksmanship, was another suggestion. Pose as Passengers. The tactics of the sea raiders seldom vary. Boarding the ship as passengers, they await an opportune time at sea and at a signal from then leader carry out their routine methodically. One group attacks the bridge, aiming to overpower the captain. Another heads for the engine room. A third rounds up the passengers and other members of the crew. A systematic looting of the ship's valuables and robbing the passengers follows. Possibly not as colorful as the brigands who sailed the Spanish main, but just as ruthless, the pirates countenance little resistance. Usually fighting back results in bloodshed. Use Ship for Cruise. Often the looted ship, taken over by the pirates, is used for a cruise in which other ships are overtaken and stripped. At length they escape in small boats. Hostages, sometimes members of the crew or officers, and sometimes passengers, frequently are carried away for ransom. To show that they mean business, an ear or a finger of the victim is sent back to strengthen the money demands. One of the most recent sensational exploits of the raiders was the looting of the Japanese steamer Hoshun Maru, en route from Tientsin to Dairen, Manchuria, last May. Leader an Educated Man. Led by an educated Chinese who spoke both French and Japanese, a band of 21 took possession of the vessel in the Gulf of Chihli, looted the safe, robbed 1000 Chinese passengers fleeing from the current fighting in north China, and then used the Hoshun Maru to cruise about preying on other craft. At length they took to their own boats and escaped. A band of marauders on Turnabout island showed persistence when the Norwegian freighter Roseville, 5450 tons, struck a rock near the island. The crew, reaching the island safely, soon found pirates making for the scene. For a week the officers and men beat them back until they were picked up by a Chinese boat. A Japanese salvage tug from Hongkong arrived at the scene to find the pirates swarming over the Roseville, stripping it from stem to stern. The tug crew was put to a stiff fight of several hours to drive off the pirates.
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