We were divided into groups of
twenty. Again it was very crowded; much confusion, much cursing.
Half cup of rice; a quarter cup of thin cabbage soup. A miserable
night.
Jan. 7, 1945: We started a hospital on the upper deck and moved some
fifty dysentery cases into it. The Japs gave us some dysentery
medicine-looked like pellets of gunpowder. Flies were very bad. Four
died! Tenko (?) 1,262.
Jan. 8th: Hatch covers were moved above us admitting dazzling light
and extreme cold. All prisoners were moved off from the lower deck;
about 473 into the forward hold, and about 789 on to the upper deck of
our hold; again it was very crowded.
Thirty-seven English and Dutch prisoners were taken off the ship-to be
transferred to a P.O.W. camp in Formosa.
Winches lowered many sacks of sugar into the lower hold. Mr. Wata
warned us, "If you touch any sugal, you vill be hollibly shot!"
Jan. 9th, 1945: At daybreak, we heard many planes followed by
anti-aircraft fire in the distance. Very soon, planes were overhead!
There was panic in our hold. Men were trying to get off the wooden
planks on to the steel decks.
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