876
THE HONGKONG GOVERNMENT GAZETTE, 29TH AUGUST, 1896.
On the 7th at 7.30 p. Two lanterns hoisted vertically. At 7.45 p. "The depression seems moving in a Westerly direction and likely to pass to the South of Hongkong." On the 8th at day- light, Black South Cone hoisted. At 10.40 a. "The depression to the SSW of Hongkong, in about 20° Lat., appears to be approaching the coast between Macao and Hoihow. At 11.20 a. "The barometer has risen around the Formosa Channel and in Luzon, fallen in the neighbourhood of Hongkong. The Northern depression still covers the NE part of the Sea of Japan." Forecast:-
Forecast:-"Strong E veering to SE winds, perhaps a gale; hard rain squalls at times."
On the 8th at 4.10 p. Black Ball hoisted. On the 9th at 10.0 a. Black Ball lowered. At 11.20 a. "The barometer has risen in the neighbourhood of Hongkong, fallen at Haiphong. The depression is probably felt in the North part of the Gulf of Tougking." Forecast:-"fresh or mode- rate S winds; squally and showery."
On the 10th at 11.15 a. "The barometer has risen on the China Coast but remains rather low at Haiphong. Pressure is now slightly high at Shanghai and about normal in Hongkong and Luzon." Forecast:-"moderate S winds; mostly fair, but possibly some showers at intervals."
The conditions antecedent to the formation of the depression indicated above were as follows: On the 29th and 30th June a depression was traversing the Gulf of Pechili and N Korea. Moving in an Easterly direction it crossed the Sea of Japan on the 1st July and passed to the Pacific on the 2nd. Pressure now increased quickly in Japan and on the 4th and 5th had become high in' an area covering S Japan and the adjacent waters to the Southward. On these latter days pressure was giving way in Luzon and on the 5th the observations indicate the formation of an area of low pressure to the E of Luzon. On the same day a depression had apparently made its appearance over N China. We have the following observations on the 5th from the mean of the a.m. and p.m. barometer reading :-'
-Tokio 29.92, Nagasaki 29.90, Sharp Peak (Foochow) 29.79, Hongkong 29.83, Bolinao 29.76. Winds on the China coast were light or moderate breezes chiefly from a S direction; off the W coast of Luzon light NW breezes prevailed and off the Cochin China coast, in about 8°, 108°, light and inoderate W and SW breezes, the barometer reading 29.84.
On the 6th pressure showed a general decrease since the previous day. The Northern depression moving Eastward was probably situated in Manchuria and the Southern depression had advanced towards N Luzon. We have the following barometric observations:-Tokio 29.84, Nagasaki 29.75, Shanghai 29.70, Sharp Peak 29.73, Hongkong 29.78 and Bolinao 29.70. SW winds prevailed in Japan and on the E coast of China; light winds from S to E on the SE coast of China, and at Bolinao light W breezes chiefly which backed to S during the evening. At sea the S.S. Esmeralda had 29.71 NE 5 in 19° 06′, 116° 40'. She was steering towards Hongkong and during the evening had the barometer falling with the wind backing to N and decreasing. In about 12°, 112° the barometer read 29.78 with light and moderate SW and W winds. The depression, which was apparently of slight intensity, may have been situated in 18°, 122° at noon and it appears to have crossed Luzon on the evening of this day, moving in a WNW direction.
On the 7th the Northern depression had advanced Eastward and was situated in the N part of the Sea of Japan. Pressure had decreased rapidly at Wladivostock and in E Japan. The southern depression, now in the China Sea, had produced a considerable fall of the barometer on the S and SE coasts of China while at Bolinao pressure was increasing. The following are the barometer readings: Tokio, 29.59, Nagasaki 29.73, Shanghai 29.68, Sharp Peak 26.67, Hongkong 29,68 and Bolinao 29.74. Winds were light and moderate breezes from E and SE with clear skies between Foochow and Swatow in the neighbourhood of Hongkong light breezes chiefly from N which, however, increased to force 4 and 5 and veered to ENE during the evening; and at Bolinao light S and SE breezes with rain. In Hongkong and along the SE coast of China very hot and dry weather prevailed. The centre of the depression at noon on this day was situated approximately in 19°, 117. At sea the S.S. Catherine Apcar, at noon in 18° 39', 114° 23′ and steering SSW, crossed the track in front of the centre during the evening. At noon they had 29.72 NW 4 increasing to a strong breeze and backing to SW late the same evening accompanied by very heavy rain and high sea. Moderate SW breezes prevailed off the W coast of Luzon and in 15o, 113°.
On the 8th the Northern depression was still lying in the N part of the Sea of Japan and the centre of the Southern depression was passing at a distance of about 100 miles to the South and West of Hongkong. The following are the barometric observations: Tokio 29.53, Nagasaki 29.75, Shanghai 29.74, Sharp Peak 29.70, Hongkong 29.65 and Bolinao 29.85. Pressure was increasing on the E and SE coasts of China, a fall had taken place in Hongkong and in the Gulf of Tongking and a considerable rise at Bolinao. At Hongkong and Gap Rock strong ENE breezes blew in the morning veering to SE in the evening and decreasing with slowly rising barometer. The centre had passed S of the Colony during the morning and at noon it was situated in 20° 45', 113° 10′. At sea the most important observatious were those made on board the S.S. Invertay in the right-hand semicircle and on the steamships Diomed and China in the left-hand semicircle. At noon the Invertay 50 miles NW by N of the centre had 29.58 and a fresh NE gale which veered to ESE and SE during the evening. The Diomed 35 miles to the SSE of the centre at noon had 29.50 and a fresh SW by S backing gale. This vessel had run southward with a strong WNW breeze during the morning to