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The following remarks are from the register of the Firebrand :-
6.00 p.m. Very heavy squalls, with heavy rain.
8.00 p.m. Tremendously violent squalls, with heavy rain. 10.00 p.m. Blowing a hurricane.
10.30 p.m. Calm, barometer commenced to rise.
10.50 p.m. Blowing tremendously from NNW.
11.00 p.m. Blowing WNW 10 to 12 with much rain.
Midnight. Blowing very hard from WNW.
At 11 p.m. the barometer read 28.96, it had risen 0.27 in a quarter of an hour. At midnight it read 29.22 or 0.53 higher than at 10.45 p.m. The wind was at midnight from WNW of force 8 to
10.
The centre passed therefore over Takow at 10.45 p.m. The exact duration of the central calm we do not know unless we assume from the Firebrand observations that it fell calm at 10.30 p.m. exactly in which case it must have been of about 20 minutes duration and would correspond to a diameter of 4 miles, the rate of motion at the time being about 12 miles per hour. The state of the sky was not recorded unfortunately and we therefore do not know whether there was any partial clearing of the sky during the passage of the calm centre.
Previous to striking the coast the typhoon was moving in a SEasterly direction, but it then appears to have been deflected almost at a right angle and to have moved NE for a short time and it also at once commenced to fill up rapidly. It will be seen by reference to the Anping observations that the barometer ceased rising at 11 p.m (29.17) and in fact read 0.01 lower at 11.30 p.m. (29.16).. At midnight it was (29.17) and thereafter it rose, but not very quickly. The wind at 11 and 11.30 p.m. was from NE of force 8, but at midnight it was from NNW of force 9. The reading at Takow at midnight was 29.22 the wind being from WNW of force 9, and the rain squalls still continued.
At S. Cape the wind had increased in force since 6 p. July 21st. At 9 p.m. it was SW of force 8. At midnight SW 9 with rain squalls the whole evening. The barometer had in the meantime fallen from 29.34 at 6 p.m. to 29.29 at midnight.
At midnight July 21st vessels off the coast near Hongkong had moderate to fresh W and WSW breezes. At the coast stations and light houses between Breaker Point and Chapel Island gentle W breezes chiefly prevailed. At Lamocks it was SSW of force 3. The weather was cloudy but fine. From Chapel Island to the northern entrance to the channel the winds ranged from moderate N gales in the southern part of the area (the Benlarig had a fresh N by W gale with rain squalls) to strong NE and ENE breezes in the northern part, the weather being squally over the entire area. On the N coast of Formosa, at Tamsui at 9 p. July 21st the wind was NE of force 2 and the weather cloudy. At Keelung a few iniles to the Eastward of the former station the wind is recorded as SE 3 the weather being showery and gloomy. The lowest recorded readings of the barometer occurred at this time. Neither of these stations had strong wind though at 6 p.m. the centre was only about 150 miles distant. The intervening range of mountains may account for this. At midnight July 21st the centre was situated in 22° 53', 120° 33'. After midnight the barometer at S. Cape continued to fall, but very slowly, when the daily variation is allowed for, and attained the minimum at 6 a. July 22nd, the reading being 29.24 after which it commenced rising. The wind had, in the meantime, veered to W at 3 a., at 6 a. W the force being 10 at the latter hour. There were rain squalls at 3 a., but at 6 a. the rain had ceased. The barometer read at 9 a. 29.32, at noon 29.35 the wind direction having veered to W by N of force 9 at the latter hour and the weather being squally and showery. The rainfall for the 24 hours ending at 9 a. July 22nd was 5.30 inches. At Takow at 1 a. the wind was from W of force 8 to 12 after which hour it remained steady from the same quarter of force 9 on an average till 6 a. with continuous rain squalls the whole time. At 7 a. the wind veered to NW and continued this direction for the remainder of the day. The force is given as 7 to 8 at 7 a. At 9 a. the average force was 5, at noon 4. The weather continued squally after 7 a., but the continual rain ceased and was now intermittent. Lightning was observed at 11 a. The barometer at 9 a. read 29.38, at noon 29.43. The rainfall for the previous 24 hours measured at 9 a, July 22nd was 5.00 inches.
At Anping the barometer commenced rising again after midnight of July 21st, at I a. July 22nd it read 29.22, at 2 a. 29.26 and it then remained steady at 29.27 till 6 a., at 9 a. it read 29.36, at noon 29.41. The wind at 1 a. was NW force 7 thereafter it continued the same direction until 8 a. but the force increased to 10 at 3 a. After 5 a. it decreased, the force at 6 a. being 9, at 7 a. 8.
At 9 a. the wind veered to NNW, and from 10 a. until noon it was from NW by N. The weather was overcast with frequent squalls the whole night but no rain fell. At 10 a. there was some clearing of the sky. The rainfall for the 24 hours ending at 9 a. July 22nd was 7.36 inches.
At 9 a.
At Fisher Island there was still a whole gale from NW at midnight July 21st and the heavy squalls of wind and rain continued. The barometer was rising slowly. At 3 a. July 22nd it read as at midnight which, allowing for daily variation, is a slight rise and the wind was then a whole gale from WNW. At 6 a, the direction was NW but the force had decreased to a fresh gale. it was NNW force 8 the rain squalls had ceased and the sky was no longer overcast, some blue sky being visible. At noon there was only a strong NW breeze. The barometer read 29.30 at 6 a., 29.41 at 9 a., 29.44 at noon. The rainfall for the previous 24 hours measured at 9 a. July 22nd was 4.65 inches. At 6 a. on the 22nd light to moderate W and SW breezes were blowing on the SE coast S