95
483
NE gale blowing. At noon she was about 40 miles ENE of Turnabout and 230 miles N of the centre. During the latter part of the day she experienced a whole gale from NE by N with rain and hard squalls and a very heavy sea.
The Taisang off the East Coast steaming northwards had the wind again increasing and the baro- meter falling on the morning of the 10th, so at 11.30 a. the vessel was taken into shelter under Taichow (28° 28′, 121° 50′). They paid out 100 fathoms of chain with the port anchor, and 70 fathoms with the starboard anchor and had a third anchor ready astern in case it was wanted. They had a fresh to strong NNE gale during the evening.
The Fu Ping off the East Coast in 28° 36′, 121° 52′ at noon on the 10th had a strong N gale increasing as she steamed southward and at 6 p. was anchored under Taluk Island (28° 4′, 121° 31′) for shelter. During the evening a whole gale from NNE with rain squalls was experienced.
The Wo Sang which left the Yangtze river in the morning on the 10th had the barometer falling and the wind increasing to a fresh NE gale at midnight with high sea and falling barometer as she steamed southward.
The Benlarig and Deuteros were at noon on the 10th in about 32°, 126° steering SW. They experienced NE fresh increasing breezes with high sea and rainy weather and barometer beginning to fall.
The Bokhara as already stated was at 8 p. on the 9th October put on a course to make Turnabout. This lighthouse, however, was not sighted. At 1.45 a. on the 10th October, the vessel was hove to on the port tack heading between N 50° E and N 80° E, her position then being-as determined by the Court of Enquiry which subsequently sat to determine the cause of the loss of the vessel-about 21 miles SSW of Turnabout, but perhaps she may have been a little to the eastward of this. At this time the wind was gradually increasing in force from the NNE with furious squalls and a mountainous sea and the barometer falling. The weather was so thick that they could only see half a mile.
At 4 a. the barometer read 29.60, at 6 a, 29.55, at 8 a, 29.50. At the latter hour, the wind and sea being terrific from the NNE, efforts were made to put the vessel on the other (starboard) tack, but she would not come up even with the aid of tarpaulins in the rigging. The sails on being loosed were blown to pieces. Attempts were then made to wear, but this was found to be impossible also. Unfortunately no storm canvas was ready. At 10 a. the wind reached full typhoon force. The vessel rolled fearfully and much damage was done at this time. Between 10 a. and noon (barometer 29.27) the engines had been stopped to prevent the vessel forging ahead, and the vessel fell off into the trough of the sea and between 10 a. and 2 p. further damage was done: boats, gangways, bulwarks, etc. being swept away, and at 2 p. she had only one boat left. Oil was put into the weather latrines aft and forward and considerable relief was obtained, the heavy seas being prevented from breaking on board to some extent. At 4 p. (barometer 29.15) the wind still continued to blow with terrific force from NNE and after that hour the barometer remained practically steady (at 8 p. 29.15) with much the same wind and weather. For some reason the supply of oil does not appear to have been constantly kept going, and at 10 p. the vessel took some heavy seas which did further damage, breaking in after skylights, commander's cabin, wheelhouse, engine room skylight and stokehold doors, thus putting out the fires below and causing the vessel to become quite unmanageable. At 11.35 p. land was seen on the lee beam and a few minutes afterwards the vessel struck on what afterwards turned out to be Sand Island, a northern island of the Pescadores group, and immediately broke up, the greater part of the ship's company being lost.
At the time the vessel was hove to (1.45 a. on the 10th) she was about 300 miles NNW of the centre of the typhoon which continued to advance towards her position the whole day. At noon she was about 170 miles NNW of the centre. At 6 p. 100 miles NW by N N and when she struck 70 miles NW. The readings of the barometer taken on board which are uncorrected show no change after 4 p. This indicates a slight fall, however, when daily variation is allowed for, but as the typhoon centre was now on the land and rapidly filling up the readings remaining almost steady is accounted for although the centre was gradually approaching. The wind was from NNE the whole time and blowing with typhoon force from perhaps 10 a. until the time the vessel struck.
There is no doubt that bad this vessel run on the starboard tack she would have come through safely. She would not have had typhoon force at all and the weather would have quickly moderated. Those vessels who adopted this course did not all escape without damage, but they quickly ran out of the worst part of the storm and brought themselves to the W and SW of the centre. Vessels in the northern part of the Formosa Channel where such a dangerous sea prevails and where, with a typhoon to the southward, the wind is relatively much stronger owing to its being confined, should on the weather becoming bad. seek shelter early. The Bokhara was helplessly drifting for some hours, her officers thinking that she was being set to the SW on a safe course, whereas it appears that she was set S by W at the rate of about 4 knots per hour and in a direction almost opposite to that of the wind.
The fact that she was allowed to fall off and lie beam on to wind and sea doubtless accelerated the speed with which she drifted.