74
Q.-On board the Tamar at 8 a.m. I ordered my skiff to be alongside at 8.30 do you think with my experience I should have done so had the wind been so strong?
A.--At 7.30 the sea was breaking over the wharves. No skiff could have lived in such a sea as was running at Kowloon.
Q. On what do you base your opinion that the storm could have been signalled earlier?
A. On a general observation of the weather-the western glow, rising wind, etc. (Bearing on these questions a copy of the Tamar signal book log marked () and 01 is produced to the Committee.)
Capt. HODGINS :-
I was lying in Swatow on the morning of September 17th and sailed thence for Amoy at 5.53 p.m.
We had moderate breeze NE and indications of bad weather and between noon and 4 p.m. the barometer fell nearly a tenth. I concluded that a typhoon was to SE and so informed my agents, and told a friend in writing to be on his guard. When I got to sea at 6 p.m. there was a heavy sea on the bar and a swell from SE strong E wind with rain- squalls-when I passed the Lamocks and turned N the barometer rose which confirmed my conclusions re the typhoon.
Examined by Lieut. Butterworth :—
Q.-There was a typhoon at Formosa on 13th: to reach this that typhoon would travel WSW, is this not exceptional ?
A. Yes, in this latitude but not further South.
Q. If a typhoon is signalled from Meiaco Shima Hongkong is considered safe from that typhoon, is it not?
A. Yes.
Capt. HODGINS says:-The Hongkong Observatory does not distribute information beyond Hongkong sufficiently widely and that it would be advantageous if this could be improved.
·
Capt. RODGERS says:-I am on the Hongkong-Manila run as Captain of the Zafiro. On leaving Hongkong on Setpember 15th for Manila during the whole voyage I had fine weather and no sign of a typhoon-not a swell. (Exhibit P.)
Assuming that the report of Sicawei is correct and that the centre passed the South Cape and close to a position 82 miles West of Batan Island at about 1 a.m. on the 16th September, it should have been abeam of me about 10 a.m. on that date, distant 150 to 160 miles. The barometer at that time stood at 29.80 and inclined to rise. There was a light gentle breeze from S. My conclusion was that no typhoon was within 400 miles of me. I was about 220 miles SE of Hongkong.
Page 150Page 151