THE CHINA MAIL, SEPTEMBER 2 1937.
Page
COLONY'S WORST GALE
WILD FURY
REACHES 150 M.P.H.
out the slightest hesitation MORE SHIPS
The
typhoon wrought havo
throughout all parts of the town IN DISTRESS
..
and all electric lights and tele- phonic communications in the eastern section were discontinued
CAR'S TRAVELS
A complete picture of the devastating rampage shortly after 2.80 this morning. of the night's typhoon, which struck the Colony at 2 a.m. and raged at full blast for four hours, cannot yet be presented.
It is evident already, however, that the gale was one of the most disastrous in the history of the most disastrous in the history of the Colony..
Dozens of ships were in distress, including large liners, the Asama Maru, Gneisenau, Tilawa, and Van Heutz.
ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY M.P.H. WIND.
Ships reported to be in distress since the publication of our first edition include the
Hai Lee, aground on Pellet Island. She has sunk by the stern and has a heavy list- dis-Tilawa, big B. I boat, ashore be
The force of the wind was terri- fic, an Austin car being carried by the wind for a considerable
tance and round the corner of Yuk Sau street, while Tak Sing, a gro-
cer's shop, at the corner of Yuk San street and Sing Woo Street, had its
low Devil's Peak, not believed to be seriously damaged, though it is reported that she has been holed.
frontage completely blown away, Kwangchow, Butterfield and Swire causing great damage. In Wong- Nei-Chong village two houses col- lapsed, but, fortunately, there was [no loss of life. All matsheds in the
Valley were blown down.
At Causeway Bay a large tree was uprooted, while in the bay seven or eight water-
seen Lamp posts were blown down and the larger sampans were moored to the
The velocity of the wind was so terrific that the Observatory's instruments were incapable of registering the velocity. The highest point regis-logged or sunken sampans tered was 125 m.p.h. but the opinion was expressed at the Royal Observatory that some of the gusts must have broken all world records, being in the neighbourhood of 150 m.p.h.
Kowloon Tong at 8 am. 'bore every at times having to trudge appearance of the visitation of a through riverlets.
fleet of air bombers.
Roofs have been torn off many houses, walls are scattered over the roadways. The whole place is a verit- able shambles.
KOWLOON FLOODS: Like, the rest of Kowloon, the district was heavily flooded:
was
Refugees Spend
Sleepless Night
tram standards.
ship, is aground on the south side of Lamma Island. All hands have been saved and the Suiyuan, of the same company, is now standing by.
Sing, aground on east Lantao Island Reported badly damag- ed and in need of immediate assistance.
Shun Lee, foundered off Green Is- Moo Lee, aground off Kellett Bank.
land
Another unknown ship is report-
The roof of Tin Hau temple has ed to have foundered off the island. been partially blown off.
At North Point the bathing sheds have suffered badly. The perman-
The Star Ferry pier on the Hong ent pavilion of the Civil Service Kong side received its severest Club is in ruins, while all matsheds buffetings of years. When the and piers of the other clubs have first ferries arrived from Kewloon,
walk with been blown away, the newly erected, passengers had to European Bathing Club, the Wing treme caution as there were gap- On and Chinese Y.M.C.A. sheds being holes in the pier while many of ing completely destroyed. There re- the planks were barely safe. mains nothing on the sites!
TYMERIC'S DIFFICULTIES –
As usual the Happy Valley dis- trict came in for its share of the blow and all night long the sound of glass windows and flower-pots crashing from verandahs to the
The "Tymeric" is perilously near In O'Brien Road, at the Kwong Ming In some places in Kowloon, not-
streets kept the people there on the shore in about 18 feet of water factory, a fire broke out due ably along Chatham Road and in-
tenterhooks. tersecting roads, the water
and only about 15 yards from land, to the fusing of wires, and all en- The Sing Wo Road Market is no while not far away the Hong Peng (gines at Wanchai were engaged at more than two feet deep.
more and residents in that quarter is also very close to the shore. At an early hour, the tide rose will have to do their marketing
the fire in West Point Trees have blocked the entrance 40-such a height that the lines of elsewhere for a good many days to of Island Road. At Shaukiwan the tral near the RAS.C. depot is flood- The portion of Queen's Road Cen- the Kowloon-Canton Railway were come as the matshed which served roof of a house in Sing On Street ed and cars could only get through under water from the station to well as the market has been blown down was blown off, but no casualties have with great dimculty even up to as past Hunghom. The entire line was completely. blocked by debris brought in from
been reported, while in the Bay a late as 9 am, while Garden Road In the different cemeteries large number of sampans of all was blocked by a huge tree just op- the sea and old sleepers washed from
much damage was done to the sizes have been overturned and sunk. Iposite St. John's Cathedral the sides on to the tracks. Gangs
trees and plants, while it is re of coolies were busily engaged clear-
ported that three huts collapsed: ing at 9 am
in Wong Nei Chong Village with, fortunately, no loss of life, though a few people were injur-
..
ed.
KOWLOON TONG Houses that were having their roofs mended had their mat roofing and scaffolds blown down, and resi- Walking through the Refugee dents could be seen scurrying wet Centre in the Jockey Club, the through to their neighbours' houses writer saw the Shanghai people all seeking shelter for the night.
HONG KONG HAVOC
sitting up on their beds al
SAFETY ||
bearing traces of a sleepless night for your travel funds
Some of the more active young Considerable damage was done to ladies donned their sport shorts roads on the lower levels.
Along and shirts, and, armed with Conduit and Robinson Roads the brooms, began to clear the place of gutters had been ripped up by the water, the ground floor being flood- foree of the water which during the ed ankle deep. night, assumed the proportions of
Much damage was suffered by a raging torrent. Trees and small shipping, reports received indicat- bushes have been ripped up by the ling that several of the river boats force of the gale and are strewn and a few of the biggers liners be- around in grotesque attitudes. At ing washed ashore. Among the lat one stage of Robinson Road therefter are the Tymeric (Glasgow) and is barely room for a single car to one of the Italian boats.
pass.
Caine Road and Bonham Road were strewn with de- bris, tree branches, window. shutters, signboards, and shattered glass. Every house showed signs of hav-
ing suffered damage and Some shops were still closed up to the time of going to
In the case of the river boats
it is learned from a reliable source that the owners had only taken out an insurance with one of the leading local insurance companies yesterday! With the bus and tram services from the Happy Valley district temporarily disorganised, taxis and public motor cars were at a pre- mium and the office crowd had to Suspended from several build-wait, in some cases, for half an gs, dangling in the wind, were hour before one came along. The wooden shutters and other pieces public car drivers rose to the oc- of wood, which threatened to casion like the fine business-men come down at any m
they have always een the usual; were running and fare of 30 cents from Happy Val- were forced to walk, ley to town being
to $2 with
The funds for your business or pleasure trip c
can be safe- guarded if, before leaving you have us convert them into
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