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16
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452
THE HONGKONG WEEKLY PRESS AND
number of passengers the Government will allow these boats to carry. This difficulty, Mr. WHEALLER went on to explain, is that "the Government will not license the upper "deck because the Ordinance which deals "with the subject makes no provision for "such a deck or in fact for such boats as "these. There is no question whatever of "the safety of this deck-it was specially
designed to
is carry passengers and admittedly a perfectly safe and pro- i per place to carry them. We hope," the speaker continued, "that the Go- vernment may take steps to make the necessary addition or amendment to the Ordinance before long. We hesitate to "build such expensive boats while there is any doubt as to whether we shall be "allowed to make the fullest use of the accommodation provided. Unless the difficulty can be got over we shall pro- bably have to abandon the upper deck, though by so doing the boats will be far "less convenient for passengers. The matter "is of considerable importance to the Com- pany and I may say the public also." Having regard to the public comfort and convenience the Government ought to have no hesitation in giving the Company the necessary assurance that any amendment of the law necessary to legalise the carrying of passengers on the upper deck will be promptly effected and that the building of more double-enders for the service may be proceeded with without any fear of harassing legal restrictions being placed upon them when they commence to run. With the Kowloon district developing as it is, and in view of the daily growing traffic, the Go- vernment should do all it can to pro- mote the improvement of the ferry ser- vice and the ensuring of the comfort and safety of the passengers. The new boats
44
on
"Water and disease in Hongkong," in which he opposes the writer-carriage system, the ground of the scarcity of water, Opinion in the colony, both amongst scien- tists and laymen, is strongly divided on the abstract merits of the water-carriage and bucket systems, but even the strongest advocates of the former must admit that their system is unworkable without an adequate water supply. The Hon. R. D. ORMSBY points to the fact that we have just added to our storage a reservoir of a capacity of 30,000,000 gallons, the Wongneichong reservoir to wit, and for this addition the colony has reason to be gratetul. While the capacity of the reservoir is put down at 30,000,000, gallons, the yield of its catchment area is estimated at some 65,000,000, namely, 50,000,000 between May and August and 15,000,000 between September and April, so that it is really more valuable than the figures of its storage capacity would repre- sent. Taking it at its best, however, the Wongneichong reservoir does not represent such an addition to our supply as would justify any extravagance in the use of water. Tytan and Pokfulam reservoirs have proved insufficient for the colony's requirements and Wongneicheong in itself will not prove sufficient to make good the deficiency. The monthly consumption is over 90,000,000 gallous when the supply is constant, and last month, under the intermittent sys- tem, it was over 56,000,000 gallons, 90 that the Wongneicheong reservoir, even if full to overflowing at the commencement of the dry season, would only give us an additional fortnight or three weeks' supply, supposing our requirements to remain stationary; but having regard to the steady increase in the population, the increase in the consumption will in the course of three years overtake increased supply afforded by Wongneicheong and we will be relatively in no better a position than we are to- day. For our own part, we believe in the theoretical advantages of the water- carriage system and would be glad it adopted in all Europeau houses did the circumstances permit of it, but while the water supply remains in adequate or precarious the extended use of water-closets appears most inadvisable, not only as increasing the consumption of water but also as creating a possible source of disease when the water supply runs short.
to
gee
are more convenient and safer than the old ones, and their use should therefore he en- couraged instead of being met by obstruc tion. Mr. WHEALLER also referred to the augmentation of the dangers of naviga- tion by the absence of any fairway on the route the ferry boats take. This is an anomaly that might easily be re- medied by a slight rearrangement of the mooring buoys, but the Government that is so solicitous of the public safety that it in sists upon persons abroad at night in chairs carrying lights, however well lighted the roads and streets, also arranges matters so that the route between Hongkong and its suburb across the harbour shall be strewn with buoys, which are left unlighted at night, and which constitute 80 many traps against which the helmsman has to be constantly on his guard. If we had a Harbour Board things might be ordered MARRIED ON THE 22ND; MURDERED differently.
THE WATER-CARRIAGE SYSTEM AND THE WATER SUPPLY.
(Daily Press, 29th May.) At the meeting of the Sanitary Board on Thursday last the question of the water carriage system was once more raised, in connection with certain applications which had been made to the Board for permission to introduce water-closets. The Director of Public Works, in proposing that one of the applications should be granted, pointed out that whilst some 109,500 gallons of water per year would be consumed they had just added A reservoir which in creased the water supply of the colony by 30,000,000 gallons per year. Taking this as his text, a correspondent, writing over the well-known nom de plume of Physician," addresses a letter to the China Mail headed
*
TRAGIC AFFAIR AT WEST POINT.
MURDER AND SUICIDE BY AN AMERICAN.
ON THE 27TH.
A most tragic affair took place at West Point on Saturday, an American named An- drew Marks, aged 41, shooting his wife, who was 32 years of age, and afterwards bringing
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about his own death in a similar manner. It was only on Saturday morning that the announcement of his marriage appeared in our columns, the notice reading as follows:--
"At St. John's Cathedral, on the 22nd, May, by the Rev. R. F. Cobbold, A. Markṣ to Marie, youngest daughter of Cyrille and Marie Joli Carton Terrade, of Bone, Algeria."
A short time ago Marks came to Hongkong from Manila, where he had kept a restaurant, and went to live at 16, Wesernt Street, with Miss Terrade. About ten days ago she left him, but discovering her whereabouts he fol- agreed to get married. The ceremony, as stated owed her, and, making up their quarrel, they in the notice, took place on the 22nd of May, when the couple went to reside at 61, Queen's Road Central. While here they were heard to quarrel
[June 3, 1899.
frequently. On Friday midnight or early on Sa- turday morning the woman left him, going to a honse at 31, Pokfulam Road occupied by a coun- tryman and countrywoman of her own. Suspect ing where she had gone Marks went to the house. The master was out, and the Chinese boy tried to prevent Marks from entering. Marks, however, pushed him aside, whereupon the boy at once made for the town and informed his master, who made a report to P.8. Sullivan In the meantime Marks had hunted out his
wife. Apparently they had some words, which culminated in his shooting her and then himself. At any rate, whon P.S. Sullivan, in con- sequence of the report made to him, entered the house, he found both of them lying on the floor dead. The woman was shot in the left cheek and right breast and the man, who had a revolver in his hand, near the right ear.
The affair was reported to the Central Police Station, and both bodies have since been in- terred.
THE INQUEST.
On Monday afternoon an inquest was held at the Magistracy touching the death of Andrew Marks and his wife Marie.
The first witness called was Mr. Guion's boy, a Tonkinese, who gave his evidence in broken French, which Mr. Guion interpreted. Witness said-I am in Mr. Guion's employ and live out Saturday last. I was at home in the morning West. (31, Pokfulam-road). I remember by myself when a man came to the house. I had not seen him before and don't know his name. He first spoke to a Chinaman. Then
came and he asked, "Where is the master?" I said, My master has gone in town on busi-
ness.
11.
At the same time he came into the house, pushing me on one side whilst I was in the doorway. He said, "Open the windows and all the doors," and I replied, “No, you are not my master." I followed him into the hall, and he said, "I want your master; I don't want. you; you go away," and pushed me again. He entered the bed-room, where there was a girl, and ordered me out. The man opened the window and I looked through and saw the girl girl by the hair and he called out Marie, Marie, lying down on the floor. I saw him take. the Marie, get up." He then lifted the womau on to the bed. The girl gave one cry, and the man told me to go away from the window, as it was no business of mine, and I went down to fetch my master.
Dr. Lowson, who examined the bodies, said the male had died from a bullet wound enter- ing the right ear, passing through the base of the brain, and emerging on the other side causing fracture of the skull and hemorrhage and laceration of the braiu. The wound could have been self-inflicted. The woman had two ballet wounds, one about three inches below the right nipple, passing through the liver in a slightly upwards direction, causing serious hem- orrhage. The second one enteret about an inch and a half above the left angle of the lip, passed in an upwards direction, and was lodged in the base of the skull, death being cansed probably by the head injury, although the other one in the liver might have proved fatal.
Acting Sergeant O'Sullivan said—At ́111.35 a.m. on Saturday Mr. Guion came to No. 7 Police Station, and in consequence of what he said I went with him to his house at 31, Pokfulam-road. In a bed-r. om on the ground floor I found a European male lying on the floor with his head resting
.on a box. I saw the mark of a ballet wound over his right ear. He had a revolver in his right hand, I examined the revolver. It was a five-chamber revolver and contained four empty cartridges and one undischarged cartridge. I saw lying across the bed the body of a female. She wore no clothing but a singlet. I saw a bullet wound in her left jaw and one below the right breast. Both were dead. I sent for Dr. Atkin- son and Inspector Muclenuau, and they both came.. I noted the positions of the bodies, which were afterwards sent to the mortuary. I found the paper produced in the man's pocket. It is signed by Mr. Wildman, United States Consulate-General. I found the marriage cer- tificate produced in the same pocket.
Mr. Guion gave evidence as to accompanying the witness O'Sullivan to his house at 31, Pokfu- lam-road, in consequence of what his boy had told him, and finding the dead bodies there.