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bricks and mortar that were used, for he did not understand such things; the only material he was acquainted with was road material. When witness and In Cheong started 38 contractors, the latter had no cipital; but witness had $100,
Percy Thomas Crisp, inspector of buildings P.W.D, said he never at any time uusji.elel the additious and alterations to the houses in Second Street, including No 14,
Henry Ernest Yorke Higgard, assistaut i engineer, P.W.D, was recalled and said bo visited Soconl Strest on the day after the collapse. He examined the bricks, aut found them to be blue, of fair quality. They were very inferior bricks though of fair quality for the blue bricks used here. The Hongkong blua brick was not a good brick, The mortar appeared to be fair considering that the work was old, bat the bonding did not appour to be good. The wall was not sufficiently strong to stand the extra story, and witness would not have allowed it to be erected. As far as dimensions went, the work appeared to have been carried out in accordance with the plans, but the new work had not been substantially | built and properly bonded. Bonding out here was never good nuder any circums auces, and Chinese bricklayers were not competent to build a proper wall without supervision. Wituess did not agree with the theory that the wind got
THE HONGKONG WEEKLY PRESS AND
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of buildings, the better will life bo protected against the r sults of work done by unscrupulous, carele 8, rr iguorant contractors
Tam Kit and In Cheong very committed for trial.
PRAYA E ST.
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[December 15, 1902.
Leigh and Orange also engaged on behalf of the owners two overseers, and in the carrying ont of the work the a chitects were entrusted with its supervision and in seeing that it progressed in accordance with the plans and specifications. In dealing with the case, the jury would have to bear in mind that each person w. s responsible On Friday afteracon, Lefore Mr. F. A for his own branch of the work, and was not Haz land and A CAIMON1 jury, an official xensed by the neglect of anoth: r. Most of onjury was ned into the circumstances. the evidence in the cass would turn probably attending the fetal collapse as 45. Praya East, upon the construction of the walls. The side on 2nd August last, resulting in the death of wa I was 66 feet in height, and the Ordinance thirteen Chinese. Mr. P. B. L. Bowley, Crown requird that such a wall should be 22 inches Solicitor, appeared on behalf of the Govern- thick on the ground floor stories. 18 inches on ment. Mr. H. W. Looker of the architects, I the next two stories above, and 13 inches on Messrs. Leigh and Orange, and Mr. C. D. the top story.
These we the minimum Wilkinson of the contractor. Man Wo. Mr. requirements of the law. The wall was 43 feet A. S. Hooper watched the case on behalf of the 11 inches long, without any return or cross owners, the Land Investment Company, of which wall. The Public Works Department had ho is secretary.
not taken the trouble, to exercise discretion The juryen
- Eduardo were --
Pereira, in any way by adding to the thickness Albrecht Wilhelm Schollhass, and Thomas of this wall, so it was to be assumed that Foyan.
the Department approved of it. The cost Mr. Dwhy addressed the jury and asked for the 27 houses was $62.500, excluding certain them to dismi ́s from their minds any precon-
extras. As to the materials, the jury would ceived opinious they might have formed | probably find that the bricks were good but regarding the collapse As to the house, it was that the mortar was poor. Thero had been a a four-story one standing at the corner of Praya | deviation from the plan; concluded the Crown Fast and Nullah Lane, Wanchai. On the S licitor, and owing to this there had been igit of the collaps the top floor was unoc-formed a sort of recess in the wall into which cupied, but the secoul, first and gr uni floors the wind blew. If the houses had been cou. wore, the last by a baker. There was a typhoon structed as originally planned that recess would in the vicinity of the Colony on 2nd August not have been there and the wind could not last, and between 10 p.m. and 103 p.m. the have got into it. wind, according to the instruments" at the Observatory, had a maximum speed of 87 miles an hour. Immediately beforethe collapse, however, the wind dropped, and ubse- quently the storm passed away. Survivors of the accident would be called to show that the house was properly shut up before it Frederick Thomas Baines Hewitt, building foll. and that thos inside were not taking surveyor attached to the Royal Engine rs, said mach Lotice of the typhoon. About ten that on 28th August he made a careful examina- o'clock at night the occupants of the first tion of the houses at 10 and 12. Second Street, for notice that water was coming through and again on 3rd September. From what Lethe ceiling, an! sent up to make enquiries saw, he judged that the brickwork was not particularly good and not particularly bad. The bricks were blue bricks, the mortar was poor, and the whole was badly put together; the bonding was bad, especially at the corners. As to the situation of No. 10, it was very much protected at the back, and witness did not ac ept the theory that the wind got in at the back and blew the wall cut. Had such a wall been properly built it would hase ben sufficiently strong to stand average "eather.
in at the back of the house and blew the wall out, as, from the direction in which it was blowing, the wind would strike the front corner
of the house.
Alfred George Dymond, acting inspector of police, recalled, said that the whole time he and those with him were working at the débris tho wind did not blow against the back of the house; the building was not exposed at the back.
This concluded the examination of witnesses, and Mr. Bowley summed up. Quoting the price that had been agreed upon between the -owners and the two coafractors for the work in connection with the ten hours in Sreoud and I bird Street, S8,100, he said the sum spout on No. 10 must have been very small indeed. From the evidence it would be seen that the two contractors exercised no supervision at all over the work, and each had been extremely auxions to exonerate himself and lay the blame on the other. The jury had beard Mr. Tooker's theory that the wind got iu at the back of the henso and blew the wall ou', but that theory. Mr. Bowley submitted, was entirely oppased to tho evidence. That being so. they hal to fall back on the theory that the wall, badly built, in sapport of which evidoncs had been givez. The contractors, concluded Mr. Bowley, were guilty of gross negligence, and their negägence was the cinse of the accident and the cause of the deaths of the deceased
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Very soon afterwards the house suddenly fell upon them, and a witness would be called who would say that he heard no premonitory indica- tions that the hens was giving way--simply one crash liks thunder, and then be was surrounded by ruins and rendera linsensible. A military sergeant of police who had si, co joined the Hongkong Police Force was in the Praya East Lotel, about twenty or thirty yards from the place of the accident, at about ten o'clock, and when he and a companion came out a about ten minutes past ten there was no wind blowing and the rain had stopped, although only at that moment. Whilst standing on the pavement be heard a crash, and looking round in the direction of the noise he found that the top story of 45, Praya East had fallen into sious Nullah Line. He immediately gave the alarm to the police, and they commenéed getting the people out of the adjoining house. Whilst engaged in this work, and sore five miantes after the first collapse, this witness would tell the jury that the send and first floors a'so collapse), and that fire broke out in the ground floor. The polie procured a hoe and after half an hour's work the fire was subdued. During the progress of the fire there was a third collaps, that of the veraudabs of the second and first floors, which fell into the Praya. i forts we then concentrated in getting the unfortunate people out of the ruins, and that night the police recovered six bodies and a hoy of 13, who died next day. On that day the work was continued, and six more boli s were tal en ouf, What the jury had to do, continued Mr. Bowley, was to find out. whether anyho ly was to blame for the necilent, whether anybody was guilty of culpable negli gence in discharging any duty that might have devolved upon him in respect of this house. The house was practically a new one, and with others adjoining was the property of the The jury, after an absence from Court, found | Horgkong Land Investment Company, The that the deaths of the deceased were caused by | architects were Messrs. Leigh and Orange, ons the collapse of Nos. 10 and 12, Second Street, of the most responsible and experienced firms that their deaths were the result of criminal
in the Colony, "who invited tenders and drew negligence, and that the two cou actors, Tam up plans and specifications for the construc- Kit und In Cheong, were guilty of such tion of houses for the Laud Investment criminal negligence. The following rider was added We are of opinion that the sooner the Public Works Department is placed in a posi. ticn to attend to the construction and alteration
was
Having charged the jury, his Worship laid down for their consideration the following three questions-(1) What was the cause of the deaths of the deceased hercit? (2) Were the deaths of the deceased the result of
criminal negligence? (3) If so, what persons are guilty of such criminal negligence?
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Company. Ultimat-ly a contract was catered iuto with a Chinaman who trades under the name of Mau We, and who has been a contractor in Hongkong for 25 years. Messrs.
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Evidence of a formal stare having been taken, Augustus Shelton Hooper, secretary of the Laud Investment & Ageuey Co... was called. and detailed the history of the houses and the nature of the coutr. et. Man Wo, the contrac- tor, he had known off and on for ten years, and had always found him a good man for that class of work. The remuneration of the architects, Messrs. Leigh & Orange, who also supervised
ind superint nded the work, was firo per cent. on the total cost of the building, A ma unmed Maher succeeded another called Broad as otersrer; Mahor was employed from April, 1900, till the completion of the houses, and had a salary of $50 per month. Under the contract the houses were to be completed on 1st Det mber, bat they were not finished until a little later-in February. They were certified by the P.W.D. to bave been built in accordance with the pro- visious of the Ordinance. Witness had recollection of being consulted by the archi- tects, during the progress of the work, with regard to any deviation from the plans deposited, but Le had not the slightest doubt that it was bro ght to the notice of bis Company.
CO
The quiry was subsequently adjourned till to-day at 2.15 p.m.
SPORTING NOTES.
(Daily Press, 6th December.)
What there
Yet another undecided match took place on the Cricket Ground last Saturday, the cause being the usual late s'art. Hongkong evilently does its best to act up to the traditions of English cricket. The result was a most un- satisfactory draw, instead of a handsome victory for the Club over the Garrison was of the day left for play was excellent for the batsmen. and the Garrison fielders had some lively times. The Club was indebted for its easy pre-ominence almost entirely to naval men. To-day a "sporting" match has been arranged between Longs and Shorts, the standard being 5 ft. 10 in. It is not true, I believe, that Broads v. Narrows will to contest- ed next week.
The
On the football field, the Club's Association players come forward again to-day with a first team match against H.M.S. Oceani Rugby players have been more prominent so far, and last Saturday saw them appear in an excell-ut game, which was rather absurdly des cribed in one of the evening papers on Monday between last as the first encounter this season the H.K.F.C. and the Navy. The official notices so far bare described the majority of Rugby matches up to now as H.K.F.C. Navy. The only difference in the wording of the notice of Saturday's match was that it was
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