192
FURTHER SEARCH FOR THE BISHOP. The friends of the late Bishop Hoare are leaving no stone unturned in their efforts to discover his body. Yesterday morning the Government launch Stanley set out with a search party aboard for the scene of the catastrophe.
THE HONGKONG WEEKLY PRESS AND
YESTERDAY'S ARRIVALS. There arrived from Singapore yesterday the Japanese steamer "Totome Maru" and the French steamer "Amiral Hamlin." Both vessels report having experienced exceptionally rough weather, and from the davits of each a lifeboat was torn by seas which broke over them. When about fifty miles 8. 8. W. of Gap Rock the foretopsail of the "Totome' was also carried away. The "Pindari" experienced very rough weather on her voyage from Shanghai, but arrived in port unscathed. So also did the Douglas steamer “ Haitan".
TYPHOON AT WOOCHOW.
11
The "Lin Tan" arrived here yesterday from Woochow, and one of her officers informed our representative that the storm struck that port on Monday evening, tearing down matsheds and capsizing sampans. So far as could be ascertained," however, there no loss of life. When steaming behind Stonecutters yesterday those од board the "Lin Tan counted forty-eight dead bodies, which were floating past.
Was
The "Wakamatsu Maru" from Moji, which also arrived yesterday, observed about 100 corpses floating about at the harbour entrance.
MOBE LAUNCHES LOST.
DOCTOR'S GENUINE SYMPATHY, Among the gallant band who have laboured to alleviate suffering and rescue the perishing there was not a more willing worker than Dr. Forsyth. Carrying his case of surgical instru ments he called at the Taimchatsoi Police Station, saw Inspector Langley and proffered his services whicb, needless to say, were gratefully accepted. The doctor was placed aboard a boat, and travelling round the Kowlood foreshore pulled out of the water and restored many people who appeared to be drowned. The wounds of others he also dressed, and took the first opportunity of sending them to hospital.
RESCUED FROM WRECKAGE.
In their trips along the foreshore the water police have rescued 120 Chinese who were found clinging to wreckage. Many of them were entirely exhausted and had to be removed to hospital.
THE INCREASING DEATH ROLL.
Although police pinnaces and other craft are continually running shoreward with their cargoes of dead, the number of corpses floating on the water does not appear to diminish. O Thursday forty-nine bodies were landed, and the police estimate that there are over 100 to remove from Stonecutters Island, while at Laichikok there are another 20 or 30 which It is so far they have been unable to get at. supposed that another 20 bodies will be recovered when the wreckage is removed from the police basin.
Yesterday the Baluchi regiment and 300 of the Royal West Kent continued the work The passenger launch " Ying Fat," which of turning over the wreckage along the used to travel between Sam Chun and Hong-Kowloon shore to recover the dead. kong foundered near Capsuimus, and over 100 passengers were drowned. Three other pas senger launches are also reported missing, but no lives were lost. The police launch No. 3, on which were P.S. Boulger and P.C. Berry, has not yet been heard of.
AAGAARD THORESEN'S CRAFT.
Messrs. Aagaard, Thoresen and Company's vessels came through the storm with very slight mishaps.
The steamer "Fri", which was lying off Stonecutters secured by three anchors, was rud into by an unknown vessel. As a result of the collision the "Fri's" port side amidships was smashed in, and the bridge and deck houses amidships destroyed. The other vessel had already lost her boats in a collision with the **I. F. Chapman ", and when she parted from the "Fri" she left her bowsprit and figure head aboard that vessel. The damage done to the "Fri " is estimated at between $10,000 and $15,000.
"
The "Skuld was lying off West Point with two anchors out when the storm struck her. Shortly afterwards one of the anchor chains gave way and it was thought the anchor was lost, but after the storm when the other was pulled up, the missing anchor was found attach- ed to it. The "Skald" touched bottom once,
but immediately got off, and has no apparent damage, being quite tight.
The 8 8. "Brand,"
which was reported ashore at Aberdeen, had a miraculous escape. She was just about a fathom away from the entrance of the Dock, coming out, when the typhoon struck ber. The engines were set, at full speed ahead as she faced the storm but it was impossible to run out more than thirty fathoms of chain owing to her proxi- mity to the 'shore. The Captain reports minor damage such as lost gear and broken stanchions, but the vessel is quite seaworthy and did not touch bottom. She left on the afternoon of the 18th instant for Sourabaya and may have had to weather the second typhoon. The steamers "Norden and "Halvard escaped damage, and it is hoped that the "Protens," "“Drufar" and "Ragnar," which vessels are expected shortly, have ridden through the gale.
11
AT MACAO.
Apart from damage done to matsheds and other frail structures, Macao escaped. The worst experience of the City was when the second blow broke on the morning of the 20th. The wind blew strongly from the east and heavy seas broke over the Praya Grande damaging the band. The s.a. “Honam" left her wharf at sight o'clock for Hongkong but had to take shelter at Mongohow. She arrived in port yesterday afternoon.
Constable Mundy was yesterday so overcome from the smell exuding from dead bodies that he had to be removed to hospital.
DEATHS AND BOATS DESTROYED.
To date the official record of lives lost and janks and sampans destroyed in the various districts is as under
Central
Recovered.
Junks, etc. Destroyed.
222
31
Wanchai
120
383
Shan-ki-wan
417
64
West Point
56
124
Yaumati
169
418
46
60
1,088
Hangbom Aberdeen...
Total ..
1,652
REFLOATING OPERATIONS.
The Emma Luykens has been refloated and it is expected that the Signal will be refloated. The pumping operations on the Chinkai Maru bave not been so successful.
TAKING ADVANTAGE.
"make
one
While a large number of the Chinese com- manity is giving whole heartedly for the relief of suffering compatriots, there is another section whose motto apparently is to hay while the sun shines." Numerous owners of launches and cargo boats which were not damaged in the storm, are asking exorbitant prices for the hire of their craft. In instance the police had to pay 8180 for the use of a launch for a day, and then they had to accept responsibility for the safety of the launc Coolies, too, are making money, probably faster than they ever did before. Gangs of them are required to help remove the dead, and these kowloon have refused to work under $3 day.
EFFECTS AT CANTON.
**
The Canton Daily News informs us that the steamer "Loongshan", for Mican, had to put back to Canton yesterday; that the only arrivals from Hongkong were the Hinkow", the "Paul Bean" and the "Yingking"; that out- going cargo is being delayed for want of boats; and that Mr. Consul-General Mansfield had opened a subscription for the Hongkong sufferers.
ANOTHER TYPHOON WARNING
The American Consul has received the following:-Manila Observatory, 10 o'clock a.m. September 21st. New Cyclone in the Pacific, East of North Visayas.
As the plague season may now be safely considered at an oud, the authorities have quoted the total number of deaths. namely
833.
[September 22, 1906.
HONGKONG LEGISLATIVE
COUNCIL.
A meeting of the Hongkong Legislative Council was held on the 20th instant in the Council Chamber at 2.30 p.m.
PRESENT:- HIS EXCELLENCY THE GOVERNOR, SIR MATTHEW Nathan, K.C.M.G.
Hon. COLONEL DARLING, R.E. (Officer Commanding the Troops).
Hon. Mr. T. SERCOMBE SMITH (Colonial Secretary).
Hon. Sir H. S. BERKELEY, K.C. (Attorney- General).
Hon. Mr. A. M. THOMSON (Colonial Trea- surer).
Hon. Captain L. A. W. BARNES-LAWRENCE, R.N. (Harbour Master).
Hon. Mr. W. CHATHAM (Director of Pablic Works).
Hon. Mr. F. J. BADELEY (Captain-Super- intendent of Police.
Hon. Dr. Ho KAI, M.B., C.M., C.M.G. Hon. Mr. WEI YUK.
Hoa. Mr. E. A. HEWETT. Hon. Mr. W. J. GRESSON.
MINUTES.
The minutes of the previous meeting were read and confirmed.
H18 EXCELLENCY said-Arising out of the minutes there is a point with regard to which I have been asked to make an explanation to the Council. It may have appeared from the debate on the second reading of the Bill to amend the Code of Civil Procedure that the legal profes. sion had not been consulted by His Honour the Chief Justio when drafting the Bill. I know from personal knowledge that they were generally consulted, and I have been given to understand that they concurred generally in the scope and provisions of the Bill.
THE TYPHOON: RELIEF MNASURES AND EXPRESSIONS OF SYMPATHY.
88
His EXCELLENCY-Gentlemen: Hongkong has just suffered from a catastrophe calamitous if not more so than any which has previously befallen the Colony. The loss of life and property between the hours of nine and eleven on Tuesday morning are, as far as can be
tbos) at present judged, greater than incurred in the great typhoon of 1874. None of 118 ara likely to forget the scenes of that morning. First of all we saw, when the typhoon gun was fired about nine to the east before the wind. o'clock, crowds of helpless shipping drifting 'hen the whole
soene was wiped out by the blown sheets of rain, and an hour later, the atmosphere being again clear, we saw the junk and small craft had disappeared and that many of the large ships were aground or in distress. What had
happened to the Chinese boats was evidenced by the appalling scenes of desolation along the Praya and the Kowloon shore. I need not, however, dwell on scenes nor recount the losses that were witnessed and are known to all of us.
It has been suggested in the Press that much of the loss of life and property would have been avoided if the Observatory had given earlier notice of the approach of the typhoon, and that such earlier notice shorld have been possible. I see no grounds for believing this possibility, but it is due to the public, and also to the Director of the Observatory that an inquiry should be beld into it. I have accordingly asked the Commodore to detail a senior officer of the Royal Navy to preside over a small committee of which I propose that the other membərs should consist of a master mariner, to be nominated by the Chamber of Commerce, and of the manager of the Eastern Extension Telegraph Company, if he will be good enough to serve. A bright feature in the gloomy picture of this great calamity has been many acts of heroism and of daty performed in saving life by civilians, police and sailors. I shall cause an inquiry to be made into these so that they may be duly recorded and recognised. The Harbour Department, which was fortunate in koping all its vessels, has done, I am sure, the utmost with them, and will continue `the work
of clearing the harbour of debris as rapidly as possible. The Tung Wa Hospital had its launches out saving lives as long as it could be hoped that there were any left to be saved, and