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AGENTS IN HONGKONG AND SOUTH CHINA.
GRAND HOTEL,
SEASON
1918
1381
GRAND ANNEX GRAND STRAND.
TSINGTAU
“IDEAL SEA-BATHING"
Commencing MAY 15th.
T. NAGAO, General Manager.
BONA DAILY
WEDNESDAY. MARCH
THE RACECOURSE DISASTER ENQUIRY
AN ACCIDENT IN 1914
A WARNING REGARDING THREE STOREY SHEDS.
OWNERS OF STANDS GIVE EVIDENCE.
The enquiry into the Race Course disaster was continued at the Magistracy Yesterday:
THE EZE HOP FIRM.
18TH 1918.
The Coroner: European 1-No, Chinese, What are their instructions-To see that no umahs with children on their backs enter the shed and to keep out small love,
* The Crown Solicitor Wore there any limite as to numbers -No.
Could you say what was the number in te matshed on February 201-About 300 on the upper floor
Is that the biggest, number you had ether Chinese niso occasionally suporin-there but is the biggest number that tended the work. For the most part the
day material used in the matsheds was new.
What is the largest number, ever The Inspector of the PWD never comcommodated 1-In previous years we have
some matting with his leg jambed to the floor. I managed to get him out and. in doing so, I hurt my back and was assisted out of the stand by Mr. Forbes, That was all I know,
Have you formed any opinion as to the cause of the collapse -I am of opinion that the three storey buildings were top heavy when occupied,
Mr. Steavenson: Did you give any instructions regarding the cooking-I said I would not allow any fire within- the stand, nothing except charcoal, and that these charcoal fires were to be put out immediately after tiffin was served.
Mr. Bowley, referring to the evidence ined of any bad work Witners in hod 400. I should not think we have ever I also made the refreshinont caterer havo
taken the previous
that in a
answer to a question suggested by spected the matshade on the first day of had more. d'Almada, Kwok Kun, the building con- could not say how many people were
tractor had stated that when his late partner Ma Fung was alive, he (Kwok
the races from 7 am until noon. He
present; ho would judge about the same
The ground floor was used for refresh ments Yes
Kun) was foreman in charge of work umber as usual. On the second day of Yes. No rent was charged nor did
and that Ma Fung was i in charge of everything else. That was not correct and he wished the matter properly un- derstood. Ms Fung's son and Kwok Kus
had an equal interest In the business.
the races he was also present on the Race Course from 7 a.m. to 12 noon. He found during that time that one of the bamboo splittings had come off a gangway and he got a foki to put it right. He was
three tubs of water handy.
Did you see that your instructions were carried out?--I did at 1.30 pm. I allow-
It was let off by you to N. Y. Sun!-ed, however, one chatty to remain for
boiling water.
You inspected each day at 1,30 p.m. 1- receive commission. The refreshments
Yes, were for the convenience of those who
ared to patronise the stand,
What were the arrangements for freshments 1-There were three or four
Each had one-sixth share Ma Fung's Bot present when the collapse occurred charcoal chatties on the IRS in shed No.
son looked after the office and accounts. He had no practical experience of mat- shed building, but he was a man of 27 years and looked after money matters
It was decided that Ma Fung's son should be called.
The Crown Bolicitor There is one question I wish to raise. There is a large quantity of material rescued from the collapse, poles, boards and so on still at Happy Valley and the authorities con- sider it should be removed,
Th
Coroner suggested that Mr. Wright should make an inspection of the mate rial and take notes of what was there, Then the material could be moved at
onco
and he could give no reason for such a 6.
The people who frequent the Unity Stand also go to other stande, do they not-Yes, there is a continund flow in and out all the time.
Do you know whether swerp-stakes were run in other stands --In all stands. You sold tickets, I think in your stand
to the ladies from the Jockey, Club sheds?
collapse. He had been building matsheds Were there any boards in No. 61-No for twelve years and he had never pre-boards stall viously experienced a collapse. He never Were any arrangements made as a pre--I did. How any sign that the lashings of the matsheds had been cut or tampered with 20 any way.
By the Coroner When he inspected the matsheds he went outside and both up and down stairs
caution against fire had three large barrels of water on the lower floor of No 6 and on the upper floor I had eight buckets filled with water.
The Coroner. With reference to cook ing, as it going on all the time Only By Mr. Bowley. When he left the from 11 to 1. There was no cooking Race Course at 12 noon on February 28th really. It was simply a question of heat- The food was the matabeds, as far as he could see, were ing up potatoes and so on. in good order. That afternoon he was served cold. · engaged in supervising work at the old No chatties were in use after 1 pig 1- Mercantile Bank
Only one for boiling tea.
Mr. Lo Is it usual to drive poles into
The Crown Solicitors How long has it
You Bay that the counters protected you when No. 7 fell on your stand?-Thoy kept the partitions up.
Was there anything special about the counters-They were all brand new, made last year of hard wood.
stand
tives.
Were they supplied by the matshed: contractor --No they were supplied by my partners, and myself.
Did you have any watchman on the Two watchmen and two deter
From the Police Station From No, 2 Police Station; ve paid them 85 cash.
stand? None that I know. There was no ono
He the ground to secure struts When it 18 been customary to bave cooking done at No one was injured on you be
Ma Chang Ki was then called. said he was 27 years old and a partner in the Bte Hop firm of contracters He was in charge of the office work There vore six partnera, of whom Kwok Kua was one. The other four were in the country.
Witness had been a partner since his father's death three years ago He did not take any part in the con- struction of the matsheds. Ewok Kun was in charge of the works He knew that the matsbeds erected on the Ribe Course were similar to those erected in
previous yeara,
By the Coroner: He discussed the prices to be charged for the matsheds with the owners of the site. The prices charged for sheds 4, 5 and 6 vere the same as last year. There had been no rise in the prices at all; the prices had been left to him by his father. The work on all the sheda was not charged at the game rate; it was a matter of arrange ment with the owners. There was no agreement under which better work was
done on one shed than the other.”
necessary.
the shods-Ever since I have had them,
Do you remember having made a com plaint on any previous occasion about the stands -About four years ago I went to Mr. Hough and complained of a three Wers peles driven into the ground on storey matched being next to the Unity
When is it necessary and when not i If there is a stump of a tree or anything | strong enough to attach tho strut to, it
is not necessary to drive in poles.
20 the stand when I left. I was the last
to leave,
Mr. Bowley: You tell us you provided water barrcle num hre buckets to prevent fire. Did you receive any instructions
the Race Course-There were trees to Stand. It was on the first day of the from the Police or the Fire Brigade in
which struts could be lashed.
Did you drive poles into the ground or not 1-Struts were attached to the fence, but about three poles were driven into the ground also.
races I remember. On that day the upper floor of shed No. 9 gave way. It was i three storey shed, and I was afraid that shed No 7 might gave way also
The Coroner What was done?—Mr.
Do you agree that sheds 1 to 3 and Houghtold me he had nothing to do 17 to 19 did not collapse because they with it and that I should complain to were of one storey, whilst the others were the Government. higher Yes,
The question was repeated by the Coroner in different form and witness replied that he could not say that the beds did not collapse because they were
lower
Mr Lo : Do you think it would have made any difference if struts had been put on the Golf Club side of the mat sheds Tho sheds would not collapse.
Again the Coroner repented the ques
without struts, would be just the same.
At the suggestion of the Coroner the question was then dropped.
Mr. Bowley pointed out that the charge for the three mataheds 4, 5 and 6 wasion in somewhat different form and 8180-$60 for each shed. In answer to tacss said that the result, with or Mr. Bowley's questions, witheas said Kwok Kun and his (witness) father had equal shares in the business. Witness father used to look after the sccounts, and so on. As he was a max of 70
years he simply supervised the constructions! work. Witness had never worked on matsheds himself.
By Mr. Steavensop: The prices charged for stands 4, 5 and 6 were the same ne charged in previous years They had been charging 8180 for those stands for the last three years. He could any no- thing of time before that. The price this Bear covered exactly the game work as had been done on the sheds in previous
·Foura
By the Coroner The firm did not make much profit last year. The year before that there was neither profit nor ffoss. He could not say what profit was made three years ago. There were about twenty odd firms of matahed builders in the Colony Witness firm the year be fore last did rather less business than in bis father's time; last year they did about the same. They now employed about the same number of workinen as when his
father was alive..
Ma Chuk Bam, 33 years of age, said he bad bocu foreman of the £ze Hop firm for the past four years. He super- vised the erection of the matsb
MR BLAKE'S EVIDENCE,.
Did you complain to the Government? No.
connection with these. things None whatsoever.
It was your own idea, was it-Yea The Coroner: You have always done that have you not!-Yes,
Mr. Bowley Were any intoxicating quors provided on the stand1--None
whatever.
No beer 1-Only what I had provided for employés. Not for sale.
Had M. Y. Ban any licence to keep a You have had a three storey matshed refreshment booth-Not that I know. at No. 7 ever since →Yes.
And you have not complained 1-No, I have not complained since that day
The Crown Solicitor - How did the flour give way on that occasion ?—The top storey sunk The struts had come from underneath the top storey.
Do you know if he has a licence any- where in the Colony to keep & refresh- ment house?--I could not say.
You had no licence-Only the permit from the P.W.D
No eating house licenco No.
In addition to cash sweeps you had
Was it during the racing 7-About the betting on winners and place betting. second race of the first day.
Was there any accident owing to the. floor giving way Not as far as I know.
The Coroner How did it come to your knowledge! The people came rushing Mr. Blake, of the Expense Stores into the Unity Stand, saying that the and Accounts Department A 8.C., said Colonial Stand bad given way. he was a partner in shed, 4, and 6, named the Unity Stand. The other part ners were Mr. Oleen and Mr.
Is that the pari-mutuel ¡——Yes.
And of course you charged a commis- sion I-Yes.
How many years have you carried on a pari-mutuel and cash sweeps? --Thie was my 13th year with my presont part nors and three years before that with other partners.
The Coroner. You have always had a pari-mutuel? Yes, always.
Mr. Bowlers One of the conditions of
There was some little panic Yea The Crown Solicitor: You reported to Pair Hough, at the timeless.
Have you ever known any accident the sale is that no gambling is permitted. Do you regard that condition as a dead except the one you refer to Never
My letter-1 do, seeing that gambling is With regard to the matsheds this year was there any communication between allowed in the Grand Stand. which was constructed with a basement Nos, 4, 5 and 5 and Nos 1, 2 and 3 you have been carrying on gambling in the sheds all these years and no attempt
He purchased the site on January 11th and Mr. Olsen obtained a permit from the PWD for the erection of the shed
and one story. "He had had one of these matsheds on the Race Course for the lass, the matting was taken off the parti
tion to allow the Chinese ladies to come in and get sweep tickets.
has been made to prevent it? That is so. Were you rendered unconscious by your sccident I was
How long was it from the commence. ment of the collapse to your accident 1— About seven minutes I should my-
Did you see where the fire commenced t -I saw no fire
13 years About five years ago ho asked the contractor to put in double uprighte Has it always been the same --Always under the batting counter. That was be cause of
the same since the Jockey Club rented the greater crush at the
MARY FOR A those stands. counter. With this exception the sheds had
With regard to the collapse on Feb, been the same all through the years. His
28th can you give me particulars as to shed was finished on the Bunday morn what happened I was standing at the ing previous to the races Witness and sweep counter in front of No shed of the matshad on to the racecourse and
Mr. Olsen had inspected, the struts and
I understand you got out of the front
then came back to rescue a small boy the ball for the 5th race in order to stop | Most of that seven minutes was spent in
about Sve minutes to three waiting for
the sale of tickets when I heard a crack
the matched-Yes, I was only on tha racecourse about a second.
uprights on the previous Thursd and on the Sunday they inspected the matched
a whole. Mr. Olson gave all the ing sound from No. 7. I looked up and structions to the contractor. His mat
saw the partition of No. 7 falling into Yon, naturally then would not see s shed was used for betting either for
the Unity Stand, and women and fire in the centre of the row 1 No, I saw winners or places and for cash sweeps children falling with it The counters no fire, Anyone could go into the shed,
of the Unity Stand prevented the people The Crown Solicitor: What is then it from being crushed. stand really built for 1-Really for The Crown Solicitor. Did the floor service men, naval and military, who can your matshed collapse-As far as I
can
It is quite clear that wherever the fits came from it did not originate in your ched--It did not originate in my shed,
Can you form any idea where the
not afford to go into the grandstand. Of say the upper floor sank about four feet Collapse commenced f→ cannot
soures, we admit Chincse as well, and
Race Course. There were between 70 and 60 men employed and all were ex- perienced. He began building the mat-
Were there any casualties in your sheds this year on February 7th and the this year the military and naval men stand! Not as far as I know. I went work was completed on February 24th
were excluded because of the prevalence out at the front and stepped on to the During the whole of the perio was of diseas
raes course. When I had got out I heard continually in charge, inspecting the Is any control exercised over the nima y and turned into the matched
Kwok Kin supervised and adhere1 There were two watchmen, there
and found a small Portuguese boy behind
From your position, standing by the counter, when the partition of No. 7 fell
on you, you could not see the rangs of matsheds ontsidel No.
You don't want to convey the te sion that No. 7 collapsed first do bou Oh, no,