479
irregular fringe to the boiling mass of water; the spray in many instances went up sheer forty or fifty feet on the houses fronting the Praya; and the wild erested breakers bore possibly a wilder appearance than they have assumed for very many years.
From the direction of the wind and other indications familiar to the nautical observ- er, it is presumed that the typhoon now honoring us with a call, sprung into existence somewhere on the Coast of Japan. Being of snormous calibre and travelling very slowly it made its way southward to the eastward of Formosa, and entered the China ses, through the Bashoe Channel. The course it was taking would have brought the centre nearly directly over Hongkong, but it is supposed that, impinging on For- moss, it received a cant which threw it out of its direct course, and fortunately for us,
it passed to the eastward, though quite close enough to be pleasant.
Mr Hook's cargo boats rode out the gale hopefully in the earlier part of the day; but as the gale ruse to its greatest height, masta were cut away, and at last they got adrift on to the Buud. The scene at this A crowd of stage was a most exciting one. residents, a number of soldiers and a few policemen bad assembled opposite Merars Smith Archer's building to assist in getting ashore the crews of these unwieldy craft. By means of ropes and other appliances, all were landed from one boat; and during this difficult task, one of the 75th men fell or was swept amongst the debris close to the sea wall. Amongst the blind- ing spray, the poor fellow was rescued from what must have been a certain death, amid the general plaudits and congratula tions of the assembled crowd. The sol- diers, police and residents worked at this stage with a right good will, and were am- ply rewarded for their heavy drenching by the salvage of a goodly number of native men and women. It was curious to note the strong desire evinced by the natives to salve their goods and chattols; and one female refused to leave the boat, until a resolute boatman got back and fetched her away in a very plucky manner.
About three o'clock, the squalls appeared to lose in violence; but as the table given below will show, the barometer still couti- qued to fall :-
Sept. 26, at 9 a.m., Barometer 29.06
در
""
at 4 p.m.,
29.49
1+
26, at 2 1.1.5
29.39
39
at 3
29.35
"
at 4
29.33
"
1
33
at 75
29.23
>>
at 8
29.25
>>
}
at 9
29.25
}
at 10
29.23
50
33
at 11
29.17
75
11
at 12 m.,
29.08
J
at I p.m.,
29.07
15
B2
29.05
37
at 3
29.04
13
**
at 3
29.00
15
>
35
The lull was only the usual precursor of a change of wind, and indicated that the
centre of the storin was in our immediate vicinity. About 4.30, the gale recommeII- ced, the wind coming heavily and steadily from E.S. E.; the glass has (as we go to press) evidently reached its lowest point- marking 29 on Falconer's standard glass- and shows symptoms of a rise. The height of the gale, therefore, has yet to come. The Praya Wall, from Lane Crawford and Co's, to the extreme west, is a mass of ruins; in some places cavities have been eaten out to the depth of from four to eight feet. To the westward of the Harbor Master's Office great damage has been done both on shore and afloat. The streets are strewn with tiles, and a large number of Chinchew and coasting junks are piled upou the rocky beach out- side the Bund.
The trees near the German Club have been dismembered, and others elsewhere bave been torn up by the roots. The Public Gardens have been slightly damag- ed, and several trees on the Parade Ground and at Fedder's Wharf have also been broken or blown down.
Through the courtesy of the Police we are informed that no telegrams of particular damage at the outstations have been re- ceived at the Central Station,
The damage to the Foreign shipping is inconsiderable, but the native craft have suffered severely. The greater part of the damage done was between the P. & 0. Godowns and the Gas Works, where the sunken and disabled craft are numerous. The loss of life, though con siderable bears a small proportion to the uumber of lives in actual jeopardy. The wrecks of Chinches junks and Macao and Canton Passage boats, many of them laden with valuable cargo, which straw the shore at the Westward, are painful to witness, Messrs Hook and Sons lost seven Cargo boats (six on this side and one at Kowloon) valued at about $9,000. The yacht Neme- i was so badly damaged that she is not considered worth repairing. The large guano lighter belonging to Mr Tejerina was driven on the rocks opposite Ordnance Yard, and is badly damaged. The schoo ner Gaviota, belonging to same owners, was only saved from wreck by sacrificing her masts. The American ship Naples drove from her anchorage athwart the bows of the Colonial steamer Victoria, carrying away the bowsprit of the latter and doing ber some other slight damage. The gunboat Bouncer dragged some distance, but brought up without damage. The steamer Fizz was in great danger at one time, but was saved without injury. The screw of the Delaware fouled with the chain of the Dong Wue and still remains in that condition.
The steamer Kinshun left Canton at her usual hour yesterday morning (26), bat the wind rising rapidly and the glass falling, her commander judged it more prudent to run in at anchor under shelter, which be did at Chun Pih, where she lay until 6 this morning 27, when steam was got up, and she arrived at her wharf at 11.30 of that foreno. on. No damage of any great amount was
DEX