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Divisional Superintendent of Police (Kowloon),
Sir,
I forward herewith a preliminary report of the
larceny of 40,000 detonators the contents of four cases from No.5 Magazine, Green Island Dangerous Goods Depot between
12.40 hours on 3.8.35 and 18.00 hours on 4.8.35.
No.5 Magazine is styled the detonator magazine and
only detonators are stored therein. It is situated at the
North West corner of the depot. In this magazine were stored
136 cases of detonators the property of Messrs. Jardine Matheson,
Messrs. Shewan Tomes and the Public Works Department, respectively.
At the moment I am not sure of the exact number of cases held on
behalf of the two aforementioned firms; but the Public Works
Department had in the magazine 6 cases each containing 10,000
detonators and one broken box containing 2,620. These cases
are what are left of a consignment of 15 cases which were stored
there by the Public Works Department on 28.11.34. It is four
cases from this consignment which were stolen. The selling
price is quoted by the Accounts and Stores Department, Public
Works Department, as being $2.42 per hundred, $242.00 per case and
$968.00 for the four cases. I am waiting to confirm this before
circulating.
Each of the cases contained 10,000 detonators done up
in 20 packets of 5 tins, each tin containing 100 each, i.e. 500
in a packet or 400 tins in all. The case itself is made of wood
and is very well made. It consists of an outside case fitted
with a lid screwed down by 10 brass screws, an inside case also
fitted with a lid screwed down by four screws. The packets
themselves are packed between a plentiful supply of sawdust to
allay any risk of jars or jolts likely to cause an explosion.
The tins are black in colour, size 3" x 3" x 11" and are marked
in white lettering NOBEL No.3 100 dynamite detonators, Thistle
Brand, Glasgow.
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No.5 Magazine has only one door, this is fitted as are
the other four magazines, with four locks, two on the grille doors
neithe and two in the wooden door. From examination the locks nor
doors showed no signs of having been tampered with. The back of
No.5 Magazine which is one yard from the abrupt rocky hillside
has two windows which are fitted with double iron bars * in
diameter. There are 7 bars on the inside and 8 on the outside
and are built so that the outside bars come between the inside ones.
The space between the bars of both rows is 31" but with there
being two rows as mentioned above the actual space between them
is 13. The rows are approximately 2 apart.
The third bars of the inside and outside rows of the
south east window at the back of No.5 Magazine had been cut
through with a hack saw close to the bottom and the bar on the
outside forced outwards and upwards and that on the inside,
inwards and up"ards.
Inside the bars is a window which opens
inwards in two halves and which is fastened with an iron bolt
top and bottom centre. Each half of the window has five panes
of glazed glass. The second pane up on the right half of the
window from the outside was broken, and by inserting an arm from
the outside both top and bottom bolts could be drawn, although
they were rather stiff. The gap made by removing the bars is
72′′ x 1'9" the latter measurement being the height of the first
cross bar from the window sill and it is through this space that
the thief or thieves apparently entered.
Mr. W.H. Bailey the European in charge of the depot
was issuing from No.5 Magazine at 12.45 hours on 3.8.35. and he
himself locked the magazine after issuing.
3.8.35 he finished duty for the week-end.
day he was in his quarters on the Island.
At 13.00 hours on
The remainder of that
The following day
4.8.35 he went off the Island and returned at 20.40 hours the
same night.
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The larceny was discovered at 18.00 hours on 4.8.35 by two Harbour Office Department seamen attached to the depot
for duty. Every evening at about 18.00 hours these same two seamen
water the vegetable garden at the back of the magazines and it was
while drawing water from the south east back corner of No.5
Magazine that they noticed the bar of the window sticking out and
saw on investigating that the magazine had been entered. The
names of the two seamen are LAM CHU, 33 years, and LEUNG YING,
33 years. They reported to the Special Guard on duty No.35
Abdul Rahman who in turn reported to A.L.S.B. 324 FAZAL MOHAMED,
Mr. Bailey was expected back at 18.30 hours so no immediate
report was made to the Police. When Mr. Bailey did not return
a/L.S.B. 324 rang up the Water Police Station and made a report,
this was at about 19.30 hours. Det. L.S.A.183 Davies went out
to Green Island and made enquires soon after the report was made
and on his return to station a message was circulated to harbour
and cruising launches to be on the look out.
On 5.8.35 I went to Green Island at 09.15 hours and
carried out a close examination of the premises, searched Chinese
seamen and Indians quarters, huts on Little Green Island and
several sampans. It was discovered that five workmen employed
by the KIN LEE Building Contractors had been working on a water
channel near the South East corner of the back of No.5 magazine.
I found these workmen still working on the Island at the European
I took them back to the Water Police Station
Officers quarters.
for interrogation.
On the way back the sampan which conveyed
The
these men ashore from Green Island on Sunday afternoon 4.8.35 at
about 16.15 hours, was located and searched without result.
Master of the sampan was brought to the Water Police Station at
09.00 on 6.8.35 and closely questioned without result.
There are two very peculiar features of this case which
are very puzzling. One is why only Public Works Department detonators were taken and the other is that, out of the 136 cases in the magazine, 7 were open with the lids placed on top, issues
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