1937-09-02 — Page 11

THE CHINA MAIL, SEPTEM

DISASTROUS

FIRE RAGES

FIVE HOURS ON PRAYA

More Than Fifteen Lives Lost During Gale

· ABDUCTED_ FRENCH PRIEST BELIEVED DEAD

Shanghai, To-day.

The French authorities have re- ceived information that. Francois de Salas, the Frenchman who was one of the sixteen foreign priests who were abducted from a Roman Catholic seminary near Peiping on August 31, was shot in the stomach and abandoned by the bandits, who are demanding $500,- 000 ransom for the other captives.

De Salas was the director of St. Joseph's College for Chinese on the outskirts of Peiping, which was run by the Marist Brothers.... The remaining captives are be ing held in a pagoda in the west- ern hills.-Reuter.

THE OFFICIAL STORY OF THE TYPHOON

The typhoon formed east of Luzon between August 28 and 30, but its position was indefinite- until the afternoon of the latter date, wher it was situated about 300 miles north-east of Manila, moving in "a north-westerly direction.

A

On the morning of August 31, it reached the eastern extremity of Į. the Ballintang Channel from where!

FIREMEN AND POLICE

WORKING UP TO WAIST IN WATER

FOUR KILLED IN JERUSALEM RIOTS

Jer

Four more yesterday as the between Jey

One of the gravest tragedies of the typhoon cost the lives of at least fifteen persons, when fire broke out at about 2 a.m. at No. 134, Connaught jewish leaders. Road West, and blazed for more than four and a half hours, during the full fury of the typhoon last, sweeping from 134, to 135, and gradually ex- tending farther west.

The casualty list is tentative. There is grave reason to fear that the loss of life was considerably greater.

The ground floors of the buildings engulfed were waist deep in water and bodies of the victims were washed out to sea.

The task of the fire-fighters, who were splendidly supported by the police, can well be imagined. In pelting rain, a hundred mph wind always threatening to sweep them off their feet, and huge flames sweep- ing low at them as powerful gusts caught the holocaust, they combatted the blaze under unparallelled diffi- culties.

EUROPEANS

RESCUED FROM YACHT

Before the outbreak was brought Two Europeans were rescued from under control at 7 am no fewer an overturned yacht off Shamshuipo than ten building had been virtual-Camp this morning, after being for ly gutted.

more than four hours in the water. The case of the fire believed to The names are not yet known. have been the fusing of electric A Walla Walla motorboat went out

clamation, in those used by Committee on their nationals lice and air for eventualt tin Service.

NEW HOUSES COLLAPSE

row of newly-built houses in Lower Laichikok Road, of which only the top story remained uncom- pleted, suffered heavily.

The unfinished top floor of each house was shifted by the force of the wind and is now hanging peril ously over the edge."

Scaffolding and other strewn across the road.

GARAGE CRASH

it adopted a westerly direction until wire, and though it was raining hard and rescued them. Many are be- Employees of the De Luxe Gar- Jat the time the fire burnt fiercely lieved to have lost their lives in the 18e in Nathan Road had a narrow

with the infiammable-structures of sinking of fishing junks in the Chinese houses.

6 am, when it was situated

120

to

miles east by south of Pratas Shoal. From this period it took a west-

Fire engines were quickly on the north-west direction, crossing

scene but the high tide together the north of Pratas Shoal at 5 p.m.with the torrential rain had flood- and to the north of Waglan Island and south of the Royal Observatory between 3 and 4 am. to-day.

Stand-by signals were hoisted as follows:

No 1 0.75 yesterday..

ed the road..

Police officers from No. 7 Police station were there together with the Emergency Unit.

Of those who lost their lives

some were drowned or suffocated in

No 5 (Gale north-west) 3.20 pm the lower stories of the premises. No 10 158 am:

area.

this

escape from death when the whole roof of the garage collapsed, bury ing twenty ca

Curious feature

R. A. OFFICER'S BRAVERY Captain Rybot, of the H.K.S.Bthe garage was escas R.A. was responsible for an

act which had been raised ten feet of extreme gallantry and the saving above ground on a hydraulic lift. of the lives of several Chinese at In spite of the huge wind, the five o'clock this morning when he remained undamaged on the lift sisted them to shore. dived into the naval dock and as this morning--

An 18-year-old Chinese female,-- The Police officers were working

The arterial road along the coast whose identity is unknown, was elec- Maroons were fired at 2.10 am.

waist high in water and bodies had in the New Territories has been trocuted at the Tung Chun Soy Fac- MORE THAN 125 MPH..

to be fished out of the sea.

severely damaged, and practically story in the Sheung Sa Po district. The wind increased rapidly after am. from the north and veered at 7 am. while the officers return-suffered.

The fire was got under control every village from Tsunwan on has towards the east after 3.30. Atled to the stations at about 8.30. * Native-style houses have collaps this time squalls of phenomenal in- Owing to the bamboo scaffolding ed by the score, wounding dozens of tensity prevailed, many occurring at the Fire Brigade station being villagers. beyond a capacity of the register completely blown down and strewn

of the anemograph, that is greater all over the road the fire engines

than 125 miles an hour.

have not returned to their station The lowest barometer reading but have been placed at different was 28.30 inches, between 3.45 and points in the road. 3.50 a.m.

Rainfall was 5.055 inches, be tween 10.30- and 7.30 am..

FILLING UP

The typhoon has entered the coast and is rapidly filling up to the north-west of Macao.

One of the most spectacular blazes in Hong Kong for many years, the disastrous fire at Connaught Road presented an awe-inspiring spectacle viewed from the mid-levels.

Despite the pouring rain, flames shot high into the air fanned by When passing Pratas Shoal yes the raging gale and the entire wes- terday afternoon the storm gave no term district was lit by the glow. indication of the intensity that ~ At 9 o'clock this morning

cacterised its passage across building was still smouldering. Colony

is doubtful if a storm of great-

er severity and destructive power Kowloon Hospital

ever visited the Colony.

The barometer minimum reading

298 inches which is 0.292 ches lower than the record of 8.590 on August 18, 1923.

The Cafe Wiseman was comple flooded and at 11 am an engine the Fire Brigade was helping pump out the water

Overworked

The Kowloon Hospital crowded out this morning with scores of people, both Europear and Chinese, who went

secure emerg variety of injuries result of col ing debris.

here to ent for a suffered

roofs

The Hunghom Ferry wharf is completely wrecked, only a few piles remaining to mark its former presence.

K. M. A.

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