1941-01-20 — Page 64

CHINA MAIL, PAGE 16

1841

HONG KONG CENTENARY: NUMBER

Bubonic Plague Appears

(Continued from Page 14)

Hong Kong as Lung Chai-kwong advanced from Kwangsi to restore the central government's author- ity

The last year of the quarter- century, 1916, saw few signs of any settlement of the political storms raging in China, on the outskirts of the Colony Hopes were high when rival factions met at Hoi Chu, Canton, to discuss ways and meats of preserving peace in the province of Kwang- Lung. but, unfortunately, the "peace Conference" ended bloodshed

in

Political unrest continued to prevail in the province, the climax. being reached when large-scale attacks were launched on Canton from the north and west. All business in Canton was suspend- ed and the hospitals were filled with the wounded, while hundreds lost their lives

WIN

Among the smalte, strikes and boycotts of the period!

The boycott of the Lower Level Tran- ways, which refused 12 accept Chinese subsidiary coins A boy- call was drefared m November, 1912, but came du an end the ful- Towing February

Canton Disaster

Hit, despite its OWI internal troubles and strife, Hong Kong was able to come to the assistance of Canton when fonds in the West River caused great loss of life and property in 1914. The Legislative Council voted a sum of $50,000 for rehef and a committee was ap- pointed to raise an even greater public subscription for the same humanitarian purpose.

Another $50,000, apart from local subscriptions, Was donated by the Hong Kong Governmen! the following year, when more disaster was spread through Kwangtung through the flooding of the West, River, followed by a terrible fire in Canton itself. It is estimated that over 10,000 people lost their lives; others lost their homes and everything they had.

Hong Kong was not without its own "natural disasters" during this period-typhoons and plague taking pride of place. During November, 1900, a violent typhoon struck the Colony, and in the short space of three hours over 200 peo- ple lost their lives and H.M.S. Sandpiper, 10 launches and over 100 junks went down.

1906 Typhoon

The next very severe typhoon was recorded itt August, 1906, when the death toll included 15 Europeans (including a Protestant Bishop) and over 10,000 Chinese. In addition, 2,413 Chinese craft were lost and over 140 European ships and launches either found- ered or were badly damaged.

In 1908, there was another dis- astrous typhoon, almost coincid- ing with the unveiling of an obelisk in Kowloon to the memory of French sailors drowned in the 1900 typhoon. More severe ty- phoons, with loss of life and pro- . perty, were recorded in October, 1909 and August, 1913.

Bubonic plague appeared for the first time in 1894, reaching its height in May and July, when no less than 100,000 people evacuated the Colony and trade received a great, though temporary, blow. There was a second outbreak two years later, eight Europeans suc- cumbing, but trade was not dis- located to quite such a large ex- tent.

1901 the Secretary of State receiv ed a petition from Hong Kong asking that santury experts b sent out to the Colony to investi- gate conditions.

A new service reservoir, of £1 capacity of 388,000 gallons, was added at West Point in 1908, and also an 8" rising main. The year 1910 saw the completion of the Kowloon waterworks gravitation scheme (begun in 1902) and the

of laying in Caine Road

ધ 12" main for conveying water from Tytam to the western district.

Important nullah and sewage works were being carried out simultaneously and further tensive water works were in pro- gress during 1913. Including had

A report on the sanitation of the Colony was presented the follow- ing year by Mr. O, Chadwick and Professor Simpson, and by 1910 plague cases had dropped to only 25, the lowest since 1897.

This year, 1910, saw * resur- gence of pirate activity, and for some years the Hong Kong, Can- ton and Macao authorities their hands full trying to with the situation,

Pirate Activity

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Portuguese troops and gunboats engaged in a skirmish with pirate, on Culowan Island in 1910 and although many at the pirate: managed to get away some were afterwards captured

Cheng Chau Island This was followed two years later by an attack by pirates on Cheng Chau police sta- tion as a result of which thren Indian constables lost their lives

+1}1

A joint expedition that year by The Portuguese ind Chinese in an attempt to wipe out a pirates' nest on Wong Kam bland, near Macao, AVICHISLIVCOssful and many more piracies pecurred in the Canton River dela throughout the fol- lowing year, among the most not- able being the ransacking of the Ns. Tai On.

The pirates apparently were emboldened by this feat and in March, 1914, the Childar and the Shingtai were pirated and a month later the Tai On was pirated again, being set on fire and burnt out near Kio. A really intensive anti- piracy campaign was put into force, and many of the pirates were subsequently tried and exe- ruted in Canton. There was al- most peace and quietness on the "pirate front" for the next few

years.

Penny Post

Among the more peaceful mani- festations of the growth of Hong Kong were the introduction of the penny post, in 1898, with its ex- tension to British agencies in China four years later, and the continued progress in the field of public works.

Thus, an additional 4,400.000 gallons of water were impounded in 1895 at Pokfulam while in Kowloon an original waterworks supplying 250,000 gallons a day from three wells north of Yau- mati was opened. In 1897, Tytam dam was raised to impound an additional 94,670.000 gallons, the total storage capacity then amounting to 477,400,000 gallons; the total population, Chinese and foreign, of the Colony at this time was 248,710.

Two years later, the completion of the Wongneichong reservoir, holding 33,094,000 gallons, brought the total capacity of storage re- servoirs to 511,394,000 gallons, but even so there was a serious short- age in the spring of 1902 and water had to be brought in light- ers from Tsunwan.

·

Water Needs

Activity continued for many years around Tytam and Tytam Tuk in an effort to meet the Colony's water needs, Thus, in 1904, the total storage capacity was increased to 537,695,000 gal- lons as a result of a. byewash re- servoir at Tytam which added 20,301,000. The first section - of Tytam Tuk waterworks was prac.. tically completed in 1907, afford- ing a further permanent storage conditions, and when a third epi- . of 195,014,000 gallons and ol dem'c of bubonic plague, bigger 210,370,000 with movable : wel" than any since 1894, broke out in added.

A commission was appointed to enquire into insanitary housing

ex-

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a

service reservoir and filter bed. at Shaukiwan, the erection of a pumping station in Pokfulam Road and the construction of new impounding reservoir at Ty- tam Tuk

hold to

1,419,000,000 Work on this reservoir was still being continued up to the end of 1916.

gallons.

impressive picture with

of

its

at

This waterworks

progress, steady increase of "houghts" the end of figures recording the total number of gallons of water stored. should not, however, be allowed to overshadow equally important work in the field of communications with the outside world, an important factor in the growth of any major city.

The cable services were ex- tended further when the Hong Kong-Labuan-Singapore line was opened for traffic in May, 1894.

Kowloon Railway

In the field of land communica- tions. Unsuccessful negotiations were continued through 1904 in connection with the Chinese sec- tion of the Canton/Kowloon rail- way, while in the same year Hong Kong lent the Hukwang Viceroy £1,000,000 repayable in 10 annual instalments for the redemption of the Canton/Hankow railway con- cession.

The construction of the British section of the Canton/Kowloon railway was taken over by the construction staff in May, 1906, while a survey of the Chinese sec- tion was started in 1907; the latter was opened for through traffic in 1911. Traffic was not always exactly "through," however; for instance, in May, 1916, a train was attacked by robbers in Chinese territory and the subsequent cas- ualty list was a shockingly high

ont

Gas Lighting.

In view of the war with Ger- many which is now waging in Europe, a brief description of Hong Kong's contribution in the early part of that “other war with the Hun" might well round off the general picture of Hong Kong's third quarter-century, but before dealing with that, a glimpse at some of the "front page" news items of the period may be given:-

Gas lighting introduced in Kow- loon; Gap Rock lighthouse com- pleted and connected to Hong

1912); one infantry, one engineer and two machine-gun companies added to the Volunteers (1899); output of granite from Shaukiwan and Kowloon estimated at $45,000 and $80,000 respectively (1900): first public bath-house, 40 baths. opened in Wanchai (1903); a 9- mile electric tram route from Ken- nedy Town to Shaukiwan opened (1904); Duke of Connaught, ac- companied by the Duchess of Con- naught and Princess Patricia of Connaught, visited the Colony; project to start a brewery made headway (1907); loss by deprecia- tion of subsidiary currency, Gov- ernment eventually withdrawing from circulation and demonetis- ing $780,000 of subsidiary silver coin and $30,000 of bronze coin (1908); Government withdraw from circulation and demonetised $5,272,012.25 (face value) of sil- ver coins and $255,446.79 (face value) of copper coins (1910). bomb factory seized at Taikoktsui (1913); China Coast Officers' strike ended, extra pay and a bonus be- ing granted and the guild itself recognised; extensive dredging operations of Kowloon Point in connection with the erection of a new 655-foot pier by the Hong Kong & Kowloon Wharf and Go- down Co., completed (1916).

Two institutions which have played an important part in the life of this Colony came into being during this period -- the Hong Kong University and the Helen May Institute.

The story of the growth and de- velopment of the University is told elsewhere in this supplement but a few details may be added to this survey of the story of Hong Kong.

The University

In 1908, Mr. H. N. Mody offered to present the Colony with the buildings necessary for a Univer- sity. A committee was formed to promote the undertaking and to collect the necessary endowment

fund.

By the end of 1909, the endow- ment fund totalled $533,496, with a further $718,614 promised. On March 3, Sir F. Lugard, who was Governor of Hong Kong from 1910 to 1912, laid the foundation stone, the endowment fund stand- ing at $1,239,828, with a further $96,460 promised, on December 31 that year.

The Helena May came into be- ing a few years later, when Mr. Ellis Kadooric offered Lady May, wife of His Excellency the Gover- nor, $15,000 towards the "Helena May Institute for Women.” The building was opened in 1916.

War was declared by Britain on Germany at 11 pm, on August 4, 1914. In Hong Kong, the Prince of Wales' National Relief Fund was opened and $100,000 voted by the Legislative Council in Oc- tober. The fall of Tsingtao Оп November 7 drew many rejoicings, Trade was naturally affected, the decline reaching 25 per cent. in November, the mulberry tree trade in particular collapsing en- tirely.

War Gifts

In 1915, a sum of £4,500 was sent home to the Overseas Club for the purchase of two aeroplanes for the British Government; one was presented by partners of the Tai Yau Bank and the other by -general subscriptions raised among the local British and Chinese com- munities..

Kong by cable; 10 public laun- dries opened in Wanchal (1892); school for girls on site of former. Central School, with accommoda- tion for just over 600, presented by Mr. E. R. Belillos and taken over by Government; Po Leung Kuk institution, formed in 1878. incorporated; Waglan lighthouse completed by Chinese Government (1893); new British dollar intro- duced (1895); area at Causeway..... Bay set aside as Queen's Recrea- tion Ground (1897); Hong Kong Cotton Spinning, Weaving & Dye- ing Co. started operating; Green Island Cement Co., of Macao, be-raid of the British Red Cross So- gan to manufacture, at Hok Un (near Kowloon) for local use and export (Canton authorities placed an embargo on limestone from Kwangtung for this company in

An open-air fete was held in the Public Gardens in. October in.

ciety and the Order of St John of Jerusalem and a very large and colourful crowd attended.

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1941