CO129-336 - Governor Nathan & Public Offices - 1906 [11-12] — Page 591

KOWLOON CANTON RAILWAY

General Letter No.12.

D

585

British Section.

Chief Resident Engineer's Office

Kowloon,

21st September, 1906.

To Sir J. Barry & Partners

Consulting Engineers

Gentlemen,

1.

I regret to have to report that last Tuesday a typhoon swept over the Colony, which was most disastrous in its effects not so much on account of the strength, which was however very great, but from the suddenness of its coming. It must have originated very close to the Colony, as no warnings were sent from outlying stations and so the typhoon struck the Colony a few minutes after the first signal was hoisted.

2. The place that suffered most on the Railway was the Store depot at Tai Kok Tsui. This place on the west side of the Kowloon Peninsula was exposed to the full force both of wind and waves. Being new moon the tides were very high and the whole yard was submerged by about 2 ft of water. A large German tramp steamer broke its moorings and was thrown up on the Pierre Perdu foundations of the wharf wall. The two large godowns, one for miscellaneous stores and the other for cement were swept away. I had ordered 5,000 casks of cement, but luckily only 500 were delivered.

3.