CO129-481 - Governor Sir Stubbs - 1923 [8-12] — Page 416

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Report on Typhoon of 18th August, 1923.

The typhoon which passed over Hongkong on Saturday the 18th August, 1923, was the worst experienced since 1908 and did considerable damage afloat and ashore. It was a small typhoon of exceptional severity, the wind velocity, which reached a maximum of 130 miles an hour being probably the highest ever recorded, but as it travelled quickly over the Colony there was not time for it to complete the work of destruction which it had commenced.

Lecal Signal No.1 which is of the nature of a "stand by" signal was hoisted at 11.26 a.m. on Friday the 17th August and the weather report issued on the afternoon of that day stated that "present conditions indicate that

the typhoon will strike the coast between Amoy and Hongkong to-morrow morning". At 4.30 p.m. locel Signal No.2 was hoisted indicating that a gale was to be expected from the

North.

Ample time was therefore given for precautions to

be taken over night and the small loss of life indicates

that shelter was obtained by the majority of the small boats and junks in the harbour.

The morning of the 18th August broke sunny and

warm with ne vary strong wind and the idea uppermost in

Many people's minds was that the typhoon had again passed us by. The typhoon was a small one and might easily have

passed within 100 miles of the Colony without creating much disturbance. The Colony had also had several vamings of

typhoons which had not reached serious proportions so that

there was possibly some over confidence on the part of

launch ooxswains and junk owners, With the warning given

the day before no vessel need have been exposed to risk.

The sixth local Signal indicating that the gale

would increase was hoisted at 8.23 a.m, on the morning of

the

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