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THE HONGKONG GOVERNMENT GAZETTE, 14TH DECEMBER, 1895.
and at a distance of 75 miles to SW by W of the centre. They still had a strong WNW gale at noon and the barometer had fallen to 29.55. The vessel was kept on her course towards NNE and during the afternoon the wind veered to NW and decreased to a moderate gale, the barometer rising a little. This vessel might have been run to the SE with advantage as by keeping her course to the northward she was passing towards the storm track and into the right-hand semicircle, a particularly dangerous position in the NE monsoon. NW to W gales blew at a distance of from 150 to 250 miles to the W and SW of the centre, the barometer reading about 29.95 on the Annam coast in 13° Lat. In 9° 7′ 110° 47′ the S.S. Albingia had 30.02 with a gentle NW breeze and fine weather.
On the 13th pressure was high over N. China and a considerable increase had taken place on the S. Coast of China and the barometer had also risen in Luzon; Hongkong had 30.15, Hoihow 30.16, Bolinao 29 88 and Manila 29.92. Pressure was now slightly above the normal both at Hongkong and Manila. Fresh NE monsoon blew on the S. coast of China and the light SE breezes were main- tained at Bolinao. From the marine data the position of the centre at noon on this day may be given as 14° 45′ 114° 30′ with accuracy from the following observations S.S. Agamemnon 15° 10′ 114° 27′ 29.58 NE 4; S.S. Pakling 14° 55' 113° 32′ 29.71 NW 6; S.S. Wingsang 13° 47', 14° 25′ 29.71 W/S 6. They also indicate that the centre was a large one and show that there was a considerable area around it where the winds were comparatively light. The following information shows that strongest winds were experienced at some distance from the centre. To the W, at a distance of about 250 miles, the steamships Macduff, Holstein and Frames experienced fierce gales from NNW; to the NNW, a distance of from 300 to 350 miles, strong NNE winds to gales prevailed accompanied by showery and squally weather the barometer reading about 30.04; the S.S. Michael Jebsen still had a fierce NË gale at a distance of about 300 miles to the NE of the centre and strong NE monsoon prevailed at a distance of about 250 miles to the ENE of the centre which shows that the NE monsoon was spread- ing down the Eastern side of the China Sea in rear of the depression; the S.S. Albingia had only a fresh WNW breeze with the barometer reading 29.93 at a distance of 200 miles to the SW by S of the centre.
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During the evening on board the Agamemnon they had an increasing NE gale with the barometer rising rapidly as they steered to the NNE; the Pakling, steering N, had the barometer rising with the wind veering to NE and increasing; and the Wingsang, steering NNE, passed to the rear of the depression and had the barometer rising and the wind, of force 5 only, backing to SW in the after- noon and gradually to ESE the same night.
On the 14th pressure remained very high over N China and a further large increase had taken place on the S Coast. In Luzon the barometer had also risen considerably. Hongkong had 30.26, Hoihow 30.23, Bolinao 29.95, and Manila 30.00. Pressure was now above the normal, at Hong- kong 0.15 inch, and at Manila 0.10 inch. The centre of the depression seems to have passed N of the S.S. Polyphemus at 4 a. on this day. The vessel was then situated in 14° 29′ 113° 00′. A heavy W gale had been experienced up to midnight, but at 2 a. the wind dropped. At 4 a. (bar. 29.80 lowest reading) it began to increase again from SE but it only attained the force of a fresh breeze. In rear of the centre the winds were extremely feeble in this disturbance. At noon the centre was probably situated in 15° 15', 112° 00% In rear of the centre at a distance of about 75 miles the barometer read 29.80 and moderate to fresh breezes blew from SE, the weather being squally; in the W quadrant, or in front of the centre at a distance of about 100 miles, the barometer read 29.85 and fierce gales from N and NNW prevailed. The steamships Loosok, Framnes and Macduff ran to the southward and had the wind backing to the NW and W during the evening. The S.S. Holstein held on her course to the N and had the wind veering to the E. In the NE quadrant strong gales from NE prevailed at distances varying from 150 to 400 miles from the centre. The wind direction was not, however, controlled by the depression although the force was doubtless augmented by it.
Between the 13th and 14th the disturbance traversed a distance of about 150 miles, so that its rate of progression suddenly increased on the 13th.
On the 15th there yet remains a trace of the depression. To the S of Hongkong in from 17° to 20° lat. strong breezes and moderate gales from E to NE prevailed with the barometer standing at about 30.10. The S.S. Holstein to the S of ¡lainan and in 17° 49′, 110° 39′ had a moderate E gale with the barometer reading 29.96. On the Annam Coast near Cape Varella the steamships Framnes and Looxok had fresh decreasing W winds in the morning, backing to SW and S at night and becom- ing light. The barometer which read about 29.93 at noon was rising. The depression was probably central near the position 15 109 at noon, but it had apparently almost filled up.
Hongkong Observatory, 13th December, 1895.
W. DOBERCK, Director.
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