1097
2.
with her stern up in the air. She was driven so forcibly against the wall as to be practically wrecked, and went out of commission, though used since then as a hulk. She was patched up sufficiently for this service, after the disaster, and was purchased by a local flour company which renamed the vessel the Thistle. For a little over a year she was moored in Kowloon Bay, as a flour store, until the company's godowns were completed; and then was sold to the Chinese Maritime Customs and moored at Taishan (above Chek Wan) as an examination station for native craft, this being her permanent position except when she comes down from time to time to be docked at Hongkong for overhaul. The hulk was brought down not long ago for this purpose, and entered Taikoo Dock. I am indebted for much of the above information to a reader, Mr. H.W. Walker.
I give to-day another old photograph depicting some of the devastation caused by the big typhoon in 1908. It shows the French torpedo-boat Fronde, which was wrecked in the storm with some loss of life. There may be quite a number of readers who are not aware of the fact that a monument has been erected to the memory of these victims: it is an obelisk standing to the east of the Diocesan Girls' School, at the junction of Jordan and Gascoigne Roads. The four sides of the base have inscriptions in French and in English, two in each language, reading as follows:
"Sacred To
"Jean Bonny, Charles Meurio, Rene Derrien, Chief Petty Officers;
"Narcisse Bertho, Joseph Nicolas, Petty Officers;
*Of The Torpedo Boat Destroyer Fronde;
"Who Perished At Hongkong in the Typhoon of 18th September,
1906."
"Erected by the British Community of Hongkong.
Following the rather warm weather of about a week's duration, and the wet spell, the temperature has fallen somewhat and a "cold snap" is promised. It is appropriate, therefore, to delve into the local weather records for material. The Observatory has the dates of the various extremes of temperature, and it is interesting to note that frost (32 deg. Fahrenheit) has on at least one occasion been recorded practically at sea-level. Many of us will recollect reports of frost on the Peak even within the last decade, for example in January 1925, when at sea-level the thermometer fell to only 38 - but there is one historic experience that must go on record, the Great Frost of January 1893, when ice formed everywhere, and snow was lying thickly on Tai Mo Shan and Lantau Peak.
One of the best reports ever written on that occasion was compiled by Mr. Charles Ford, then Superintendent of what was known as the Botanical and Afforestation Department. It was an official report to the Government, and dealt largely with the disastrous effect of the hard frost on the Colony's vegetation (practically everything was killed or injured above 800 feet level).
+
I am obliged to Mr. B. Green for the opportunity of making extracts therefrom, and it is intended to give the main part of the report in two sections.
Mr. Ford wrote this account on February 4, 1893, when events were still fresh in his mind. He said:
The unprecedented cold weather which the region about Hongkong was recently subjected to calls for some notice to be taken of it by this department, so far as things with which the department is concerned were affected by the severely low temperature which was experienced, therefore I have the honour to submit a brief report
1097
2.
with her atern up in the air. She was driven so forcibly against the wall as to be practically wrecked, and went out of commission, though used since then as a hulk. She was patched up suffici ently for this service, after the disaster, and was purchased by a local flour company which renamed the vessel the Thistle. For a little over a year she was moored in Kowloon Bay, as a flour store, unt 11 the company's god owns were completed; and then wes sold to the Chinese Maritime Customs and moored at Taishan (above Chek Wan) as en examine tion station for native craft, this being her permanent postion except when she comes down from time to time to be docked at Hongkong for overhaul. The hulk was brought down not long ago for this purpose, and entered Taikoo Dook. I am indebted for much of the above information to a reader, Mr. H.W. Walker.
I give to-day another old photograph depicting some of the devastation caused by the big typhoon in 1908. It shows the French torpedo-boat Fronde, which was wrecked in the storm with some loss of life. There may be quite a number of readers who are not aware of the fact that a monument has been erected to the memory of these victims: it is an obelisk standing to the east of the Diocesan Girls' School, at the junction of Jordan and Gascoigne Roads. The four
sides of the base have inscriptions in French and in English, two in each language, reading as follows:
"Sacred Tos
"Jean Bonny, Charles Meurio, Rene Derrien, Chief Petty Officers; "Narcisse Bertho, Joseph Nicolas, Petty Officers;
*Of The Torpedo Boat Destroyer Fronde;
"Who Ferished At Hongkong in the Typhoon of 18th September,
1906."
"Erected by the British Community of Hongkong.
Following the rather warm weather of about a week's duration, and the wet spell, the temperature has fallen somewhat end a "colá snap is promised. It is appropriate, therefore, to delve into into the local weather records for material. The Observatory has the dates of the various extremes of temperature, and it is interest- ing to note that frost (32 deg. Fahrenheit) has on at least one occasion been recorded practically at sea-level, Many of us will re- collect reports of frost on the Peak even within the last decade. for exemple in January 1925, when at sea-level the thermometer fell to only 38 - but there is one historic experience that must go on record, the Great Frost of January 1893, when loe formed everywhere, and snow was lying thickly on Taimoshan and Lantau Peak.
One of the best reports ever written onthat occasion was compiled by Mr. Charles Ford, then Superintendent of what was known as the Botenical and Afforestation Department. It was an official report to the Government, and dealt largely with the disastrous effect of the hard frost on the Colony's vegetation (practically everything was killed or injured above 800 feet level).
+
I am obliged to Mr.B. Green for the opportunity of making extracts therefrom, and it is intended to give the main part of the report in two sections.
Mr. Ford wrote this account on February 4, 1893, when events were still fresh in his mind. He said: .
The unprecedented cold weather which the region about Hongkong was recently subjected to calls for some notice to be taken of it by tals department, so far as things with which the department is concerned were affected by the severely low temperature which was experienced, therefore I have the honour to submit a brief report
No comments yet.
Private notes are available after approval.