Sessional_Paper_1893 — Page 488

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The current running down the China Coasts from the Yellow Sea at this time of year was certainly much increased by the strong NNE winds prevailing along the East Coast.

The following are some observations for October 11th not included in the detailed observations :

Bolinao, Kiukiang, Ichang,

COAST STATIONS.

233

C.

b.

JÄÄ

.29.81 +10 .30.05 + .03 .01 + .01

var.

NE

var.

1

b.

VESSELS.

Sch. Santa Cruz,

16°

S.S. Taksang,

16° 36′

1279 118° 12'

Catherine Apcar,

.10 55

>>

Bombay,

Activ,

21 3 21 39

110 21 113 52 112 58

29.92

WNW NNE

.82 .88

N by W NNW

0 10 10 4

4 b.

""

9 a.

3 b.

sea smooth.

high sea. moderate sea. swell.

During the early morning of the 11th October the centre continued advancing northward, its rate of motion being accelerated at this time. The wind at Fisher Island and Anping was decreasing in force and backing, but at the former station it continued to blow a whole gale from the NW until 5 a. with rain, the centre being at 5 a. 90 miles to the NE of the station. At noon there was a moderate WNW gale with light rain and barometer rising rapidly. At Anping the wind force decreased after midnight of the 9th and blew only a moderate to strong breeze from N for 3 hours.

At 4 a. 10th it freshened again from NW and blew a strong gale decreasing and backing to WNW force 7 at The weather was wet and the barometer rising. At Turnabout the barometer was almost steady during the early morning of the 10th, but there it was blowing with typhoon force from N until 3 a. (centre 90 miles SSE) when it decreased a little. Between 6 a. and noon the barometer was rising and the wind was between N and NNW the force having decreased to 10 at the latter hour. Drizzling rain fell occasionally. From the observations made on board the Fokien at anchor at Tamsui it is seen that the barometer fell sharply until 5 a. 10th with wind increasing and veering after midnight of the 9th. It blew a whole gale from E at 4 a. and from ESE at 5 a. (barometer 29.37 lowest) with squalls of typhoon force. The barometer rose quickly between 5 a. and 8 a. and the wind continued veering and moderating. At noon it was from W force 5. Heavy rain was falling The typhoon had now commenced to move towards the NE. After noon the barometer rose very rapidly and the wind became NW and N a moderate breeze with less rain. The centre was 35 miles SW W of Tamsui at 6 a. and 40 miles to the north of the station at noon.

The weather experienced in other districts on the 11th October was as follows:-At South Cape a fresh gale from WSW with rain during the early morning and rising barometer. During the remainder of the day a moderate to fresh gale chiefly from WNW prevailed at this station with clouded sky, but the barometer did not rise so quickly as at the other stations in the vicinity. In fact the readings were between one and two tenths lower during the evening than those of Anping and Fisher Island, the cause of which may be ascribed to first the usual gradient prevailing at this season of the year (to which the prevalence and force of the N wind was due) and secondly to the fact that. owing to the mountain chain running N and S through Formosa, the air is penned in at those places which have the mountains to the E of them and this caused the air pressure to be higher than at freely exposed stations. For a similar reason the air-pressure on the East Coast of Formosa where there are no stations must have been deficient while at S Cape the air is free to escape and for this reason also the wind is deflected towards the W at the latter station.

On the SE coast to the S of Amoy gentle to fresh N and NW breezes blew with rapidly rising barometer and cloudy sky. At Chapel Island the wind backed through W to SW a fresh to moderate breeze with occasional drizzling rain and rising barometer during the morning. A N backing and decreasing gale was felt at Middle Dog. On the East Coast the barometer was falling, but not quickly, the weather was wet and strong breezes to fresh gales were blowing chiefly from NE. Along the Yangtze light to moderate NE breezes prevailed with very fine weather and barometer almost steady.

Vessels at sea on October 11th experienced the following weather :---

In the China Sea ordinary fresh NE monsoon weather prevailed with N swell. Those vessels (Protos, Fasana, Nanchang) off the coast between Hongkong and Lamocks had moderate to strong N and NW breezes and cloudy weather.

The Phra Nang still hove to had during the early morning the wind from NW force 11 decreasing with rising barometer. At 10 a. she proceeded the wind gradually decreasing in force. Towards evening she had moderate breezes from NW.

The Ly-ee-mun and Formosa, at shelter in the neighbourhood of Haitan Straits, had N gales backing and decreasing after noon with wet weather and rising barometer. The vessels were about 100 miles West of the centre at noon.

The Cyclops, at shelter under the White Dogs, had a whole N gale decreasing during the early morning and at 8 a. she proceeded for Foochow.

She had then a strong

The Empress of Japan was about 40 miles WNW of the centre at noon.

NNE gale with rising barometer and very high sea. She was steering northwards and at midnight had a strong NNW gale.