Sessional_Paper_1907 — Page 127

REPORT OF COMMITTEE APPOINTED TO ENQUIRE WHETHER EARLIER WARNING OF THE TYPHOON OF SEPTEMBER 18TH, 1906, COULD HAVE BEEN GIVEN TO SHIPPING.

Sir HENRY S. BERKELEY, Kt., K.C.,

Lieut. H. BUTTERWORTH, R.N.,

A. B. SKOTTOWE, Esq., Superintendent, Eastern Extension Telegraph Co., Captain A. SOMMERVILLE, Master S.S. Tean,

Committee.

The Committee appointed on the 24th September last, by His Excellency Governor Sir MATTHEW NATHAN, K.C.M.G., to enquire whether earlier warning of the typhoon of the 18th of that month could have been given to shipping, than was actually furnished by the hoisting of the Black Drum about 8 a.m. that day, confining itself strictly to that question, submits for His Excellency's information the following Report

:-

1. The Committee met on the 24th September and on several occasions subsequently.

2. The Committee was not invested with power to compel the attendance of witnesses.

3. An invitation was, through the medium of the Press, addressed to shipmasters and others who might be possessed of information calculated to assist the Committee in its enquiry to impart such information to the Committee, and a like request was made by direct personal invitation to shipmasters and others likely to possess such information.

4. The evidence taken by the Committee together with the documents referred to in the course of such evidence is appended to this Report.

5. On the question referred to it the Committee finds that at 8 a.m. on the 18th Sep- tember an order to hoist the Black Drum, indicating the existence of a typhoon to the east of the Colony within 300 miles, was issued from the Observatory: the barometer then reading 29.604.

At 7.21 (local time) on that morning (18th) the barometer at the Observatory read 29.698. The direction of the wind was NW and the force 3. When the last previous barometrical observation was taken at the Observatory, at 10.21 p.m. on the 17th, the barometer read 29.795, the direction of the wind was E and the force 1.

During the preceding period back to 1 a.m. on the 17th the reading of the barometer varied between 29.855 at 10.21 a.m. and 29.742 at 3.21 p.m.: being the highest and the lowest readings at those hours respectively on that day (17th).

On the 18th September no observations had been received from other stations at the Observatory prior to the hoisting of the Black Drum.

6. On the 17th the Observatory received from the stations named in exhibit D5, includ- ing Shanghai (Sicawei), Gutzlaff, Pescadores, Koshun, Swatow and Manila, the observations therein set out.