Sessional_Paper_1908 — Page 671

551

PARTICULARS of Private PROPERTY DAMAGED BY RAINSTORMS OF

18-25TH JULY OR BY TYPHOON OF 27-28TH JULY, 1908.

Damage due to Rainstorms of 18-25th July when 16.20 inches of rain fell.

Location.or description of property.

No 26 Leighton Hill Road.

"

Beaconsfield "-temporarily oc- cupied by Registrar General's Office and Sanitary Dept.

Nos. 72-74 Bonham Strand West

-Kitchens collapsed.

Rural Building Lot 6-Gough

Hill Road.

No. 87 Stone Nullah Lanc.

"Abertholwyn ", Peak Rond and

May Road.

Particulars with reference to Collapse.

The Verandah in front of No. 26 collapsed about 4 a.m., July 26th, no one injured. No apparent cause for collapse.

The retaining wall to the East of "Beaconsfield"

collapsed shortly after midnight on the 25th of July. No one was injured. The collapse was apparently owing to the soil having got thoroughly saturated owing either to drain leakages, or defects in paving. The wall itself appeared to be very badly constructed at this point.

The Kitchen roof North, and West wall of No. 72 collapsel prior to Typhoon, on the 27th July. No one injured. Cause of collapse defective walling, building was an old one.

A portion of the retaining wall of the Tennis Ground on Rural Builling Lot 6 abutting on Gough Hill Road collapsed on July 24th. The collapse was caused by the heavy rain getting behind the wall. A portion of the end wall and roof collapsed here on the 24th July. No one injured. The wall was defective and gave way, causing the roof to collapse. Large portions of the retaining walls in front and in the rear of this house fell. Some of these blocked May Rond for a length of about 50 feet and demolished about 40 feet of the Government boundary wall be- tween May Road and Clovelly". No one was injured. Large masses of earth fell with the retain- ing walls.

DAMAGE DUE TO TYPHOON OF 27-28TH JULY.

Location or description of property.

Nos. 40-42 Market Street, Hung-

hom.

Nos. 62, 64 and 66 Kowloon

City Road.

Nos. 36, 38 and 40 Portland

Street, Mong Kok.

Nos. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8 Fook Shing Lane, Yaumati,

Particulars with reference to Collapse.

No one

The rear walls on the first floors collapsed.

injured. These are old buildings and the walls were in a defective condition.

The roofs, party walls and West flank wall collapsed. These were old stone buildings with very defective walls.

The flank, party walls and roofs of these houses col- lapsed on the 28th. A considerable loss of life occurred. Cause of collapse, defective walling- the buildings had been tied together previously with iron tie rods.

The whole of the & houses were practically demolished with the exception of the kitchens. A considerable loss of life occurred. These houses were old ones and, as they occupy a sheltered position, the collapse must be ascribed to the defective condition of the buildings.