1931-06-10 — Page 1

UREAATE

olt, Lid, pkong.

The

Supreme

Hongkong Telegraph

CE. WARREN & CO., LTD.

rogPo 三拜蠱 號十月六港香

1,411

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 10, 1931.

日五廿月四

936 FER ANNUM

Bina2 Cor 10 GENTE -

PESISTANCE

TORT

DUNLOP

The Tyre of Rugy

LOCAL BRANCH.

Padder. Bidy

NEW BRITISH SUBMARINE SUNK OFF WEIHAIWEI.

The gutted first and second storeys of No. 35, Staunton Street. Thirteen people were living on the second floor, and all perished. Two were killed in jumping from the first floor.

LAST NIGHT'S FIRE

DISASTER.

ONLY THREE INMATES ESCAPE ALIVE.

FIREWORKS THE CAUSE OF THE TERRIBLE DEATH-ROLL.

Aggravated by the presence of large quantities of fire- crackers, a fire attended by numerous fatalitica occurred at No. 35, Staunton Street, shortly after nine.o'clock last night.) It was one of the worst conflagrations of its kind, from the point of view of the number of deaths entailed, that has oc- curred in the Colony for some years, and by reason of a grim illustration of cause and effect, has once again brought the question of firecracker storage prominently forward.

To look this morning at the soli. the fact that only three doors tary building involved, with the away from the house in question, ground floor intact and a stock of some joss-function Wha being paper-ware untouched, and its¦actually performed, a little bonfire facade and verandaha still in a being it in the street with joss good state of preservation, one papers. would not have imagined, that n Not until fire had occurred with such inten-occurred and a sheet of Jame alty as to cause the deaths of 15 almost immediately covered the people and injuries to two others. front of the building, was the

11

Hudden flare-up

TWO DEAD AND EIGHTEEN

MISSING.

RAMMED ASTERN BY FORMER

JARDINE STEAMER.

DIVING OPERATIONS FAIL TO LOCATE ILL-FATED CRAFT.

FULL LIST OF VICTIMS.

The magnificent new British submarine, H.M.S. Poseidon, which was commissioned only a year ago, was rammed and sunk by a Chin- ese merchant ship, the s.s. Yuta, off Weihaiwei yesterday afternoon, and, it is feared, twenty members of her crew have perished.

The first official statement of the shocking disaster was issued by the British Admiralty in London last night, stating:

"The Admiralty regrets to announce that information has been re- ceived from the commander-in-chief of the China Station, that the Poseidon has been sunk in a collision with a merchant ship, 21 miles to the north of Weihaiwei, at 12.45 p.m. to-day (Tuesday). H.M.S. Berwick and H.M.S Hermes are on the scene of the disaster.".

Eighteen members of the crew were carried down with the ill-fated sub- marine, and two of those rescued subsequently died of their injuries. Details of the circumstances of the collision are extremely scanty, but it is surmised that the Poseidon was cruising on the surface in a fog and that the presence of the former Jardine steamer was not noticed until it was too late.

The submarine appears to have been rammed aft of the conning tower and sank with appalling rapidity into twenty fathoms of water. Diving operations are being carried out, but according to latest information in local naval circles, the wreck has not yet been located by divers, though bubbles could still be seen rising to the surface at 9 p.m. last night.

The complete list of victims is officially announced ‚ns followspa

MISSING: FEARED DEAD.

Thomas V. Grills, P.D., Portsmouth Division (Married).

, Wm. H. H. Pyke, ERA.3, Chatham ·(Married),

Albert V. Paine, ER.A.2, Portsmouth (Married). George C. Hews, A.B., Devonport (Married). Amos D. Collins, A.B., Devonport (Married), Robert C. Bowers, A.B.Chatham_(Single).. Arthur J. Bagley, Stoker, Chatham (Single), Harold Cliff, Leading Bloker, Devonport (Married). Fred T. S. Pointer, Stoker, Chatham. (Married).

Sydney Shirrocks, Act, Ldg. Stoker, Portsmouth (Married). W. R. Pyne, Stoker, Chatham. (Single), Frank Dowling, Leading Seaman, Chatham, (Married), Robert Balshaw, Stoker, Chatham. ·(Married). Ernest G. Gaines, Lending Stoker, Portsmouth. (Married), William Whitley. Stoker, Chatham, (Single), Fred K. C. Tolliday, A.B., Chatham. (Married), Allen Gray, Stoker, Portsmouth. (Single). C. J. Benumont, Stoker, Devonport. (Single)

DIED.

The ill-fated submarine, H. M. S. Poseidon.

LONELIEST BRITISH

COLONY.

ABANDONMENT IS SUGGESTED.

London, June 9. When asked in the Commons to-

diny whether ihe Government) would consider evacuating the

ROOF COLLAPSES.

SIX BURIED IN DEBRIS.

lonely island of Tristan da Cunha, Hazardous Rescue

neces.

in view of the cost of providing the inhabitants with the saries of life, and the fact that the island was of no commercial

or strategic value, the Under Secretary, for Colonies, Dr. Drum-

Work.

mond Shiels and the question had PEEL ST. MISHAP.

been considered from time to time, but owing to the opposition of the islanders to their removal, it had not been thought desirable! to take any action.

He added that the charge on the) public funds was confined to the provision of occasional steamer) jealls, to carry mails and supplies.

which were paid for by private subscriptions. British Wirelena.

A CHARTER FOR "SKIVVIES.”

BILL TO IMPROVE SERVANT STATUS.

Six Chinese, including three school girls, were buried by debris and had a somewhat sensational escape from fatal injury when the roof of No. 66 Peel Strast collapsed shortly after three o'clock this morning. Two girls

are now in hospital receiving treatment.

The collapse occurred without lany warning, the inmates being Jawakened from their sleep by a noise resembling a loud explo- sion. The accident occurred only some fifty yards from the.. disastrous fire scene in Staunton - Street.

It is taken for granted that the submarine was cruising on the

London, June 9. surface at the time of the mishap: The House of Commons to-day the third floor, the six inmates of The demolished roof fell into rwise the tragedy would have granted a private member leave to which comprising been greater. The majority of the introduce a Domestic Service Bill, three school girls and a lad of two amals. rpened men must have been in the with the object of setting up a about ten years, conning tower or on the

were burled narrow Commission of five members, of boneuth debris. deck of the vessel when the colli whom the Chairman and two

The premises

sion occurred, and must have been others would be women, to review were occupied by a tenant con- thrown into the water when the comprehensively the conditions of and Immediately after the accident [nocted with the Sincere Company craft plunged to hor doom.

eighteen ratings went down with their ship,

Splendid rescue work was carried employment of Domestic Servants his relatives, who resided on the out by craft in the vicinity, but and to improve the status of the ground floor, made an attempt

occupation,

to gain an exit by the door, but It was claimed that the measure falted. would be in the interests of the servants and their mistrosses, and that the Commission could draw Diving operations are being car-up a charter making general such The police and Fire Brigade, ried out, but although bubbles could standard of work and wages as with

No Hope for Missing.

Door Locked.

members of the St. John

he observed rising on the water existed among good employers. Ambulance Brigade, who were en- jat ́9 p.m. last night, the wreck has British. Wirelem.

four!

not yet been found by divers. The Poseidon la lying in about: twenty fathoms of water, over a

DEATH OF MR. WM. F. DENNING.

A. J. Lavock, A.B., Chatham. (Married). Albert R. Winter, Stoker, Chatham. (Married). The Poseidon was one of position realised. It was only

Bri-the scene of the collision, Only One Escapes Unhurt, then also that the people living tain's latest and largest ocean-more ratings had been picked up hundred feet. It is upt consider

ane exception, the next door or in the immediate going submarines. She WAB a This was confirmed in further and injured ropresent-vicinity realised their danger. vessel of 1670 tons, on the surface, despatches, revealing that the sured possible that any of the missing

mon will be rescued. nad of 2,040 tona when submerged;|vivors' totalled & officers and Escape Cut OF.

her spoed was Afteen knots. and men, of whom one is reported to) Most of the victims are married;

men, she carried oue 4-inch gun, the be in a critical condition.

and belonged either the torpedo staff or to the engine un-platform being armour-plated,

room stuff.

Yet, with doad

ed the whole number of people who were in the build- Ing at the time.

The excep-

One man living on the top Hoor tion referred to is a 60-year-old of an adjoining bullding sought cripple, Weng Yat-chuu, who was escupe through a trap door in the himself rescued while his two roof, but found himself

as well as eight torpedo tubes. Like all her sister-ships of the driven class who was laid down under

of the

36.

Many Ships Search.

Soon after the accident, the

II.M.S.

The Yuta.

to

gaged at the near-by fire, heard the alarm given from Peet Street and rushed to the scene without delay. The, Brigade, under the direction of Mr. H. T. Brooks, which had had an exceedingly busy time at the fire, brought The deuth has occurred of Mr. along their ambulance, but as the Willian Frederick Denning, noted door leading to the second and accountant and amateur astrono-third floors was locked from the mer. He was the discoverer of inside, the only avenue of rescue five comets.--Reuter, ·

(Continued on Page 12.)

London, June 10.

Shanghai to Bridge Whangpoo

Tentative Agreement Reached With German Constructors.

(Our Own Correspondent.)

young daughters perished in the back by spears of flame which had the 1927-28 programme and com-Hermes and Berwick were joined flames.

already begun to shoot through picted in 1929. She was commis- in the search by the submarine The s.s. Yuta (ex Yuan Sang); The building is of the older type the roof of No. 36.

which rammed the submarine, is a Medway, aloned at Barrow where she was parent-ship, of Chinese shop-tenements. meu- suring only 15 feet by 30, served by showing the suddonness

All these detalls are by way of built, on March 20, 1936, and join.M.S. Cumberland, the destroyer vessel of 1,753 tons, built in 1889 wooden staircase without any fire catastrophe, which, aggravated by on the China Station on February and the tug, St. Brenock.

ed the Fourth Submarine Flotilin Stormcloud, the sloop Marazion,for Messrs. Jardine Matheson, by Half and Russell at Aberdeen. She protection at all. A paint which the presence, of firecrackers, 28 Inat.

Of the cause and circumstances was sold to a Chinese shipping will doubtless in due course re- within less than five minutes

Rescued Offeera, .... of the mishap, very little is at company some little time ago, and ceive the full attention of the nu-transformed, the house into a

present known. The s.8. Yuta,is skippered by Captain J. Yol Shi. thorities is that in the middle of holocaust from which there was She was commanded by Lieuten- which was formerly the as. Yuen She is 200 feet long. Her the three storeys, which also no escape.

ant Commander B. W. Galpin, her Sang, and belonged to Mesara, owners are the Halchang S.S. Com. served as a living floor, was stock-) With flames belching from the other officers being Lieutenante Jardine Matheson and Company, pany of Shanghai. Thero la no in: ad an anormous quantity of fre-building, and the only means of C. W. Greening. N. W. Fisher, and left Shanghai on Sunday last with formation regarding damage sulfer- crackers which accidentally be-escape through the wooden stair-R. T. Shaw and Commissioned En-Newchwang as hor destination.

Few details are available at the ed by her in the mishap.

moment, but it is understood that camo ignited and caused the in-case cut off, the fate of those ginger W. C. Richards. All the tonse fire and suffocating gna from within was sealed. From 9.20 to officers, have been saved.

Dense Fog Surmised.

Unlucky Craft.

Shanghai, June 10,

the contract provides for the completion of the bridge within a which the numerous deaths result-9.40. p.m. was the period of the First reports of the

Shanghai some two years, iragedy She had just turned the dan- It is pointed out that the "P" | ed.

perlod of two years, at a cost ap- firo's greatest intensity, and until stated that of her total

hence will have its first comple-gorous Shantung Peninsula Point class submarines have been extra- the first water-jet was brought ment of five officers and 48 men, when the accident occurred. It is ordinarily unluckly. The Pandora

bridge across the Whangpoo.

proximately of G.$1,000,000. Sheet of Flame,

The bridge will be about 1,200 into play, the detonation of fire-(only five officars and 26 men had believed that a dense fog made and the Proteus collided outaldo

The authorities of Greater By a coincidence, a Telegraph crackers continued, benting #

for, but leaving 22 unaccounted navigation diffeult, and that the Gibraltar Straits on their way to Shanghai yesterday approved a leat long and will crass the river. representative was passing the veritable tattoo to the death and for, but later messages from the Poseidon, which was returning to the Far East, and the Proteus, we tentative agreement for the con- 18hp beyond the French Conis

cession. The plans provide for a house at the time the outbreak destruction.

C.I.C. atated that two ratings had Weihaiwel after morning exercises, are informed, had narrow escape struction of a steel bridge across breadth of 46 feet, giving ** space since died, and that eighteen rat-was heavily rammed aft of in the harbour a short while ago, the River from Tungkadoo in for tram tracks in the middle and the street and in neighbouring

ings wore missing.

the conning-tower.

a collision with a Japanese steamer Pootung to the Shanghai side." pathways for pedestrians... houses, gained one, of two im- Early on, four women and girls

Four More Saveit.

In that event, the engine-room being just avoided. It is also stat The agreement has been drawn · There will be ample room fori prossions ofther that a marriage mado à desperate bid for safety.

would have been flooded almost of that another of the class bad an up ready for signature it la un ordinary vehicular traino and it in. was in progress or that a Buddhist Finding escape by way of the This led to a supposition that immediately, thus accounting for accident at Taikoo Dock, where derstood. In the form of a con- anticipated that the construc festival was being celebrated in staircase Impossible, they threw in the painstaking search carried the loss of so many men of the aho was being hoisted up a slip, tract between the Chinese author of the bridge willmmeal the customary manner. This lat-themselves into the street from out by H.M.8. Hermes and H.M.. engine-room and electrical torpedo Something, rave way and the sub-ties and a firm of German bridge sult in considera) ter assumption was heightened by}{ (Continued from Page 4.) Berwick, both of which were on staff,

(Continued on Page 12.) * [constructors. -

occurred and with many others in

Leap to Life.

on the Footüng

A