September 26, 1895.]
afternoon nothing had been seen or heard of either the second officer or his men. Later, the third officer was despatched in one of the ship's boats, and he was more successful. He got across the gulf to Sagami in safety, there sent off a telegram to Yokohama, and then resumed his long, weary perilous pull to the sister port in the north. On his way there, and when some distance inside Saratoga Spit (in other words, comparatively close to the lightship two and a half miles from Yokohama) the Empress of Japan bore down upon him and took him, his crew, and his boat on board and conveyed them all to their ship the ill intelligence having, Captain Lee knew only too well, been received at the O. & O. office at Yokohama.
46
On arriving in the vicinity Captain Lee sent a letter to Captain W. H. Walker of the Belgic, offering assistance and expressing his intention to remain by the stranded vessel until told that assistance was not required." After a time a signal was run up thanking the Empress packet and saying that her help was not necessary, or something to that effect. The Em press shortly afterwards came on to this port, where she arrived at 0.30, say 24 hours from Yokohama harbour inclusive of stoppages. The passengers were still standing by the steamer yesterday afternoon and so far as could be discerned with the help of glasses, they were in temporary tents on shore. The O. & 0. agent, Mr. B. C. Howard, and others have proceeded to the scene of the disaster and the steamer Amaranth was despatched from Yoko- hama yesterday to render what assistance might be found necessary. I have only to add that the good old ship appears to have gone on shore stem first at good speed, that an anchor was thrown out on the port bow and that subsequently she swung round broadside on, with her stern to- wards Mela Ledge. Let us hope. that before these lines are in type, a telegram will have ad- vised the successful re-floating of this valuable mail boat. The City of Tokyo, North China readers will doubtless remember, left her bones on the opposite shores of the same gulf.
Mr. Van Buren, Agent of the O. & O. Com- pany, informs us that he has received the follow- ing despatch from the Company's Agent at Yokohama There were heavy breakers last night (16th). The Belgic has water in Nos. 1 and 2 holds. The cargo is still on board.”
FLOGGING AT VICTORIA GAOL,
On Monday the Chinaman who was sentenced at the last Criminal Sessions to eight years' im- prisonment and two floggings of twenty-five strokes each with the rattan, underwent the first
to
portion of the corporal punishment at the gaol. His offence will be remembered as being an exceptionally serious one and he was within an ace of being tried for murder. He merciless ly hacked a woman and her daughter with a chopper, and then had the audacity to assert that it was was not he but the father who had inflicted the injuries. Fortunately in Hongkong we have an Ordinance which empowers the judge to order a flogging in cases of this violent nature, and Sir Fielding Clarke never swerves from his duty when an opportunity Caffords for giving effect to the Ordinance. In this colony it is absolutely necessary in order that there shall be a proper control of the hundreds of criminal Chinese,
have more stringent and powerful laws than those in England to strengthen the hands of the ad- ministrators of justice. Everyone knows what terror was struck into the minds of the "High Rip Gang" when Mr. Justice Field, at Liver pool, some years ago, ordered the flogging with the cat-o'-nine tails of many members of this murderous gang. The crime of garotting, which was before so prevalent, almost died out. And so in Hongkong the rougher element of the Chinese inhabitants must be made to know what punishment awaits them for acts of violence. The prisoner flogged yesterday will not, it is quite safe to say, ever forget the birching he received. He was bound hand and foot to the triangular "horse," and his flesh having been bared, a strong, large-limbed warder took a pliant rattan from a heap of sticks lying on the floor, set his feet firmly on the ground, took careful aim, and then brought the stick down with a heavy whack on to that
CHINA OVERLAND TRADE REPORT..
part of the culprit's anatomy which it is im- perative that he should use when sitting on a chair. In a corner three yards away three pri- soners were squatting who took a great personal interest in the proceedings. They had been guilty of gross misconduct in the gaol and were waiting for their just share of the rattan. The prisoner in hand howled at every stroke; he evidently felt the sting of the stick; his muscles visibly contracted and large weals came out every time it was brought down. Two warders inflicted the punishment, and at the completion of the twenty-five strokes the prisoner was released from the horse. He was almost powerless to walk and was evidently in excruciat- ing agony. It was a deserved lesson for him, and between now and the next flogging he will be able to silently reflect on the power of the English law, and to look forward with no great relish to his second dose of whipping. The other pri- soners were then whipped one by one. Two had half a dozen strokes each and the other, who had been whipped before, twelve strokes. This man's flesh was slightly lacerated, and he will probably have to lie on his stomach for the next two weeks. One of the other men took his punishment in a very matter of fact way. He neither howled nor flinched not a muscle moved, and when all was over he put up his pants without a murmur, and walked unconcernedly away. His pachydermatous hide certainly wanted a little toning down; he might have been a log of wood for all the effect the thrashing had upon him. During the whole time the Hon. A. M. Thomson, Acting Superintendent, and Dr. Marques were present to see that the flogging was properly administered There can be no doubt that it was, and it would not be a waste. of time if the Kowloon City lictors were given a lesson in the art of flogging from the warders at the gaol..
TYPHOON EXPERIENCES.
H.M.8.1 PEACOCK IN A TYPHOON.
235
the extent of the damage, and the men them- selves had many of their personal effects completely spoiled. Rust was everywhere; hinges and locks had been wrenched away; the table in the ward room broke from its fastening and was turned upside down; in fact, there was scarcely anything on the ship that had escaped the fury of the storm." The experience was one which the officers and men will never forget, and they have good cause to be thankful that they reached Hongkong in safety. It is really extraordinary that not a single man was injured.
THE JACOB CHRISTENSEN."
The Jacob Christensen, from Moji, also en- countered the typhoon, and she entered Hong- kong on Saturday with a strong list to port, her cargo having been shifted. or two days and three nights the captain remained on the bridge, and his experience was a particularly trying one. When abreast of Ockseu Island, early on Wednesday morning the storm came over them, and for two days the boat was in great peril. Heavy seas swept over the vessel from stem to stern, and the water rushed into the engine room, stoke hole, and other compartments. The fire of the port boiler was extingnished, the cargo was rolled over to the port side, and two boats were smashed and lost. The sea was so rough that it was impossible to see the forecastle head from the bridge, and the steering was accom. plished only with the greatest of difficulty. Fortunately no one was injured,
THE "THALES.'
day from Tainanfu via Amoy and Swatów. The Douglas steamer Thales arrived yester-
She makes the following interesting report wards noon a fresh northerly wind sprang up The morning of the 18th broke fair, but to- and the barometer commenced to fall quickly. So at 2.20 p.m. we left in a hurry, Captain Bathurst being anxious to get into shelter in the Pescadores before the full force of the storm came on. · Wind and sea increased fast towards evening and as darkness came on and we could not pick up East Island Captain Bathurst- deemed it advisable to stand to the southward and heave to; this we did. Barometer continned to fall and wind and sea to increase, the ship doing so broke three of the after boats and bent pitching and rolling about tremendously and in
the davits, one boat being landed on the saloon house. Lowest reading of the barometer 29,05 at 1.45 a.m. 19th. Wind blew fiercest from 1 to 3 a.m., about N.N.W. At 3 a.m. wind and rain moderated a little and hauled to N.E., veer- ing to S.E. At daylight no land in sight, strong northerly wind with heavy confused ses. a.m., made. East Island, and thence to Amoy
9
up to Amoy on following morning. H.M.S. p.m., anchored below Kulangsu and steamed Pique and Peacock were to the southward of the Pescadores during the typhoon. While in Amoy Captain Bathurst was informed that the Victoria and China were caught in the typhoon between Swatow and Amoy off the Brothers and experienced very bad weather. Left Amoy on the 20th, thence to Swatow strong N.E. winds and fine weather. Left Swatow 4.20 p.m.; thence to Hongkong moderate N.E. wind and fine. Arrived at Hongkong at 7.30a.m. on the 22nd.
AN EVENTFUL VOYAGE. The gunboat Peacock arrived in Hongkong ally severe typhoon, which resulted in the on Saturday after encountering an exception-
vessel meeting with much damage. She left Amoy for Auping last Monday and arrived there on Wednesday morning, the voyage being rather a rough one. In the afternoon the baro- meter fell very low and there was every indica- tion of a coming typhoon, so the Peacock left the port to escape it. At six o'clock the wind blew with considerable force, and as the centre was approaching Captain Laxton decided to hurry away to the south-west. At night the wind increased in force, the sea became rougher, the hatches were battened down, and every pre- paration made to contend with a heavy storm. The boat was tossed about like a log of wood, but she behaved admirably, and wave after wave dashed with terrific force over the whole vessel, Most of the water ran out again through the wash ports, but time after time it broke into the engine room, and great fears were enter- tained that the fires would be extinguished; in- deed if the water had risen another foot this calamity would have happened. The store room was deluged; the ward room was three feet deep in water; the sailing sheets were torn into shreds; the main gaff was blown down on to the deck; the gun flap on the port side was smashed; the whaler and then the officers' private skiff were carried away; at times the quarter deck was A Chinese fortune teller is lying at the was almost flush with water; the steam launch was Government Civil Hospital suffering from a swept from her hangings and fell on the funnel fractured skull, and his condition is very cri- guy, sustaining damage to her bottom; the tical. The case is rather a curious one. Four binnacle compass was washed down, and then to days ago Sergeant Scott, of Yaumati, was complete this list of events all the lights were taking exercise by throwing a heavy stone on extinguished. For twenty minutes it was im- some turf near the roadway. He was pre- possible to see the compass on the bridge for paring for a throw when he slipped and the want of light, and the only place where the stone came in violent contact with the head of lamps could be re-lighted was the armour room, the fortune teller. The injured man was dazed It may well be imagined what an anxious time for a short time, but he did not complain of every man passed through, but the crew main-serious ill effects until two days later, when he tained a cool attitude, which is characteristic of had a severe pain in the head. He was taken the British seaman. The boat was in the storm to the Government Civil Hospital, where it was for twelve hours altogether, and there were found that his skull was fractured, and it is moments when there was every likelihood of the questionable whether he will live. It is cer vessel succumbing to the fierce elements. When tainly very extraordinary that the man should she arrived in harbour she was in a state of top have been able to walk about for two days with sey-turvydom. It is impossible to estimate a fractured skull.
REMARKABLE ACCIDENT.
20th September
No comments yet.
Private notes are available after approval.