166
THE HONGKONG WEEKLY PRESS AND
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So far no water appears on the plains on this side of the river.
On Sunday last, August 9th, the rainfall in Tientsin registered 2,224 inches.-Peking and Tientsin Times.
AN ADVENTUROUS VOYAGE,
ACROSS THE PACIFIC IN A 22 FT. BOAT. Yokohama, 10th August. Captain Ridderbjelke, who was two years ago in command of the sealing schooner Worlock, this afternoon commenced his long talked-of voyage across the Pacific in a boat 22 feet long, 2 ft. 6 in. deep, and 5 ft. 7 in. beam, He will first visit the Kurile Islands and He has two com- then make for Victoria. panions.
11th August.
August 27
fight for liberty. The she Hongkong Hotel Company, I Friday, and the shareholders in and Whampoa Dock Company. Limi their half yearly meeting on Monday.
There were 2,140 visitors to the City Hall Museum last week, of whom 294 were Euro. peans.
$
On the 19th August a special bonus of $25 each was presented to. ten Chinese interpreter special work performed during the plague epi- demic this year.
It is notiled that H.E. the Governor has given his assent in the name and on behalf of the Queen to the Sale of Foods and Drugs Or dinance.
It is notified in the Gazette that Dr. P. B. C. Ayres, C.M.G., has been appointed Vice Presi- dent of the Sanitary Board from this date, 24th August.
From noon on Saturday the 15th inst. to noon last Saturday there were seven cases of plague. Five of the patients belonged to the Hongkong Regiment.
Shortly before twelve o'clock on Friday night a cornice on the top storey of Messrs. A. 8. Watson & Co's. Dispensary fell down. No one was injured. Dry rot or white ants caused the collapse.
afterwards went about, Captain H. M. Sommer and the officers of the Oopack thinking that she was in distress herself. Everything possible. Boats arriving here from Peking and other was then done, the heavy seas in erfering greatly places north have made a bee-line for Tientsin, with the work, but by the time this port simply crossing the river where it has laid in was reached, at about 4 pm., the con-
their course. The low roads in the country flagration was practically got under, and round Tong-shan and Shữn-hai-kuan are flooded as she steamed up the harbour nothing and have now become rivers; but no grave unusual was to be observed in her ap-fears need be entertained for the crops, as the pearance. Captain Sommer is loud in praise natural elevation of the land will soon run the of the manner in which his efforts were seconded water off. by his officers and crew, and a brief inspection of the scene of the fire is sufficient to show the danger which the vessel has passed through. The mass of charred cotton and cotton seed in- terspersed with pieces of packing cases, and parts of machinery intermingled in chaotic con- fusion, go to show not only the extent of the fire, but the terrible knocking about the ship has had. Several of the heavy iron stanchions sup- porting the deck above have been carried away, one of about 4 inches in diameter having been snapped through. Apparently this was done by a number of heavy hoiler plates which were con signed to the Mitsu Bishi Company here. The damage done to the cargo is mostly confined to the cotton and cotton seed, while some cases of cotton spinning machinery for Osaka have been greatly damaged, and their contents scattered As reported in our last issue, Captain Rid- about the hold. With the exception of the derbjelke, with two companions, left Yokohama
On Saturday afternoon Mr. F. Remedios, who broken stanchions above mentioned, little in a small boat yesterday with the object of was for many years clerk in the firm of Messrs. damage has been done to the ship, and we under-crossing the Paoific. It is now three years Wotton and Deacon fell in Shelley Street and stand that she will leave for Kobe to-morrow since Captain Ridderbjelke began to make pre-hurt his spine. It is not expected that he will ́or the day following. As an instance of the parations for his intended voyage; the first
order prevailing on board the vessel, it may be
summer he was almost ready to start when mentioned that when she was boarded by the
means failed and the expedition had to be Custom House officers the usual routine postponed. Last year again fate was against was gone through and they were just about to him: struggle as he might, no headway he finally abandoned the attempt for that year and sailed to the Coral Islands in the South Seas. This year he has been more fortunate, and is now off on his perilous voyage. His boat, the Nadjeska, formerly belonging to the German ship Schlie- mann, lost a few years ago on Vries Island, has the shape of a whale boat; is 22 feet in length and 5 feet 7 inches beam; is decked over, with a rather large scuttle amidships, where the berths are for Captain Ridderbjelke and his two companions-rather cramped-up quarters. She is rigged as a yawl with mainsail, jib, and jigger. A large Japanese scull is secured on the deck, with which she will be propelled in calm weather. For stormy weather off shore a drag will be used. Many ingenions contrivances are adjusted about the boat for utilizing space and tanks are secured under the deck on each side, for the protection of life. Several air-tight
so that she cannot sink, even if she should un-
seal
np
was made, the No. 2 hatch when they were told that a fire had been burning below all day. That hatch was not sealed up. It is not known how the fire originated, as the cotton was perfectly dry when shipped. Among hero aq cargo we note that the vessel has brought out the keel-plates for the large new steamer to be built shortly by the Mitsu Bishi Company at Tategami.-Nagasaki Shipping List.
THE PHI-HO RIVER.
Tientsin, 15th August. Hearing rumours, supposed to emanate from the “oldest inhabitants, that the river
Pei-ho is four or five inches higher than it has ever been, and that the current is running two or three knots faster," we are able to furnish, through the courtesy of the Harbour Master,
ВО
recover.
*
The Hon. Treasurer of the. Alice Memorial and Nethersole Hospitals begs to acknowledge with thanks the following donation to the fands of the Hospitals:-
Ho Ngok Lan
Fruit and Vegetable Guilds Lum Sui Cho..
$50 50
10
The Secretary of the Chamber of Commerce writes us-This Chamber is informed by the Colonial Secretary that the following telegram has been received from H.B.M.'s Consul Amoy" Amoy is now free from plague."
Some commotion was caused in Wellington Street on Monday afternoon when a child fell from a house verandah to the pavement: The little one was taken to the hospital, but it is feared that she will succumb to her injuries.
A little girl living in Po Yan Street upset a kerosine lamp on Monday night and was so severely burnt that she died in the Tung Wah Hospital a few hours later. Hier mother was slightly burnt in endeavouring to extinguish the flames.
Mr. Susemihl, and others, all taken from correct | fortunately happen to fill with water. Five useful" Tourists' Map of Hongkong," in which
records, the river's actual height since 1891,
and its fastest current since 1892.
The following figures were taken from the fixed tide guage, in the river opposite the Har. bour Master's office, where its readings are
taken and registered every two hours night and day (we do not mean that these figures show the depth of the river at any time, but that they simply record its rise and fall from the guage fixed to the Bunding). The strength of the current is determined by the usual, though old- fashioned, reel log and sand-glass, from a boat
anchored in mid-stream.
Year. Month.
1891, August 1892, September
Highest Fastest
water.
ft. in.
current.
10 4 No record.
15 5 3. 3 knots. 15 9 3.8 15 10 5. 2
13 4 4. 1 15 10 4. 5
11
"?
1893, July 1894, August 1895, September 1896, August 14th The bed of the river in the upper reaches is scouring out so rapidly that steamers are al- most certain to be able to reach the Bund in three or four weeks' time; alongside the Mo- nocacy there is twenty feet of water. whereas a few weeks ago she was aground. These
events we all welcome.
No accurate information is to hand as to where the river has burst its banks, excepting the bight of the Tientsin bend, which has a breach of about three hundred yards, conse- quently the water is pouring into the country and devastating the fine crops for miles. The tug Ewo and lighter Shamrock are safely stowed away in a field of Kao-liang below this breach, having been driven there by the rush of water.
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Mr. R. C. Furley has just published a very
the roads and footpaths are clearly marked Descriptions of various walks are given and a short vocabulary to facilitate communication
thousand miles and more will have to be traversed before the voyage is ended, and a man undertaking it must be bold almost to foolhardiness. Captain Ridderbjelke. has intends to take, but will probably follow tenant Gunji up to the Kuriles and thence the course taken a few years ago by Lien- across to Alaska. Captain Ridderbjelke will enter the rostrum as a lecturer when he arrives interesting to tell of an experience so unique if at San Francisco, and should have something
he gets safely across. There are sceptics, how- ever, who jeer at the whole expedition, and predict a speedy return of Captain Ridder bjelke, with or without the Nadjeska.-Japan Gazette.
with the natives. been rather reticent about the route he
HONGKONG,
There has been much that was interesting in the local events during the past week. In the legal line an important decision was given at the Magistracy respecting opium divans, and at the Supreme Court the Sanitary Board was mulcted in damages to the extent of $500 for exceeding their powers to enter premises. A Gymkhana meeting was held on Saturday and the Rifle Brigade celebrated their 96th birthday on Tuesday by holding sports, which were followed in the evening by a most success ful concert. A shooting party from Hong- kong had a very rough experience on the mainland on Sunday, and the attention of the Chinese officials will in all probability be called to the outrageous conduct of over sixty natives, with whom the party had to
With regard to the sale of the properties of Olivers Mines Limited, and the New Balmoral by Messrs. John D. Humphreys & Son on Gold Mining Co., Limited, a telegram was sent *** Wednesday to the mines manager asking when the expert was expected at the mines. The reply received reads " Early next week.
93
Mr. R. C. Wilcox, Secretary of the Honge kong General Chamber of Commerce, informs → us that according to a letter from H. B. M 6- Consul at Swatow, a copy of which has been courteously forwarded to the Chamber by the Colonial Secretary, the quarantine lately im- posed upon passenger ships from Swatow-hai been removed.
and
The steamer Gloucester City, which at Singapore on the 18th August from was, we learn from the Straits Times, ordered into dock by Lloyd's surveyor. It appears that in her voyage she touched a sunken wreck had the further misfortune of going ashore at Roumania Point, near the Horsburgh Light The injuries sustained, however, are not sup posed to be serious.
Our Anjer correspondent writes The Ger- man ship Freiburg from New York and bound to Hongkong, when off the Cape of Good Hope encountered very severe weather an Ethe planks on her port quarter damaged. board split, sbulwar galleries jed away butts sho
much dama
damaged straining, and had
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