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"THE HONGKONG WEEKLY PRESS AND
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The damage done to gardens and plantations is very great. All the young plants and seedlings have been torn out by the wind: the bamboos have been stripped of their leaves and together with prostrate plaintains cumber the paths. The telegraph and telephono wires were nearly all blown down, several iron posts were snapped off lika brittle sticks, and it will take some time to restore the telophone line to order.
way
[November 17, 1900.
Hun-
wrecked and the dead bodies of several of those who were on board were found on the beach. One of these junks had a cargo of oil, etc., valued at between $6,000 or $8,000. dreds of coolies gathered round the wreckage, and the police arrested several whom they found stealing tins of oil. etc. At Kennedytown the Tung Wah Hospital mat-sheds on the foreshore were broken up, and the mat-sheds covering the War Department's coal heaps also came to grief, the new Police Station close by being also considerably damaged. Sergeant Ritchie and the constable who is stationed there with him expected the building to come down every moment. A portion of the China Merchant's Wharf has gone entirely and the Canton Wharf is also wrecked. Near the Sailors' Home and on the upper roads trees were uprooted and all the streets were littered debris, bricks, tiles, and signposts flying about in Д manner which rendered it dangerous to go along the streets.
roofs, windows, and verandahs in some cases all caught the full strength of the gale and suffered | role. Kennedytown seems to have caught being damaged. The Chalet and Dunford on severely, a great portion of the roof of the it first. When Sergeant Sim went out this occasion got off with very little damago western house being completely carried away there at ten o'clock on Friday night the road- beyond the loss of plaster and the inrush of and a good deal of other damage done.
was covered with water. On going water through some of the windows and the roof. The covering of the seat at Magazine Gap was down stairs at No. 7 Police Station, opposite tho The old timber houses known as Stokes's Bun- torn off bodily and swept away down the Sailors' Home, Inspector Baker found the charge galows escaped all harm, and Dunottar sustain-hill sido. At Highclere, the residence of room crowded with affrighted Chinese who had ed little damage beyond the destruction of some Mr. T. F. Hongh, the typhoon exercised como to the station for shelter. About an of the venetians and the smashing of a number its fury to the fullest extent, and mado the hour after this a boatman called and reported
panes of glass. The roof of the Police Station
most complete wreck. The house is a good that while he and his six fokis were passing the at Mount Gough was partially stripped off. deal oxposed, and always suffers in a gale. This ruins of the Chap Yik Godown the walls Stewart Terrace would have got off cheaply, time the storm tore off the roof, and the torren- gave way, and three of his men were buried in had not the wind when at the height tial rains flooded the wrecked house, compelling the ruins. The Inspector and Sorgeant Sim of its fury first unroofed and then de- the inmates to seek refuge in the basement. at once made their way to the scene of the molished the whole of the servants' quarters During a lall in the morning Mr. Houston, of | disaster. With considerable difficulty they at Nos. 4, 5, and 6. The personal effects of the Naval Yard Extension Works, who was stay- obtained some coolies and the three men the servants had to be abandoned for the time, ing at Highclere, wishing to see what had hap were extricated, all, however, being dead. as they only just managed to escape in safety. pened outside, induced Mr. Hough to walk Several junks with valuable cargoes were The bungalows on Mount Gough Hill also felt down to the Gap with him. There they met the force of the storm, and had several windows the gale again blowing from the north-west, and blown in. The house occupied by Mr. Siebs it took Mr. Houston off his legs, dashed him was badly damaged, the roof being torn up on down and cut his face badly. It was with some one side and some windows blown in. The new difficulty they made their way back to their house in course of erection for Mr. H. W. ruined domicile. The roof of Harford was Slade, which was nearly ready for the roof, has badly damaged, and Combe Royal was doprived been reduced to a gaunt ruin, and the works on of some of its tiles. the adjoining site belonging to Mr. Turner are much damaged. One of the coolies employed in the erection of these houses was killed by the falling débris, and his body was not recovered until Sunday morning, when it was dug out and taken to the Police Station at Mount Gough. Leigh Tor, which was unroofed preparatory to receiving an upper storey, now resembles nothing but a wreck. Mountain View and the Naval Bugalows lost many tiles, Chamberlain Road being strewn with them for a great portion of its length, but the houses on the sky line escaped with comparatively little injury. The Mount and Stolzenfels, both on lofty and exposed situations, sustained little damage, but Modreenagh, Mr. Osborne's new residence, lying between and below them, caught the gale on both sides, and suffered considerably. The front door was blown in, several windows were sucked out, a verandah was damaged, a small greenhouse was lifted bodily and ripped away from the walls, and the roof was torn in some places. Part of the roof of the Homestead was torn off, but this ancient Noah's Ark escaped with the minimum of damage that might have been expected. Wellburn, situated in a sort of funnel, also got off without any injury, but the Government Villas close by were less fortunate, a window being sucked out on the eastern side by the force of the wind, and other damage done. The Peak Church, although requiring extensive repairs to the roof and floor about to be com- "menced, was unhurt by the gale. Nearly every vestige of the different matsheds erected for the accommodation of workmen has been swept away. The roads and channels have not sustain- ed any perceptible damage, but the cap of the lamp at Victoria Gap close to the Tramway Station has been displaced. Station at Victoria Gap appears to have stood well, and the Chair Shelter in course of erection has sustained no damage, but of the matshed over the new storey being added to the Peak Hotel little remains, and some of the
THE DAMAGE IN THE EAST.
A LARGE SAILING SHIP ASHORE.
There is nothing fresh to report for the Wan- chai district. beyond what has already been published. The American sailing vessel Benja. min Sewall, which dragged her anchors and ran ashore opposite Arsenal Yard in the height of the storm, got off when the wind changed. She is leaking, however, and has a heavy list to starboard. The river steamer Kong Toong, which was lying off for repairs when she stranded, is still ashore just east of No. 2 Police Station. Numerous junks and sampaus wero also run aground. but only one Chinese woman belonging to a kerosene junk that stranded opposite the Bay View Hotel is re- ported missing. This is the only fatality, and even then only presumed, that Inspector Ford has had reported to him. The apparent immunity of Wanchai from loss of life may, however, be partly accounted for by the fact that the apathetic Chinese do not as rule take the trouble to report such matters to the police. The most serious damage to shipping was that sustained by the two new police launchos, Nos. 1 and 2 They were lying in the Causeway Bay shelter. The Trambut, unable to resist the combined forces of wind and sea, broke from their moorings and dashed into Jardine's Pier, sustaining consider- able damage. Both launches have been docked for repairs. On shore the effects of the storm were, comparatively speaking. slight. The verandah of the new Wesleyan Soldiers and Sailors' Home, in course of construction at the corner of Arsenal Street, was blown down, but fortunately no one was about, and the incident was unattended by loss of life. A second building in course of erection near to Praya East Hotel also came to the ground, doing no damage. Several matsheds and bamboo piers were carried away.
windows of the Hotel were blown out and the glass in others broken.
At the Peak itself there was less damage than from its exposure and elevation were to be expected. The Eyrie, the Peak residence of Mr. Belilios, C.M.G., was left intact by the storm, but an orchid house was partially des- troyed and a lamp-post in the grounds blown down. The works on the site of Mountain Lodge, the Governor's new residence, in course of erection, were of course exposed to the full fury of the gale, the matsheds blown away, and four of the Chinese workmen killed. The Haystack had a window blown out, and at Bahar Lodge simi- lar damage was done. Meirion also suffered from the gale, windows being forced in and water pouring through the roofs. Mount Aus- tin Barracks got off cheaply with some minor injuries to roof and windows.
Not only did Magazine Gap district this time - come in for its full share of the effects of the storm, but even the most sheltered spots along the road connecting it with Stewart Gap seemed to have felt the gale, its destroying path being marked along the whole course by uprooted and broken trees. The roof of the Military Sani- torium was partially stripped, and the officers quarters were slightly damaged. Smiths Villas
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Fifteen houses in Third Street, West Poin', partly dismantled in course of reconstruction. were blown down. The buildings wore owned by Mr. Belilios, whose loss by the catastrophe must be considerable.
THE DAMAGE IN KOWLOON.
A POLICE CONSTABLE DROWNED.
On the other side the sight may well be described as one never to be forgotton. From the wharf at which the ferry-launches arrive all along the western front of the Kowloon pen- insula numberless sampans were strewn, mostly in the form of matchwood and blocks of timber.
Out east there were a certain number of wrecked sampans on the beach, but they were very few in number compared with those on the west front. From an early hour in the morning hundreds of coolies were engaged knee-deep along the shore looting such of the wrecks as were not broken up too small to reward their labours. No estimate can yet be formed as to the number of deaths, but it must have been very large. No such catastrophe has befallen the unfortunate sampan people for a long time.
On the peninsula itself practically all the houses in the process of building have been wrecked. Walls have been cracked and scaf folding carried away. All that remains to be done in many cases is to pull the remnants down and begin building afresh. Few old houses have sustained more than slight damage, but one near Yaumati Bay has been reduced to ruins. The inhabitants of Kowloon had a particularly uncomfortable night, being even more exposed to the fury of the storm than those on this side. It was not until a late hour in the morning that any one was able to cross over A visit to the military encampment at to Hongkong. The Ferry Launch Wharf Causeway Bay elicited the information that the was damaged and the Police Wharf at Tsim seas completely flooded the camp. The men
Tsa Tsui has had to be utilised. The Victoria were drenched to the skin, and the horses, none
Recreation Club's matsheds were blown away, of which fortunately broke loose, were standing and considerable damage was done to the Naval knee deep in the water. Beyond the blowing Depot, the tiles from the roofs of the buildings down of the hospital tent, no material damage flying about in all directions. Anchored close resulted, however.
by are a number of junks laden with coal for the navy. It was feared that these would be swamped and their valuable cargo last. Ac. cordingly some 40 or 50 barrels of kerosene were thrown into the water, upon which the oil had a decidedly calming effect.
THE SCENE WESTWARDS.
MORE LIVES LOST.
The western part of the town came in for its full share of the gale, some six or seven junks being made wrecks of and several lives being lost. Most of the boat-people got into shelter at Kennedytown, taking their boats ashore betimes. Anticipating a rough time Inspector Baker doubled the Praya pat-
P. C. Duncan, of the Naval Yard Police, lost his life in a gallant attempt to rescue two sam- pan women whose boat was dashed to pieces against the embankment at the Naval Depot. They were struggling in the water when he went to their assistance. Sergeant Laurence
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