The-Hong-Kong-Weekly-Press-1902-01-18 — Page 4

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THE TONKIN PRESS AND GREAT

BRITA N.

(Daily Press, 14th January.) It is perhaps hardly to the French journals of Indo-China that we should look for the expression of friendly sentiments to the British nation. The bitterness of French Colonial failure compared with British Colonial success naturally gives a twist to the mouths of French publicists in that neighbouring empire which pays its mother country so ill. Hence we do not expect to find a dispassionate discussion of German

THE HONGKONG WEEKLY PRESS AND

THE OUTRAGE ON THE WEST RIVER.

When the news reached the Colony on the 14th inst. that a British steamer bat boen fired upon in the West River and an European passenger injured, it was too late for us to sup- plement the report, beyond stating that the steamer in question was the Nunning and the name of the injured passenger Mr. C. E. L. Cowan, chaplain on H.M.S. Glory. From the Rev. E. J. Hardy, M.A., Chaplain to the Forces, who was also a passenger by the Nanning, we have

now obtained an account of the incident and the

circumstances leading up to it. Mr. Hardy

[January 18,

1902

H.M. NAVAL YARD EXTENSION.

THE MATAŬKOK DEPOT.

Since the extension operations were begun about a year ago by Messrs. Punchard, Lowther & Co., the progress made has been much greater than anyone would suppose who simply judges of its extent from the deck of a passing launch or the height of Bowen Road. As a matter of fact, the bulk of the work has to be done under water; and although it will take approximately little to show above the surface until near the end four years from now to complete there will be of that period. The dry dock will of course be

built dry-shod, but the great ssa-wall, 5,000 feet

in length, will almost all be under water. The

Anglophobia in the Press of Tonkin and neighbourhood, and on Monday, in company preparation of the material for this vast under-

the adjoining colonies. A recent article on the subject in L'Avenir de Tonkin, however, reveals a rancour which is ns lamentable as it would be discreditable to any decent minded writer. Our contemporary speaks of the abuse stirred up in Germany by Mr. CHAMBERLAIN'S "imprudent speech," and justifies it by observing that "in no s'ngle

himself,

L

was on a three days' holiday to Canton and with Mr. Cowan, took a trip up the West River on the Nanning, a stern-wheeler plying

between Canton and Wuchow and owued by the

Hongkong. Canton and Macao Steamship Company, Ld. The only other European passengers travelling in the

with

Mr. Hardy and

At the tiffin

same class

wero

Mr. Cowan Dr. K. MacDonald, of the Wesleyan Mission. an Imperial Customs official named Fabian and

hour the four gentlemen. were sitting at their meal in the saloon, when word was brought them that a company of uniformed men, who looked like Chinese soldiers, was drilling on the bank. Mr. Hardy and the others at once rose from the table to go and witness the spectacle. They reached the deck and had just time to observe that there were between two and three hundred men, dressed like soldiers, when a volley was fired from the bank at the steamer. The Nanning was at this moment almost exactly opposite the soldiers, if soldiers they wero, and the volley struck the vessel fair and square. Bullets pattered against her side, and one hit Mr. Cowan on the right knee, going clean through and grazing the leg of the Customs official, who was stand ing next to Mr. Cowan, Fortunately the force

of the bullet

spent

and it did not penetrate beyond Mr. Fabian's underclothing. The missile was a ball-cart- ridge, and from this fact it is safe to assume that the purposes of a field-day were not alone responsible for the presence and movements of No further demonstration, ap. the soldiers, parently, was made against the Nanning, which at once steamed off and eventually fell in with H.M. gunboats Sandpiper and Robin. to the

war of modern times has there been seen anything like this monstrous attempt at the destruction of a whole race, methodically carried out by means of the assassination of women and children.” This plan, continues the Tonkin paper, is England's invention; KITCHENER und the War Office are its initiators in European military history. The reason why Ger- many in particular has taken offence at Mr. CHAMBERLAIN venturing to say that British methods were as humane as other European nations' in the pursuit of war is that Germany has an inveterate hatred of England. So far has this feeling extended that it may ultimately influence the Kaiser England," concludes the article," has but one friend in the world. She may be on the point of losing him." Such writings as these are not to be taken seriously. Were the sincerity of the per- petrator possible to conceive, we might feel concern. But when, talking about the assassination of women and children, the writer obviously, in the forcible phrase, lies and knows that he lies," he cannot expect to be treated with respect. All but the ignorant among his own fellow country-tunately but a fish one, had boon dressed by meu condemn him, and those whom he attacks can laugh at him over his waste of printer's ink and otherwise inoffensive paper. A sense of humour might have saved him, in default of a regard for the truth.

41

THE CRISIS: TELEGRAMS.

[FROM OUR CORRESPONDENT.]

SHANGHAI, 12th January, 7.47 p.m. 7,000 men of the Emp.ess Dowager's bodyguard who joined in the attack on the Legations at Peking, under Prince Tuan, have returned to the capital with the Court,

the EL. reforming

SHANGHAI, 13th January, 9.10 p.m. A formerly reliable native correspondent the North-China Daily News, who has eturned to Peking, writes to-day that 'press Dowager's adoption of a

only a tempo fear of foreigne

nolicy is entirely illusory and is -ary measure dictated by her

SHANGHAI,

It is reported that

thể danh or in Hung on

14th January, 9.40 p.m.

petaze of a strip of territory at Mo of Shanghai, near

Owing to the resi

ssia secured, before 'ng, the concession wai, south-east

*ape.

Hewett and Mỹ C.Mi

invite Mr. A. M. Marshall

vacancies on the Co

hanghai, General Chamber of Commerce,

F. A. *led to

ff to

Was

commanders of which vessels the incident was narrated.

taking would no doubt have attracted public attention to the utmost if it had been conducted

on this side of the Harbɔar. For various Kowloon side as headquarters, and practically reasons, however, the contractors chose the outwith the knowledge of the man in the street, have established a huge depôt at Mataukok ́in Kowloon Bay, where they are manufacturing the concrete blocks with which the sea-wall is to be built. Their primary reason for hitting upon this spot as a central establishment was hand. But an unexpected difficulty arose owing that there was an ample supply of granite at to the fact that the quarries were all farmed out by the Government, and it was not until quite lately that they secured concessions which placed them in a position to be able to treat on straightforward lines with the quarry masters, and prevent the operations being hampered. Now that the disadvantages under which they laboured have been removed, the contract is being pushed forward with all speed. Nor was that the only initial difficulty. There was a huge reclamation scheme to be carried out before a single step conld be taken toward the constraction of the block-yard at Mataukok. Some idea of the extent of this undertaking may be gathered from th› fact that the works cover roughly about fourteen acres and that nearly the whole of that area was recovered from the sea, the system adopted being the erection of a sea-wall and the slicing down of the side of a hill. And all this was necessary before a singleblock of concrete could be moulded. But now the preparatory port of the work has been successfully accomplished, and Messrs. Co. are enables Punchard, Lowther and

go straight ahead with the contract The equipment of the block-yard has been carried through on the most approved modern lines. All the plant is new, having been constructed specially by home firms, under

agent of the works, to meet the requirements the supervision of Mr. W. Kidd, the chief of the contract. There are no less than three ten-ton cranes (two travelling), four five-ton cranes, three locomotive engines, four station. ary engines, something like two miles of rails,

to

proper. Mr. Cowan whose wound, for.

Dr MacDonald, was carried on board the Sandpip r, and he and Mr. Hardy came down Mr. Lewis was taken to the Naval Hospital, to Hongkong, reaching here on Tuesday night. where he is making good progress. The Robin proceeded on up the river to investigate the occurrence, and until the report of her com- mander is handed in no further light can be

thrown on the matter.

Asked if he could give any reason for the seemingly unaccountable action of the party on the river bank, Mr. Hardy said he was informed from Chinese sources that the soldiers had been or were in rebellion at the scene of the firing Support is lent to this explanation by the fact that Mr. Hardy passed three Chinese gunboats steaming up the river, making apparently for the disturbed area. One of the gunb ats was crowded with soldiers.

of the Hongkong, Canton and Macao Steam. On enquiry on the 15th inst. at the office ship Cony in Wyndham Street, we were informed they were in possession of nothing beyond the actual facts, which are as stated above. They were able to add, however, that the British Consul at Canton was in com munication with the Viceroy regarding the The result of his representations will be awaited with interest.

outrage.

The torpedo-boat destroyer Otter has been attached as teader to the Aurora, now that the Barfe has gone home to pay off. The Barflear, which was commissioned from the Medway Fleet Reserve on July 8, 1894, was to have paid off at Chatham D ckyard, where she was built. but later orders issued by the Admiralty direct her to pay off at Devonport Dockyard, where she will be overhauled and refitted for another term of active service.

and 1,200 moulds for formin the concrete blocks, which weigh from four to five tons a-piece.

A commodious jetty forms an important part side is devoted to the discharge of raw material. of the general plan. The whole of the south

A five-ton crane is provide for unloading the junks which carry sand from various parts of the coast, and another for discharg- ing the water-borne rable stone which comes

This

from different quarries in the narrows. stone is hoisted on to a platform adjoining the

After being broken down to the requisite size machines driven by a 40 h.p. Rubey engine. jetty and is dropped into four crashing

the granite falls into wagg ns stationed under- neath the platform. These vehicles are all of a standard size and are used not only for conveying the crushed stone but for measuring the relative quantites of stone and sand requisite to the proper composition of concrete. The, waggons being loaded-that is to say, three of broken granite to one of sand-they are hauled up an inclined railway, 1 in 25, to a gantry from which their contents are tipped into the stock heap. This ensures the proper admixture of the sand and stone. crushing machine, by the way, gets through 100 tons of granite a day, and three out of the four are always working. the stock heap the material is carried in smaller waggons-which also serve as units of measure. ment-up two inclined railroads to the mix- The upward journey is made by the

ers.

Each

From

$