The-Hong-Kong-Weekly-Press-1905-03-20 — Page 17

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March 20, 1905.]

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A-NIGHT-OUT

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EXCURSION STEAMER FOG-BOUND.

14th March. The Sunday excursion_steamer Ying King running to Macao, reached the wharf yesterday morning just before nine o'clock, instead of at 10.30 on Sunday night. The steamer wAS crowded with passengers who had bean attracted to the neighbouring colony by a religious festival which was observed there on Sunday. She left Macso on Sunday night at 7.30, her usual time, but had not proceeded many lengths beyond the Prays Grands before she ran into a dense fog and was obliged to drop her anchor. After waiting in vain for the fog to lift, Capt. Page

· weighed anchor and tried to proceed but the risk was too great. The fog bells of the ship were sound- ed at regular intervals throughout the night, and four times the Captain tried to get his ship through the fog-bank, but it was not until day broke yesterday morning that any progress was

made.

As the sleeping accommodation on the steamer

is extremely limited, the great majority of the 300 passangers on board had an exceedingly uncomfortable night, but managed to beguile the fime by concerts and other amusements. The stock of food and drinks, except tea and coffee, usually carried by the steam- boat, was exhausted quite early in the evening, and as many on the boat had had nothing to eat since the tiffin hour, it may be safely assumed that by the time they reached

CHINA OVERLAND TRADE REPORT.

MISCELLANEOUS.

The British North Borneo Government has decided t› sdopt the new Straits currency.

A private telegram has been received in the Colony to the effect that a very big fire has occurred at Cebu, Philippine Islands. The damage is estimated at two million dollars.

Mr. Fiske of the American Tobacco Company Shanghai committed suicide on 15th March. Insomnia and consequent depression are stated to have driven the deceased to commit the desperate act.

Mr. John Lambert R. N. R., who for the past eight years has been in the service of the Hongkong and Whampoa Dook Co. AS superintendent engineer, has been appointed to succeed Mr. Newman Mumford as Lloyd's Surveyor here, and will take up the duties on Mr. Mumford's departure about the middle of April.

An article on Mr. G. A. Caldwell appears in From 1883 to 1903, excluding three years of the March issue of the V. R. C. Magazine. forced absence from the Colony, he has steered the winning crew in twelve international races held in Hongkong. How much we owe to him as a dancing master at the theatrical perform ances of the local A. D. C. for the past fifteen and in the old days, he was a great favourite in years is fully appreciated by our theatre-goers ;

local amateur comio opera.

Hongkong they were eager to discuss a sub- Fire Brigade appears in the current issue of Mr. F. J. Badeley's annual report on the

stantial breakfast.

The excursion steamer Wingchai left Macao an hour before the Ying King and reached Hongkong at 10.30 the same evening. Captain Austin describes the weather he experienced ai -thick hase and passing fog drifts.

The Wingshai started for Macao at half-past eight yesterday morning, but did not get as far as Green Island when her skipper thought it advisable to turn back. Two hundred and fifty Chinese passengers

on board were naturally disappointed.

The Hongkong, Canton and Macao Steam. beat Company's steamer Heungshan from Macao yesterday was also detained by heavy fog, and did not leave Macso until 10 o'clock instead of at her usual time. She arrived yesterday afternoon at 1.80 o'clock, and brought over about 200 first and second class passengers who went over last Friday and Saturday.

CHINESE CURRENCY

The Bin-wan-pao states that the Board of Revenue intends to start a general silver and copper coin-making mint at Peking with the object of establishing a uniform monetary system throughout China. It is learned that all the mints in the different provinces, whose schemes have been proposed, but which have not yet been established, have been ordered to be stopped instantly, In this connection all the copper plants and other materials already order- ed will be sent up to Peking for the use of the general mind. On the other hand those mints that have been started have been ordered to be suspended for three months, until the arrival of the steel moulds. The idea is to es tablish uniformity with regard to the whole coinage system of China, so as to facilitate com.

mercial transactions and to prevent those peculiar evils connected with counterfeit coins. All this looks as if Chang Chih-tung's tinker ing policy is to prevail.

CHESS.

Mr. A. L. Jordan, Superintendent of the Great Northern Telegraph Company at Na- gasaki, has challenged Mr. C. H. Falloon, of the Atlas Insurance Company's Hongkong Office, to play him at Chess. Mr. Jordan in his letter says that from Lasker's Chess Magasine be learned that Mr. Falloon had won the Championship of the Hongkong Chess Clab. Continuing-"I take the liberty of challenging you to play by mail two corres- pondence games. In the first, I take white, starting with (1) P-KB4. In the second game you take white. If you start with P- K4, I reply P➡K4," The challenge has been kocepted.

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the Hongkong Government Gazette. There were 57 Fires and 64 Incipient Fires during the year, turned out 63 times during the year. The as against 49 and 55 in 1903. The Brigade

estimated damage caused by Fires was $761,736.00 and by Incipient Fires 8743 00. There was an intermittent supply of water in the mains from 1st January to 3rd July, during which period sea water was used as much as possible in order to save the fresh water,

A sailor named Wilson was charged before

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Mr. H. H. J. Gompertz at the Police Court on March 14 with stowing away on board the His Worship that he stowed away to come out 5.5: Aldgate from Cardiff." Defendant informed here to see his relations. His Worship said there were plenty of men who could not get anything to eat, and provided on the beach here defendant could not find his relations he would probably swell the number. The case : was remanded in order that the Police might make enquiries concerning Wilson's friends.

The Manila Cablenews says:-J. R. Simp- son was taken off the steamer Taming bound charge of endeavoring to leave the country to for Hongkong on a warrant issued on the defraud his creditors. The warrant was issued on the application of the proprietors of the Simpson owed $225. He told the livery stable Colonial Livery Stables to which concern keepers that he was a civil engineer employed on the Benguet road and promised to pay as soon as he could collect his salary. Nothing was suspected until it was learned that he had taken passage on the Taming.

The new steamer Shuntien, Captain Dewar, belonging to the Ch'n Navigation Company, which made her maiden trip to Tientsin on March 4th, promises to be as great a favourite with passengers as Captain Dewar's former command, the Shengking. She is a singlesere capable of steaming 18 knots when pushed, her vessel of 1,758 tons gross, and 1,081 tons net, average speed on the voyage out having been something over 113 knots. The accommodation is planned for 24 first-class passengers, and there is plentiful provision for Chinese pas- sengers, first and second-class, on the deck;

for the year 1904, amount to Tls. 10,301,89, The nett profits of the Tientsin Press, Ld., After writing off Tls. 600 and Tla 283.43 from Goodwill and Incorporation Expenses, Tls 649.25 for repairs to Buildings, Tls. 869.65 for depreciation of Furniture, Tla.. 1,493,20 for depreciation of Plant and Machinery, and Tls 447.28 for Bad Debts, there remains Tis. 8,855.03, which the Directors recommend should be dealt with as follows: By payment of Director's and Auditor's Fees, Tls. 1,100; -By placing Tis. 880.03 to Reserve;__By paying a

A-Are- broke out--in--the Che Chi Godown, No. 74, Des Voeur Road, 16th.

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tarred rope and other infiammable material.

The godown was stocked" The brigade turned out under Deputy Superi tendant Lyons and Chief Inspector Baker, and after half-an-hours' hard work.: got thequre under way. The damage is estimated at $200, while the insurance with various companies fen the godown and stock amounts to $35,000. The fire is believed to have originated through, a coolie accidentally knocking a lighted lamp into a coil of tarred rope.

During 1904, 1,205 births, 740 males: and 465 females, were registered at Hongkong. This is equal to a general birth rate of 3.8 per 8.8 in 1962. The total number of deatha waS thousand as compared with 3.2 during 1903, and 6,118, making a death rate of 16:94 per then and as compared with 18.0-in-1903-and-21.7-in 1902, These deaths include 495 from The death-rate among the non-Chinesa aivit community is slightly higher than it is among of Health. The reason for this is that many of the Chinese community, says the Medical Officer the Chinese when taken ill leave at once for being only a few cents. their own country, the cost of. passage to Canton

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plague.

Mr. H. A. Lammert, junior partner of the wellknown firm of auctioneers, "was-married Miss Florence Shaw, daughter of Mr. A. Shaw, on the 14th March, at St. John's Cathedral-to

manager of the Hongkong Cotton Spinning, had been postponed owing to the bridegroom Weaving and Dyeing Company." The wedding being down with-influenss. Mr Harold Seth was groomsman, and Miss Ethel Shaw bridesränid. with flowered shiffon; and displayed no jewellery The bride wore a white satin dress trimmed

except the bridegroom's present, a diamond and emerald ring. Mr. and Mrs. Lammert were driven to Mr. Shaw's house in a brougham. After the reception; at which a splendid colleo- tion of wedding presenta` was exhibited, they left for Macso.

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The M. O. H. in his annual report says:-In my Annual Report for 1899 I showed that the average rainfall during the decade ending that average rainfall during the preceding decade. year was eleven and a half inches less: thân: the

In 1902 I showed that the average rainfall had the decade ending that year below the rainfall fallen more than sixteen and a half inches during for the previous decade, and we now see that and a half inches when the past decade is com- the average deficiency amounts to nearly twenty

pared with the immediately preceding one. This is & matter of serious moment in connection with the question of the water supply of the change in our climatic conditions generally Colony, and indicates moreover a progressive

There arrived in Hongkong on March 16th a postcard of no intrinsic loveliness, but one, like survived. It was sent on a journey round the Othello,: interesting for the dangers it has world by the editor of The Manuscript, with s suggestion that it was "in the interests of journalism" that it should safely accomplish its voyage. Although dated-Manchester, záugust 10th, 1904, it did not leave: London ammatil August 24th. On the 17th September an editor in Sierra Leone posted it to Perth, Western Australia. It left there on October 27thy en route to St. Johns, Newfoundland. The post- mark over the Newfoundland stamp appears to be marked San Francisco, and the date is skipped over to Egypt, (Alexandrie) and it unreadable. On the 8th November it had reached Vancouver Jan. 9th, still fit and well.. It is spending a few days in Hongkong prior to leaving for Gibraltar and Home The fare for the round trip amounts to sixteen centa

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The Customs Gazette for the last quarter of with a marked advance on the previous year, last year shows a total revenue" for the quarter the comparative figures being:

Chinese ports

Kowloon and Lapps Lungohon, Mengise,

--mao, and Têngyush

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1904. 1909.** Hk Tha HETI. ... 9,264.224 7,899,888 Ssers.

191,344 186,609

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104,669 66,400

Total 9,560,290.5

The total for the quarter at Shan

7 per cent dividend absorbing Tls. 6,790.00; | Hk. Tl. 3,485,405 against Hk. Th. 1 and carrying forward to 1905, Tls. 85:08. `in the same quarter of 1903.

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