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sewing room. This was wrecked. A number of people were stormbound; a few yards from each hotel egress was a waist-high flood.
AT THE TYPHOON SHELTER,
A visit to the typhoon shelter at Causeway Bay showed that a great number of small craft had found safe refuge there, many of them in s more or less delapidated state. Along the Prays from the Naval Yard to Bowrington, there was abundant evidence of the destractive force of the wind. The stone pier opposite Observation Place was surrounded by wreckage showing that many a lighter had been dashed to atoms against the pier. A great quantity of the wreckage had been washed on to the roadway where it might still be seen piled on either side of the tramline. At Ab King's alipway a great deal of damage was done to the yachts that are usually moored there and farther on at Bowrington were to be seen the remains of several large lighters which had been broken to pieces against the sea wall.
DESOLATION WESTWARD.
The route to West Point along the Praya was a scene of destruction and ruin. Disabled river steamers were to be seen lying alongside wharves, some of which were half carried away; funks and sampans broken to matchwood were piled up on the band or drifting on the water, while numbers of the floating population risked their lives on top of the wreckage, endeavouring to recover odds and ends of their property.
Passing westward from Blake Pier, Connaught Road was piled with wreckage, some of which had been lifted on to the street by the waves, Seamen were busily engaged in adding to the heap. Upturned sampans drifted along with the tide, while the Praya shop verandahs were crowded with boatpeople who were lamenting the loss of their floating homes and means of subsistence. Further out on the water, a fleet of junks was drifting before the gale, unmanageable; their crews' one thought was of safety.
SAD SPECTACLES.
THE HONGKONG WEEKLY PRESS AND
A sampan was observed some distance ont making for the shore. It was capsized by a billow and the two occupants sank and were seen no more. The Yaumati Ferry wharf was destroyed, and the new wharf erected for the Harbour Office, together with the mafshed thereon, were last seen well out in the barbour. drifting towards Kowloon. In the vicinity of Connaught Road West and Des Voeux Road West the scene was one of utter marine devas- tation. Here, there was a congestion of shipping, consequently the damage done was greater than in other parts. The matchwood which but a few hours before had been seaworthy sampang and junks was strewn thickly between wharf and wharf, and it cannot be doubted that many seamen must have been buried beneath. When the squall burst upon them, the river steamers lying at their wharves attempted to put out to 888, but in few cases were their skippers successful.
PRACTICALLY NO WARNING,
Mostly the steamers were fast to their moor- ings and unable to get clear. The iron and rope cables by which the vessels were secured were snapped like string in the force of the gale. The 8.8. San Cheung, commanded by Captain McGinty, was perhaps the most un- fortunate of all the disabled craft. The vessel broke away from her moorings, smashed down her wharf, and went crashing into another with her captain at the helm, but unable to control her. When made fast alongside the second wharf at which she brought up, it was seen there was little hope of saring her. The plates were torn from her starboard bow, and altogether she was more like a sieve than a ship, perforated with holes through which the water poured. Captain McGinty and his mate stood by till the last, but their endeavours to lighten her proved fruitless against the stupendous force of the gale. As she slowly settled in the water the few Chinese left on board appeared on deck with their belongings and when opportunity offered passed on to the wharf. Then the San Cheung sank, and her back was broken at the pier.
The steamer Fatshan broke adrift from her wharf, and her skipper beaded her for the
open. but the waves drove her shoreward. Her counter struck against the Praya wall with considerable force, and her propellers must have been badly damaged, but she managed to get out into deep
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[September 22, 1906.
water. The French steamer Paul Beau also the small craft in the vicinity passed into the broke away from her moorings and came in con-
calmer water within. The lagoon, however, tact with the bund, but so far as can be ascer-proved to be a trap, for when the storm tained at present she is not badly damaged. increased the sampans were destroyed, and so She managed to get clear of the shore and great was the wreckage that it was possible to anchored some distance out from the Harbour walk across the lagoon on it. Office. The German steamer Johann, after car ying two wharves away, managed to get beyond the shore wreckage and drop anchor. There she was observed to be gradually sicking by the stern. The s.8. Ho ching, which is also lying out in deep water, was observed to be low at the stern.
The river steamer Shun Lee had also been badly treated by the storm. From her appear. ance she looked to be if anything in a worse plight than the San Cheung, but she Was considerably lighter in the water, and con- sequently succeeded in riding out the gale.
IN SHELTER
Messrs. Blackhead and Co.'s steam launch Annie, on board of which was Mr. Thiessen, one of the firm's clerks, and a crew of about six Chinese, put off for a steamer just before the storm broke. She was at first supposed to be missing, but during the afternoon was dis- covered in shelter with all hands safe.
FIRE.
Added to the terror caused by the ravages of the typhoon was the alarm of fire. While the gale was at its height the third floor of No. 48 Connaught Road West, burst into fi.me, and by the time the fire brigade appeared on the scene there was a big blaze. An escape ladder was promptly run up, a number of firemen ascended with a hose and, having a plentiful supply of water, were not long in extinguishing the out- break.
AN UNKNOWN WERCK,
Just off Stonecutters Island, the masts and funnel of an unknown steamer are observable above the waterline. The vessel is believed to be the 8.3. Signal.
FATE UNKNOWN.
and
The fate of the steamers Honam Heungshan is at present unknown, but fears are entertained for their safety.
S.8. **WINGCHAI'S" EXPERIENCE. At 7.30 a.m. yesterday morning, the ss. Wingchai left as usual on her daily trip to Macao. She was going through the Capsui- buan Pass when the typhoon barst upon her and it was not long before Captain Austin found that he could not run before the gale, and decided to turn back. Running in behind Stonecutters Island he dropped anchor in what appeared to be a safe anchorage, but such was the force of the wind, and so heavy was the sea running that the vessel dragged her anchor as far as Shamsuipo. The captain ordered all passengers off the top deck and the prew did their best to weather efforts were in raia. the storm, but all Then, finding it was impossible to launch the lifeboats, the captain told the crew and 'passengers that it was "every man for himself.” Shortly afterwards, while still at his post on the bridge, Captain Austin was struck on the head with an awning spar. The blow dazed him, and just as be was recovering, the vessel gave a heavy lurch and be was knocked with Although the gale was felt in fuller force on considerable force against one of the lifeboats. the bigher levels, the damage done was trifling By this time the vessel was on the rocks and all compared with that experienced below. The bands endeavoured to get ashore. The chief numerous roads running round the brow of the officer, chief engineer and most of the craw Peak were thickly strewn with branches and succeeded, but the fate of the others is un. uprooted trees. On West Terrace, a large tree known. When he saw there was no further when falling carried away the side of a brick hope of saving his vessel, Captain Austin decid.
In wall surrounding the yard of a house. ed to take care of himself. Spent with the stun- Aberdeen Street, opposite Queen's College, thening blows he had received, he jumped from the roofs of seven Chinese houses were carried away, but fortunately the walls stood and the occupants escaped without hurt.
MUCH DAMAGE TO TREE.
AT KOWLOON.
Kowloon was harder hit by the typhoon than any other part of the Colony. The devastation wrought here is simply appalling. It hardly seemed possible that so much baroc could be wrought in such a short time-within the space of two hours. Here the full force of the gale was experienced. Here wharves disappeared, sea walls were broken down, railway beds with masses of concrete were wrenched from the ground and crumpled up, junks and sampsns were tossed on the Prays as jetsam, big ships were dragged from their moorings and driven against the walls, others suddenly sank where they lay, and last, but saddest of all, hundreds of the boat and maritime population perished. Desolation envelops the peninsula for miles. Here, as on the other side business was suspended when it was seen that there was other work for those who volunteered. The vessels iu distress appealed to almost the entire male population and preparations were made to render assistance where available.
Just off the new Star Ferry Wharf a lighter was cbserved to be going to pieces fast while the crew were signalling for help. Messrs. Miller and Goldring crawled out to the end of the pier, regardless of the danger from the heavy sea, and succeeded in rescuing the crew, but only just in time. The last man had scarcely been hauled ashore when the vessel
broke up.
On the other side of the pier several cargo-boa's were observed to be in distress, but great difficulty was experienced in getting their crews ashore. Lifebuoys were thrown out, but the Chinese would have none of them. They desired their boats to be dragged close enough to the Praya to enable them to jump, and in sach instance this was done.
A FALSE HAVEN,
It was considered that the Boat Club lagoon would be a haven for sampans and small craft, and in order to admit them several willing hands set to work to raise the massive drawbridge. It was a dificult task, but after considerable trouble the bridge was raised and
The captain.
bridge on to a rock, but had no sooner secured his footing than a wash of water carried him back into the sea. Fefore he could recover he was jammed between a rock and the ship, and was badly hurt before the chief officer, Mr. Brown, and the boatswain, could extricate him from his dangerous position. fears that a number of the passengers were drowned. The compradore and assistant com. pradore of the vessel are missing. When con- veyed to the hospital in the afternoon the captain was found to be suffering from bruised ribs. a nasty scalp wound and a wound in the back.
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THE WOUNDED.
All the hospitals are filled with wounded recovered from collapses, or injured in other ways, and yesterday local surgeons had one of the busiest days they have probably ever experienced in the East. Among the list of singular casualties was one in which a native from Kowloon was taken to the Civil Hospital with his forearm cut open. He was blown through a shop windows. A messenger coolie · who was proceeding along Queen's Road had his head laid open by a falling signboard, and an Indian constable, who was on duty on the higher levels, was knocked down by the bough of a tree, while a smaller stick pierced his neck.
SHAMSUIPO POLICE STATION DEMOLISHED.
The Police Station at Shamsuipo has been completely destroyed, and in that vicinity many boats were piled on the beach.
GODOWN CO.'8 PREMISES. About the first thing noticed bu landing at Kowloon was that the new Star Ferry wharf in course of construction had been almost entirely swept away, and that not a vestige of the temporary erection in use remained. Struggling off the ferry at the Police Pier over a heap of wreckage, the witness was confronted with rained godowns, and wharves and wreckage of innumerable craft. The solid gate posts at the approach to the Godown Company's premises were thrown down, but this was a bagatelle compared to the roadway with its uplifted masses of concrete and rails, its displacement of huge blocks of stone, and its sunken condition. Further on the front of the
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