•
September 22, 1906.]
police basin was piled with the woodwork of the vessels smashed against the walls. In the Fasin itself the water could not be seen for wreckage, and after climbing over the heap on the road, spectators found that progress was barred, as the swing bridge itself had been demolished. A detour was necessary to get in front of the godowns. Here again the roadway was torn up, trucks overturned, and everything covered with the remnants of janks and sampans and bales of cargo. A huge lighter lay high and dry here, where it had been tossed, a fact which seemed to emphasise more than anything else the fury of the storm that descended on Kowloon. The godowns them- selves withstood its violence wonderfully well, the roofs only being denaded in parts.
SUNKEN STEAMERS.
The Kroongchow, which foundered during the height of the typhoon, and involved the loss of many lives, including that of Captain Meade and the chief engineer, only showed a little projection above the surface, while masts here and there indicated the whereabouts of sunken junks and sampans. The Apenrude, a German steamer, also went down not far off, but the Petrarch fared somewhat better, grounding at the wharf and showing a big hole in the steru. The Poona was exceptionally fortunate, being the only vessel not to shift from her moorings. Here another shattered wharf, junks lifted high and dry on the Praya, sunken roads, displaced masonry, and a heterogeneous mass represent- ing all kinds of cargoes which had been saved from the general destruction. Seawards floating woodwork, almost solid, telling of mors lost sampans; beyond that a few more masts sticking out of the water; confusion and destruction everywhere. The fine specimen of a sailing ship, the 8. P. Hitchcockof New York, was lying aground, showing her bottom badly treated. She had also drifted from her anchorage in midstream and when she reached the side she found one of the Godown Com. pany's launches under ber.
FRENCH TORPEDOE WRECKED.
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CHINA OVERLAND TRADE REPORT.
down, while the Steam Laundry launch is also lost. The hospital ship off Tai-kok-taui looked to be foundering in the evening.
The German steamer Sexta is piled on the beach near the Kowloon Dock, with five or six smaller vessels, also disabled, in company, bat the Prinz Waldemar, which stranded at Mong: kok was able to steam off within a quarter of an hour.
The vesels in dock were all swamped.
It is almost unnecessary to add that the Water Police responded gallantly to the call for unusually exertions and did much to render assistance where it was most urgently needed.
AT QUARRY BAY.
A mitehed at the Quarry Bay Shipyard was razed to the ground. When the debris were turned over, seven dead bodies were recovered and six injured Chinese were removed to hospital.
THE STAR FERRY.
The Star Ferry, which lost two of its loats, quickly recovered from the effects and resumed its service, the boats berthing at Blake Pier on the one side and the Police Pier on the other. The launches were crowded, and passengers had to fight their way on board and to fight their way off. The officials were helpless, and though all went well on the journeys the embarkings and landings were fraught with considerable danger.
SYMPATHISERS.
H. E. the Governor accompanied by his secretary, Mr. R. A. B. Ponsonby, and another gentleman from Government House, ware among the crowd who througed the Praya while the storm was at its beight. At Kowloon, Commodore Williams and Colonel Darling pid a visit to those places where most havoc had been wrought.
OFFICIAL DESCRIPTION: "SMALL"
The Hongkong Observatory issued the following report :-
On the 18th at 8.00 a.m. -Orders issued to hoist the Black Drum and at 8.4) am. to fire the typhoon guo.
The centre of a small typhoon, probably formed last night to the Est of Hongkong, passed quickly over the Colony between 8.30 a.m. and 11 a.m. It gave no indication of its ex-
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SHIPPING AT A STANDSTILL. Yesterday the typhoon was the one subject of conversation, and the deepest sympathy was expressed for those who were mourning the loss of friends. Business was resumed, bat there were few firms that did not find themselves handicapped by the losses sustained. Shipping is practically at standstill as the work of loading or discharging cannot be carried on for lack of lighters. This form of craft suffered severely, and those in a position to judge have estimated that about 20 per cent of the lighters have disappeared.
CITY RECOVERS,
The tramway services, both upper and lower levels, were resumed and with the restoration of the means of communication and an attempt to repair the damage to the electric system the condition of the city began to approximate to the normal. The streets were cleared. The fallen trees were removed from the places where they had fallen and by evening few obstructions remained in any thoroughfare. In the same way the debris on the several harves was cleared away and in a day or two a start will be made to repair the damage done.
The homeless and destitute people have not been neglected and both Europeans and natives have done much privately to alleviate their present miseries. Doubtless BOMO
them in their dire need. organised effort will shortly be made to assist
DEATH AND DESTRUCTION.
The scenes of distruction witnessed on the Praya East were by no means exaggerated in pur issue of yester lav. Between 8.30 and 11.30 a.m.. Inspector Gonrlay, with an active band of willing workers effected a very large hamber of rescues. Among those who assisted were Mr. Rogers and his staff, Mr. Andrews and his staff Mr. Forbes, Mr. Whoal, Mr. Hogarth, Mr. Course of the Electric Tramway Company, Inspector Fincher, Inspector Dawson and his Chinese gang, Mr. Pollock, A.O.D., and Mr. Pearce of the Seamen's Institute, and, as already stated, the people were taken off the janks and sampins that were dashed to pieces against the Praya. Mr. Dawson heroically leaped into the water to rescue a woman strug gling with two children, but before he could thereach them a huge wave threw him back on to the Praya, and the mother and children disappeared. Many of them were brought to store in a bruised and m.ngled con- dition, and at Wanchai Police Station In- spector Gourlay and several others rendered first aid to the injured. T'en were sent to hospital with fractured limbs, etc.; several refused to go, and a number of others were treated by Dr. Tso at the Chinese branch. Up to yesterday over ten bodies had been recovered,
Telegraphic communication between Observatory and Hongkong is interrupted.
Hongkong rainfall for the 24 hours ending at 10 a.m., to-day, 3.45 inches.
SECOND DAY'S REPORTS.
A little distance on, at the Naval Torpedo Depot, lay the wreck of the French torpedo boat Frind. Indeed the French fleet here suffered very badly on the whole. This vessel foundered inshore. Five of her crew were reported missing,istence until close to the Colony. but one was subsequently discovered at the military hospital. In the afternoon the crew were engaged dismantling her, and saving as much as possible from the wreckage. The Taikoo had her bows smashed in, while other British naval vessels suffered considerable damage also. On the soft beach between the Naval Depot and the V.R.C. lay the Montengle apparently little injured beyond a broken stern post and the loss of her propeller. She was about seven feet in the water and the task of refloating her ought not to be difficult. Between the Monteagle and the beach was the stranded French torpedo boat Francisque, The jetty and matsheds of the V.RC. were simply a mass of rubbish. the Monteagle having given the finishing touch to the wreckage of this resort.
A NARROW SHAVE.
seen
Just off the godowns a steamer was going out, but it was impossible to distinguish her. She was absolutely uncontrollable and many of the onlookers held their breath as they watched her, thinking that she was going to run into Messrs. Butterfield and Swire's new reclamation. She just missed the point, but it was a narrow shave.
A PICTURE OF RUIN.
En route to Blackhead's Point the shore was strewn with wreckage, and many launches had been beached. A Star Ferry boat was observed to be a wreck and the s.8. Fatshan was piled up just opposite the Gun Club Hill mess.
AT YAUMATI.
The naval matabeds were demolished. Yaumati Bay was littered with wreckage, junks and sampans lay in the streets, jetties were destroyed, and many houses collapsed, burying inmates in their ruins It is calculated that at least 20 people have been entombed. Late yesterday afternoon only three or four had been rescued.
IN THE HARBOUR.
In addition to the casualties already enumerated seven Dock Company launches, one carrying 18 passengers, sank. Two of the harbour launches are also reported to have gone
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Even more calamitous than was at first antici- pated was the typhoon of Tuesday, which will stand out in the memory of those who witnessed the wholesale destruction of shipping and saw scores of helpless people drown before their eyes, as one of the experiences of a lifetime. Cyclone- of perhaps greater force have struck the Colony but none within recent years, at any rate, bas been attended with such devastation or left such desolation in its wake. The full effect, with its awful import of death to hundreds and its extraor- dinary destruction, cannot yet be realised, nor indeed can some approximate idea be presented for some time to come. All we know is that the loss of life is appalling, and though officials hesitate to estimate there can be little doubt that over a thousand people have perished on that fateful day. But what distinguishes this visitation from its predecessors is the large number of Europeans it has claimed as victims. Bishop Hoare, who was on missionary work in the New Territory, and whose craft has been washed ashore in Castle Peak Bay bottom upwards, believed to be among the number. Mr. and Mrs. W. F Donaldson and their two children, who
had been using the Kongnam as a house- boat for some months, have also apparently been drowned, the vessel having been washed ashore, bottom up with no trace of any of the family, but the family of Mr. Ramsay on the houseboat Marion have not been in sachi danger as was feared. In addition to this civilian element the members of the maritime
population have been considerably decreased, the officers of vessels mentioned yesterday having been lost. Very significant is the statement that orders have been issued to prepire 200 graves in the Mount Caroline cemetery.
and it is estimated that between Arsenal Street and Jardine's Point about two hundred junks and sampans were destroyed, and that the loss of life at that particular stretch would be about sixty, a number which would of course be very considerably in creased when the whole eastward stretch is taken into consideration. The damage here is estimated at $120,000.
The Sanitary Department matshed at Wan. chai has been considerably damaged, a fate which has also overtaken the matshed erections on the Happy Valley.
The roof of the palatial building of the Hongkong and Shanghai Bank was damaged, and the Roman Cathedral suffered in a like
manner.
MR. GRAY SCOTT COMPLIMENTED.
The Tramway Company were responsible for a smart piece of work. About two o'clock on Tuesday afternoon they commenced to clear the roads, and by 9.20 p.m. had all the cars in the shed. At six o'clock next morning the complete service was resumed. The Company engaged their own coolies, and in this way were able to restart the service in such a remarkably short time. The nature of the work will be apparent when it is remembered that in places the road was piled five feet high with wreckage.
The front of Godowns 94 and 95 Praya East fell out, as did also the house in Tang Yuen Lane, while the house at 21 Yee Wo Street collapsed Fortunately there were no lives lost in either case.
LOOTERS.
Like other parts of the city, there mare many natives who attempted to profit by the
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