February 4, 1907.)
Friday, Ferbuary 1st.
IN SUMMARY JURISDICTION.
BEFORE ME. A. G. WISE (PUISNE JUDGE).
A HOUSE COOLIE'S CLAIM. Chan Kai, a coolie employed in the Victoria School, sued Mr. W. H. Williams, the head master, to recover 89.16 due for wages.
His Lordship - What for?-Because he dis- liked me. He had no other reason.
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CHINA OVERLAND TRADE REPORT.
A DISASTROUS SQUALL.
MANY LIVES LOST : NUMEROUS SAMPANS
CAPSIZED.
A BRAVE CHINAMAN.
Brief as it was, it was a disastrous squall that swept the Colony on about one o'clock p.m. the heavily clouded sky January 28th. At
and the sudden gusts of wind which swept the His Lordship (to plaintiff)-Have you got streets caused pedestrians to hurry on their any witnesses? They are all at the Peak.respective ways, but few it was who were not Proceeding, plaintiff stated that he was claiming overtaken by the cyclonic squall that so sudden. the 89.16 for wages for the month of December, ly burst on storm-swept Hongkong. On ahora 1906, and four days in January, 1907. He left the damage was trifling, and passengers were his employment because the defendant dis- only delayed until the deluge of rain had ceas d. charged him.
On the harbour, however, death stalked among the floating population, many of whom must have thought that another typhoon had caught them napping. The storm could not have been of more than ten minutes duration, but it was accompanied by a blinding rain and a heavy sea which played havoc with the smaller craft in the harbour, and was the cause of many deaths. When it is stated by a number of those who were rescued that their sampans were proceed ing on their journeys without any sail set, and completely turned turtle, the force of the sea running can be imagined. It must bave been like a tidal bore, and there is little wonder that the numerous craft steering under any sail fell victims to the fury of the gale.
When did he discharge you?-In the latter part of December, but I waited on for my wages. I want to know on what date he discharged your-About the 27th December.
And you waited on for your wages? Do you think you can get them after you've been discharged; rightfully or wrongfully?—Yes.
His Lordship-Supposing you were dia- charged wrongfully, you cannot stay for the rest of your life and claim wages.
W. B. Williams said the plaintiff was engaged for the Victoria Government School from August till December 24th, 1906. Oa that date defendant discharged him for neglect of duty. He had complained about him on several occasions, and when the school closed for the holidays, plaintiff was warned not to leave the premises without permission, but overlooked that warning.
His Lordship (to plaintiff)-What have you got to say?
Plaintiff-I was ou the premises. His Lordship (to defendant) Do you know he was not there?
Mr. Williams-I was on the premises all the time, but he was not there.
Plaintiff I asked defendant for a loan and he would not give me one, but he gave me leave to go and get one.
His Lordship-There will be judgment for defendant.
A DEAL IN RICE. The Chan Lee sued the Nam Wo firm to recover $48.40 due for rice sold to the defendan's.
Chan Hoi, manager of the plaintiff firm, said the defendant who appeared, Chan Chuk- lam, was the master of the defendant firm, which shop owed his firm $48.40.
Defendant-The sign of my business is Nam Wo Cheung."
His Lordship-Then why bare you come here?
Defendant-Because the bailiff handed the writ to one of my foxie. I stay at the Nam Wo, but this is a false claim.
Another witness corroborated the plaintiff's story, and at the conclusion of his evidence defendant said he was a paid witness.
Defendant was then called and his Lordship asked-What have you got to say about this debt-I got rice from other firms, but not from the plaintiffs.
Where are your books?—In my shop. What is the good of leaving them there? had no dealings with the plaintiff, therefore thought it was not necessary to bring them.
His Lordship You'll find it necessary before you've done, I think.
Chan Ah-fui, a foki in the Nam Wo, was then called by defendant.
His Lordship- What do you know about this case ---- I know nothing about it.
His Lordship (to defendant)-What did you bring him here for?-If the witness knows nothing about the claim it shows I got no rice from the plaintiffs.
His Lordship-That is not what you were going to start on. You were going to call this man as a witness to say he got the rice, but you just drew up in time. Judgment and costs for plaintiffs.
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It is reported that the foreign ministers in Peking have decided about the dredging the antrance of the Peiho and the expenses there- for having been sanctioned by the diplomatic | corps, the works will soon be commenced.
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deaths. Off Jardine's Sugar Refinery a sampan capsized, but all were rescued with the exception of a child, two years of age, whoes lifeless body was afterwards recovered by the police. Another sampan passing the Naval- yard without any mails up capsized, and another death was added to the roll before a launch could cast off to the assistance of the crew. Another boat which carried oolies
from ship to ship was overturned opposite No.
Police Station, and two more men went down. She had large number on board, however, and fortunately the great majority were
rescued.
The promptitude with which the men-of-war in the harbour prepared to help the shipwrecked was commendable, and this action must have as ved
many lives. British and foreign blae- jackets rapidly lowered and minned pinnaces and whaleboats, the crews pulling with a will to the assistance of many a forlorn crew. The Dock Co. launches, likewise, were early on the scene, and many Chinese owe their lives to the labour of the employees of this Company. Mr. C. D. Silas, who took out the launch Cl succeeded in rescuing five people, while a large number were rescued by the Kowloon No. 1 launch. On the Yanmati side, Mr. J. Morrison, in another of this Company's launches, succeeded in rescuing seven out of a crew of twelve, but was unable to recover the other five. In order that the apparently drowned might not want for professional attendance, Com. modore Williams thoughtfully despatched a torpedo boat, ou board of which was two medical meo, to cruise round the harbour and render aid wherever their services were required.
With the readiness which always characterises the directors of the Tung Wah Hospital, their lannches were speedily prepared to render every assistanc?, and right well the crews on board worked to rescue their country- men. When laudel, the dead and the apparently drowned were removed to hospital, and on this account the police will be unable to calculate with any degree of accuracy, until to-
The sampans and junks lying alongside the Praya wall seem to have been the most fortunate in this latest catastrophe. It was only those plying in the harbour that suffered from the fury of the brief squall, but as it unfortunately happened, they were numerous. No reliable figures are ascertainable as yet, but from official calculations upwards of one hundred sampaus and eight junks either foundered or capsized, tue loss of life being considerable. Cargo floated about the harbour in all directions, while crowds lined the Praya walls looking on the wreckage as in the case of the great typhoon. The new office of Kowloon-Canton Railway at Taikok-day, the death roll. tsui was partly unroofed, a heavy section b-ing blown quite a long way. In the vicinity of the Cosmopolitan Dock, many corpses washed up.
were
It was fortunate for the floating com- munity that NO many launches were
available, otherwise the loss of life must have been enormous. When they saw the calamity which had overtaken the small sailing craft, the coxswains of launches stoered their vessels to the rescue in all parts of the barbour, and their prompt action saved many lives. At West Point, where the greatest damage appears to have been wrought, launches were plying in all directions, pulling awe-stricken people from the turbulent waters which threatened to cover them. Here, too. the police were 814 usual to the fore. Ecenting dauger with the first furious whiffs of the storm, as many men as were available appeared on the Praya to render assistance. Seeing a sampan capsize. Sergeant Parr and Constable Spencer obtained the lose of another native craft pulled out to the wreck, made fast to it, and dragging it back a distance of three hundred yards to the Aberdeen wharf, succeeded in righting it. Then they found to their astonishment a woman and two children hanging on to the roof, but both were uninjured. Constables Melonpan and Purden put off to another sampan floating bottom up, and through their gallant efforts two more lives were saved. Much has been written of the bravery dis. played by Chinese in the recent typhoon, but no more gallant act has yet been pablished than that of Mr. Ng So-tai, the owner of the steam launch Li (n. Taking Sergeant Gordon on board, the two set out into the harbour to the assistance of the distressed, and between them rescued six people from a watery grave When the launch ran alongside a sampin just up- turned, the Chinsman, without directing him. self of his clothing, took a hender over the side, and swimming under the capsized craft. pulled two of the crew out and placed them on his launch. It was a gallant piece of work for ons possibly bred to the Chinese superstitions con- cerning drowning, and an act worthy of recognition.
Eastward the gale does not appear to bare struck with the same severity, still there is the same sad tale of wrecked sampans and untimely
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When he learned of the catastrophe, His Excellency the Governor, accompanied by Mr. R. A. B. Ponsonby, his private secretary, was promptly on the scene, ouquiring at the various police stations concerning the losses and thas showing his sympathy for our distressed Boating population.
INCIDENTS OF MONDAY'S STORM, That comparatively unknown person in Hongkong, the old resident, has expressed the opinion that a storm like that of Monday has not been experienced in the Colony for over thirty years. The alarm which it occasioned, especially among the Hosting population, has not yet subsided, and even among the people ashore it is still the topic of conversation, reviving fading memories of the terrible typhoou of September last. Its toll of human lives is certainly greater than was at first saticipated. The police reports show that over seventy people are missing, but Chinese ses saaguiné that that by no means represents the total loss of life. It is interesting to note that most of those drowned were children, a fact which is self explanatory, though one veteran of 80 was amongst the victims. The returns show that up till yesterday there ware 12 women and 20 men drowned.
Stories of gallant rescues still come to hand 1. 8. Garrod was sucessful in saving several people from drowning by jumping into the water and assisting them ashore. P. C. Evans was also instrumental in effecting number of rescues. An old man and woman sach 7 years of age, were rescued by the police iu an exhausted condition and taken to the Government Civil Hospital. Ip Wau, a cook on board the launch Ban Bao," picked up a man clinging to a piece of wood off the Naval Yard Extension. He had been washed from the Naval Yard Tan Ping, coxswain of the steam launch
J
Marlow," rescued three men from the bottom of a fishing boat off Shek O, and found thirteen реших on an upturned fishing junk off Waglan lighthouse, whom he took off. No fawer than 19 cargo bosts were upset and righted again.
NAVAL PUSTMAN'S NARROW ESCAPE. Sargt J. Howse, the “postman” of H.M.S. Alacrity, probably owen his life to his sailor-like promptitude of decision in an emergency. With
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