October 25, 1909.]
A lady residing at 9, Castle Road informs the police that on Thursday evening she left her handbag in the hall. It contained a hundred dollar note, and when she went to find her bag she discovered that both had gone. One of the servants is suspected.
When the case of On Hing Tai against W. D. Radburn, claiming $55.92, was called at the Supreme Court on Oct. 15, his Lordship said he had been informed that the defendant was in hospital with a broken arm and the case was adjourned for a fortnight.
An armed robbery took place in the early hours of on the 15th inst at Wong Nai Wu, between Yaumati and Kowloon City. Eight men armed with revolvers and choppers entered the house of a gardener and, after threatening the inmates, broke open two boxes containing, $80 and took away other articles which brought the total value of their haul up to $94.
CHINA OVERLAND TRADE REPORT.
THE TYPHOON.
COMPARATIVELY LITTLE DAMAGE.
TIMELY WARNINGS PREPARE RESIDENTS.
As alarm after alarm proved false, and as the end of the typhoon season was approaching, many residents wore sanguine that the dread visitant would leave us unmolested this year. Our hopes in this respect, however, were not. too promising on Monday when information was received that a typhoon was making direct for the Colony, and they were completely shat- tered on Tuesday morning when the three explosive bombs were fired from the Water Police Station at Tsimchatsoi, and from the Hrbour wind might increase to typhoon force
Office, indicating that the
any moment.
to
355
bodily and dumped near the centre of Con- naught Road. Westward, the damage done was slight. The entrance to the rubbish tip on the way
the harbour office had been blown down, and the tip being fairly full the rubbish was strewn thickly across the street, and emitted a very offensive smell. The Harbour Department bamboo wharf and covering had been entirely swept away, and a number of the smaller piled wharves swayed dangerously as wind and wave lashed agatinst and threatened to demolish them. The French steamers' wharf was damaged a the, shore end, and the houses on either side took a considerable list. Harmston's Circus tent at Kennedy Town had been taken down early, and the animals and effects of the circus were con- veyed to safe quarters before the storm broke.
Eastwards the scene was the same. at
The sea flooded the roadway and inundated the low lying premises at Wanchai but little damage was done. with the matshed thereon, both being washed The Corinthian Yacht Club lost its wooden jetty, away early in the afternoon. None of the yachts suggested that some craft had come to grief bat were exposed to the elements. Floating timbers in most cases they had drifted from one or other of the ship-building yards on the water- front. Bowrington Canal gave shelter to a number of sampans but the bulk of the native flotilla was found at Causeway Bay.
A Triad Society dispute led to a big fight at
When day broke on Tuesday it revealed West Point on Wednesday, when about thirty clouds, Continuous showers of rain fell, and a lowering sky heavy with drifting rain men were engaged in pummelling each other. Three were arrested, and on being brought sharp gusts of wind swept over the Colony, before the Magistrate yesterday one was dis-about one o'clock when Hongkong was assailed increasing in force as the hours passed by until charged, one was remanded and one was sentenced to one month's imprisonment.
with the full force of the gale. Thence on till midnight there were spasmodic gusts, some of brief, and in consequence the damage done to exceptional violence. but fortunately they were property was not so serious as might have been expected.
Mr. Shelton Hooper prosecuted two chair- coolies at the Magistracy on Oct. 22 for refusi ing hire,
The chair was opposite the Club when Mr. Hooper observed it and when he called for it the coolies moved away with the chair. He followed and eventually ascertained
the number of the chair. Mr. Hazeland imposed a fine of $15.
A Chinaman either fell or jumped over board from the steamer Sui Tai on Saturday afternoon just after the vessel had passed Green Island. The young man was observed by an American missionary to rise to the surface and commence to swim. The alarm of "man
overboard was given, the ship turned round, and a life-boat manned aud slung out in readiness to enter the water on the man being seen again. By this time nothing could be seen of him, and the ship after a delay of a quarter of an hour or twenty minutes proceeded on her voyage.
A BANKRUPT PROSECUTED.
At the Magistracy on Friday S. E. Allana, of 55, Hollywood Road, was charged by S. A. Marican, of the cycle depot, Des Voeux Road, for having on May 1st, then being in the employ of complainant, embezzled a gold watch and chain; on May 15th, a sum of $250; and on Aug. 25th obtained a ticket for Calcutta by a false pretence.
Mr. P. W. Goldring, who prosecuted, asked for an adjournment, as the case was likely to last a good while.
1
Mr. F. P. Hett, for defendant, said he would agree to an adjournment if his friend consented to reasonable bail. It must, however, be small, as defendant was a bankrupt and had no friends. His Worship (Mr. Hazeland) asked what sum defendant could put up.
Mr. HettI think, your Worship, we can get $500, but not more. I'may say there is no chance of his going away. He is assisting the
Official Receiver in matters in connection with his bankruptcy and certain prosecutions which are to be taken, and he will not go.
Bail was fixed at $500 and the case was remanded until Friday next.
ACCIDENT TO THE SIMONS.".
46
ERNEST
M. de Champmorin, agent in Hongkong of the Messageries Maritimes Co., communicates the information that the mail steamer Ernest Simons on her outward voyage to China sustained damage on passing Suez Canal, and is
détained at Suez.
An invitation was recently sent by the Chaplain of Holy Trinity Cathedral, Shanghai, to Rev. Cyril ickersteth, of the Community of the Resurrection, Mirfield, to preach a mission in Shanghai, and it is announced that Father Bickersteth hopes to be able to visit Shanghai at the end of February or the beginning of March next,
T
every
At
indication of a stormy day, and many residents
Early in the morning there was of the Peak and Kowloon decided to absent themselves from their offices. Others put in an early in order to catch the last tram or ferry appearance, but when possible left for home There were those, however, who had to remain, and those who dallied until the last convey ance had left, who found themselves marooned in the city. Of these, the Kowloon residents had no alternative but to seek temporary lodgings in Hongkong, but many of the Peakites preferred, rather than remain in the city, to climb the storm-swept hills to their homes. the Shaukiwan service owing to the heavy seas 11 a.m. the Tramway Co. were obliged to stop breaking over the bund, and sweeping great rocks on to the tram line. Shortly afterwards, as the storm gathered in strength, the entire service ceased, and the only means of conveyance on the lower levels was by chair or ricsha. Neither of these methods, however, was pleasaut, the strong gusts of wind threatening to capsize the ricsha or to tear the chair from the shoulders of the bearers. The Star Ferry ceased running about noon, when the explosive bombs heralded the approach of the typhoon, and shortly after- wards the last tram left for the Peak bombs were fired and the black cross hoisted s the the barometer stood at 29.36, but in the after- noon it fell to 29.17, the lowest reading for the day.
The Peak, apparently, encountered the full force of the storm, for all communication was cut off early in the day, and the residents of the higher levels completely isolated. As the gusts of wind swept the city there were the usual scenes of flying signboards, of jalousies being torn from their fastenings or branches stripped from trees, and the usual crashing of glass where windows had not been securely fastened. The side channels could not cope with the ex- cessive flow of water which came down from the hillside, and many streets were flooded. On the Praya the seas were breaking clean over the wall and sweeping across the road, and it was not long before the binding of the macadam was washed away, and the thoroughfare became a mass of loose stones.
ALONG THE WATERFRONT.
Icehouse Street was one of the main thorough. fares yesterday, and down this street crowds of spectators wended their way to view the damage wrought by the storm on the harbour and along the waterfront. The first sight to be seen from this street was the Star Ferry wharf minus the matshed, the building having tumbled with the first fierce gusts of wind. Parts of the fender were also torn asunder by the waves, and drifted with buoys which had slipped their moorings and other wreckage in the harbour. The iron structure above Blake Pier, needless to say, withstood the gale, but the lamp post at the end of the pier was bent, and a matshed at the shore end was lifted
ON THE HARBOUR.
ing danger prepared seamen and boat-people for Fortunately the timely warning of approach-
time in putting into shelter, while early in the the coming storm. Junks and sampans lost no
in other favourable parts. Thus it came to pass morning the river steamers and launches sought
that when the typhoon overtook the Colony the safe anchorages behind Stonecutters Island or
harbour
the larger steamers and a few sailing vessels was practically deserted, only remaining at their anchorages. The sailers were secured by cables, while the steamers ran out two anchors and steamed against the gale. In the afternoon two of the Reinha Amelia dragged their anchors slightly, sailing vessels and the Portuguese cruiser Dona but it was not expected that they would be in any danger before the storm ceased.
A pinnace from the Austrian cruiser Kaiserin Elisabeth return to the cruiser, and the bluejackets aboard was overtaken by the typhoon before she could of her had an anxions time, lying alongside a Hongkong wharf when over- The pinnace was taken by the storm, but the officer in charge of her decided to make an effort to return to the warship. This, however, proved unsuccessful, and the little vessel
was headed for the Naval Yard camber, which she reached in safety. ed to arrive from Shanghai yesterday morning, The German mail steamer Luetzon was expect. but as she did not put in an appearance it was thought that she had been encountered the day to the effect that she had put into Junk typhoon. Information was received later in the Bay until the storm passed. Prince Hsun, who was க recent visitor to Hongkong, is a Prinzess Alice, on her voyage out, was also sighted passengers for Europe by this steamer. The yesterday, but as she did not come into port it is expected that she turned and ran before the
gale,
MISCELLANEOUS,
several Chinese were seen floating near West A rumour was current that the bodies of
Point, but the Police could not confirm this.
unfortunate, their grandstand being once more The Hongkong Football Club were again raised to the ground.
The Emergency Volunteers were not conspicuous. Of course it would have been practically impossible to have done storm was at its height, but if the Volunteers anything at certain stations while the
doubtless have taken up their allotted stations. were animated by a sense of duty they would At Wanchai a praiseworthy member of the brigade stood alene at his post ready for action, and made the dereliction of the others all the greater by contrast.
Thursday
The impressions formed on Tuesday that the typhoon of that day was not of the severity unfortunately experienced in the Colony before were well founded. Subsequent inquiries showed that the wind never actually reached typhoon
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