ENG-1962 — Page 25

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In 1861 Lieutenant Henry George Thomsett, RN, was appointed harbour master and marine magistrate, a post he was to hold for 27 years. In common with other civil servants of his day he had to obtain a bond of $2,000 as security for the discharge of his duties. He also held the titles of superintendent of the gunpowder depot and customs officer. In 1866 the harbour office moved from its original site near Wyndham Street to Morrison Street. No details are available about the new office, but apparently it was necessary to re-construct the building after only eight years.

The first important shipping legislation undertaken by Lieutenant Thomsett was the Harbour and Coast Ordinance No 2 of 1866, which provided for greater control over junks and harbour craft. Figures in the harbour master's annual report for 1867 show that there were 31,561 junks with 325,380 persons on board. One of the immediate effects of the introduction of the Harbour and Coast Ordinance was the disappearance of all junks from the harbour and the departure of about 2,000 other Chinese from the Colony. After this initial scare, however, the Chinese merchants were re- assured and applications for junk licences numbered over 2,000 in the next 12 months.

Between 1862 and 1884 six severe typhoons affected Hong Kong, all causing much damage to shipping in the harbour. One of the worst of these typhoons, on 23rd September 1874, caused the death of 200 crew members of merchant ships. Thirty-seven vessels were driven ashore or seriously damaged, seven being a total loss. The floating population suffered badly, losing 640 harbour craft and at least 672 lives. A few years later a member of the Legislative Council estimated that between four and five thousand people in the Colony had lost their lives during the typhoon. In the harbour master's report of 14th October 1874, Lieutenant Thomsett stated that several ships were lost because their masters had not kept an eye on their barometers. Following the 1874 typhoon public opinion demanded that Government take action to safeguard the floating population and the Causeway Bay typhoon shelter, estimated to have cost £16,000, was opened in 1880.

It is axiomatic that no centre of shipping and trade can exist without banking facilities and in this field of activity two banks