, 1874-11-15


. which seemed to indicate that slight shack
'' an earthquake occurred wLllo the typhoon VI
Q raging.
0 Tho weather at present is falr. but continu,
: unusually hot for this time OF year. Tho CT
nese however, predict that another typhoon wi
!, ! occur shortly. They name the 4th inst IT.
. morrow III the day; but 40 far az can be Judge
by the indications of the barometer, there doc
i not appear to bo any foundation for their fears
THE STEAMER ALASKA
k1ng toet y, Correspondence cf ts san Franets<
Tho ALASKA arrived on the 1st Of septembe
witt, broken shaft. and was taken to tie Abe,
} deem side OF the Islands, docked aud recoppered
after leuving the dock she WAS hauled to til
stream and moored where she remained Will
preparations wore being made to receive the ne,
shaft. These being completed, On the Afternoon
OF Sept. %, Capt. Van Sice securely moored be
to the dock, IS We all thought, every line in III
ship in use-all new hawsers, from to l
| inches. Al 7 p. m. the anchor WAS dropped
About tue same time
! THE WIND BEGAN BLOWING
fresh, the sky overcast With black ant
threatening clouds. The barometer wal
falling rapidly. BY 10 ?. m. it was evident
was approaching. At II o'clock one Of the nov
9-inch hawse1s parted. and WIS made fast again
| At l2:15 q. m. the typhoon burst upon us with
terrible fury; the lines parted one after an.
other like 80: many Stands Of thread. After
| they broke. paid out Is and IS fathoms Of chain
She Immediately began to drag her anchor,
and in few minutes struck stem on the op-
Posita shore. The anchors kept her from going
I hroadside on the rocks. The junks came down
on her port quarter, striking her very hard mo.t
Of them sinking. Tie barometer still falling
at 2:30 8. m was down to $3.50, and the tvphoon
| WAS At it's greatest height ! was standing near
the rldder-post trying to protect myself from
tile storm, when my attention vas attracted to .
| jpF drift fffr~ 1n,pt ,t,.
blaze. She went Under the Alanka, and for d
| few minutes remained entaneled in tho Fudder-
chains thought OF the terrible diBas-
ter TINT passed through two yeara
before on the ill-fated America, aud I
| did not know but we would have q
repetition. went forward and gave the alarm
Capt. Van Sice ordered tho hose stretched and
| everything in order to extinguish the FIRE. but
fortunately for us VT weso not obliged to use the
fire apparatus. 4 sea struck The Junk and drift
ed her in between the ship and Shore aud in less
than minute the Alaska crushed aud sunk her.
JUNKs CRUSHED TO PIECES
Tho ship was lying within 80 feet Of the per-
pend1cular rocks that lined the shore, and the
junks and smaller water-boa.s were DRIFT
lug in between the shlp and the shore,
sud she was breaking to pieces and sink-
ing them By the score. few minutes after
striking, two large junks went into the port
wheel, before they went to pieces succeeded 10
sa7lnG twonts-fve men, women, and children by
taking them through the port leading to the
wheel. 4 Hhol t time aftorward another junk
struck :; fourteen Of tho poor wrctches most Of
them women aUd children, clambered in tho
Wheel and would have been Bared had not tro-
mendous gust Of wind struck the ship Just at
that moment, sweeping them I'LL off. The Junk
went down. While the typl,oon was raging with
awful fury tho wind suddenly shifted and va bo-
gan to drift again, no ono knew where, ~ 1t Was
intensely dark.
THE SHIP CARRIED ON THE ,cKs
1n few minutes after tho xilp struck again,
bow on this time and with tremendous force,
The wind caught her under the statboard quar-
ter. carrying her on the rocks broadside to- Sho
began to pound aud thump herself, and wa all
thought she would 60 to pieces but after
snort time she rested quietly, listing to stat
board and making but little water, not mora than
she would under ordinary circumstances. It
was. or seemed TO US. the longest night wo ever
each OF us when dawn first breke upon us. At $50
e. u' got l.fe-rope ashore and the Captain WAS
aoto to make out the ships position she WAS
tl1ree-quarters Of mile below Aberdeen. The
typtoon had subsidized by this time. and the
barometer was going up. Shortly after. I went
down through tha Wheel aud through the MD Of
8 sam-pan got ashore. WAS glad when nv feet
rested once again on terra frma. Every one was
exhausted, and our Captain most Of all He was |
unt'r1ng IN his exertions in trying to save the
ship aud our lives. After getting ashore set |
down on rock to rest for few moments, and |
those few moments we're the most melancholy |
oncs OF my life. began to realize
THE TERRIBLE EFFECTS OF THE T1pHooN.
Tho water far ont to sen was covered With |
floating wrecks and the ehore was lined with |
hundreds of the most wretched-looking human
beings ever saw IN my life. A few hundred |
- a,ds from where we are is quite large blight,
and into it had drifted over 900 large
fish ling junks, and sa1n-pans almost innumcra-
bie. Every one was broken to pieces. The peo-
pie that wore able to work were striving to savo
their used up property, and those that were not |
sblo were trying to drag themselves to Aber-
ieeD: Old men and women and little children
barely able to walk composed the throng. Que
I'D woman. nearly 3d. should judge, came tot
eEing along with not sufficient clothine to cover
ler; sue WAS covered with bruises and cuts No
one took any notice Of her. She would go few
Get and fall exhausted !; she managed to get to
he dock-yard. A fow minutes after passed BY
md found her dead At $40 \. IN. I went, at
be request Of the Captain. to Hong Kong to in
orm the Company's agent Of our con-
lltlon. By good luck secured q couple Of
oolies and chnr: On the way overlook man
lmost naked, and 30 tirel that he could hardly
Ealk. | stopped few minutes to hear hin
tory; it VAS short and sad. He bud boen Cap
aln Of Siameso bark; between II and o'clock
ls vessel struck Green Island, aud, in less than
;apta1n was the only person saved. After being |
Iashed from tue wreck be caught hold of a {
'ece OF floating spar. and with some Of the
opes attached he lashod himself to it; and {
"'oa oAAtlt!H Auuuh loT uGaEiy seven 6ourB. Was
nally washed ashore few yards below the /
laska ,
After rounding the point at Pokefoolum. I s
anne in sight of Green Island saw large veg
y y hoatiug out to sea bottom up, and an t
! full view OF Hong Kong and the harbor, and it :;
as desolate tight. indeed vessels stranded {
n the shore, others broken to pieces and only | a
'e 1uasts above water; what few remained | c
ere either disnasted or the bare 1ulls remain !
49, and OF the thousands OF native boats of all i
nds. not q single. one was floating, | t
wing in front OF the Pacific Mail wharf, Q
: whclo it used to be, is the wreck OF t
rye barge. Nearly all the wall facing i
'e i'raya Is gone; two steamers are sunken 10 y
ont of Douglass Lsprale Wharf.-The Albav q
I'd Leanore. The latter just arrived at the r
Of the typhoon from Manila. It Il
sad she had 200 Chinese passengera under her .
atches; the Captain and nearly all the crew a
ere lost. The Captain was found washed
hore nearly to Queens Road,-the main
rect. Aberdeen is alnaost entirely de- 4
Eoyed, aud the 'Wornpoa Dock Company's b
'operty damaged to the amount Of s4u -
.. Many lives wero lost here. Amopp the r
'hr.s Of one small building I connted F