Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1874-11-16
AWFUL CATASTROPHE.
LOSS OF 10000 LIVES BY TYPHooN IN
CHINA-FULL DETAILS.
Say FRANCISCO. November Sth.

IHlNA-fILL DETAILS
SAN Francisco, November Sth.
A Hong Kong paper Of September 20,
just received, says: at is cur painful
duty to record the most appalling disas-
ter that ever occurred in this country.
A typhoon of unprecedented violence
ragged throughout the colony on Tuesday
night and Wednesday morning. Not "a
single ship escaped unchanged, and the
casualties and loss of life exceed any
thing ever before placed upon record.
This city, after the occurrence, present
ed the appearance of town which had
been beseiged. In all directions were
seen roofess and shattered houses and
crumbling walls: roads strewn right and
left with debris, and the wreck of boats
and trees. some of gigantic size, torn up
BY the roots. All business has been sus-
pended, and oppressive silence reigns
over the colony. The Press of October
Sd, says: 1.-The loss at Hong Kong and
Macao is not less than 5000 lives. YES
sells arriving report meeting dead bodies
long distance before reaching port, and
corpses are daily washed ashore in vari-
Gus parts of the island. The damage
done to property is larger than anticipat-
ed. In Hong Kong alone the loss of
property by the destruction of vessels,
buildings and general merchandise, viii
reach S5,000.000. The steamer Alaska.
<ah1eL v~as blown ashore at A Derdeen,
has not yet been got of. The boats of
the, Spanish steamer Albay were lifted
above the masts by the typhoon and
came down with crash.
A correspondent at Macao writes that
the typhoon was of the most terrific char
acter. Early on Wednesday, the tidal
wave broke on shore with awful violence,
sweeping everything before it. When
the tempest was at its height, fires broke
out in six different places, maiciously
caused by pirates for spoils. The church
of Stanton and large number of houses
in the neighborhood were completely
burned down. Many people lost every
thing they had and were rendered home
less. Macao was laid in ruins, and the
misery thus entailed upon hundreds of
its residents is fearful, while the loss of
life was enormous. 1t is computed that
over 10000 lives were lost in Macao
alone. -Four days after, the efluvia arts
ing from the thousands Of decomposing
bodies was so great that the soldiers re-
VOTED and refused to bury any more
bodies. The Governor, fearing that a
plague would follow if the bodies were
not disposed of, ordered them to be burn
ed 1000 bodies were cremated, the
troops first covering the corpses with tar
and then setting the heap ON fire.
The loss of life around and in the vi
cinity of Hong Kong will exceed 1000.
A large number OF Europeans are among
the killed. The whole number of lives
lost viii number over 10000 souls. The
amount of property destroyed goes far
into the millions. 4 slight shock of
earthquake was experienced at the same
time as the tidal wave and typhoon. The
United States steamer Alaska was moor
ed on the Aberdeen side of the islands.
After getting to her wharf on the 22d.
the storm burst with terrible fury. Her
new hawsers parted like threads. She
dragged her anchors and struck on the
opposite shore with her living freight.
She was carried bow on to the rocks with
terrific force. At first pounding greatly,
then listing to starboard and resting
quietly. Aberdeen is almost entirely
destroyed. and the dock is fearfully dam
aged An attempt to float the Alaska
on the 9th of September. failed, but
the captain Is sanguine of getting her off
ultimately. The vessel is not damaged.