Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1883-10-10
HoNGKoNG TYpHooNs.

The harbor of Hongkong presents at
night scene that for beauty of peculiar
kind is probably not surpassed all the world
| over. The mountain upon the base of which
the city is built circles round the bay like
huge amphitheater, and the streets ris-
| ing one above the other, from the waters
edge to far up the hillside, are illuminated
by myriads of Chinese lanterns that hang
over every door, and almost over every win.
dow. These successive tiers of lights are
again reflected in the shimmering waters
below, across which fit necessarily the tiny
lanterns of the numerous sanpans" that
ply tamong the shipping But Hongkone
harbor presents very different aspect when
a typhoon is raging. At the present sea-
son July these terrific whirlwinds-some
of them five hundred miles in diameter
continually traverse the China sea and in
1874 the center of one passed over Hong
kong itself. On that occasion the waters
of the little bay, only mile or two across,
were lashed into such fury that great steam
ers were torn from their moorings and
hurled against the quays. The sanpans.
which may be termed the gondolas of Chi.
nese waters, were all wrecked, and most of
the families who lived upon them were
drowned. When sanpan is chartered the
fare is rowed to his destination by three
generations. The grandmother pulls the
bow oar, the son or daughter.in-law the
stroke, and the youngest born baby. " no
probably has never been out of the boat.
holds the tiller.
The memory of the typhoon of 1874
still vivid in Hongkong, and the floating
population live in continual terror of being
caught by such another. a day or two be-
fore left the island the outside edge OF
one passed over us, and l witnessed the
panic which prevailed during its progress.
The day had been sultry in the extreme.
Even the sparrows seemed exhausted, and
when at midnight a sudden gust of hot
sWind was followed by a steady rush of air
IN the atmosphere above, an alarm was
quickly raised in the harbor. Shouts of
terror that could be heard all over the city
arose from the crowds of anchored sanpans
and cargo boats, and ashore the people
hastily arose aud made fast their changing
shutters. The steamships got up steam,
and the sailing vessels sent down their up
per spars, In short, there was uproar all
over Hongkong. At first there was but
little wind below, but high up in the
clouds the air could be heard to surge
along in an ominous and continuous moan.
By morning it was blowing strong gale,
which every minute increased in force.
The steamers were leaving their anchorage
to seek better shelter over near the MAN,
land, and the wrecks of numerous sanpans,
with floating bales of goods, strewed the
waters. The helpless misery of the fami-
lies suddenly forced to leave their homes
and take refuge on shore was pitiable to
witness, but, fortunately, the veer of the
wind, as the cyclone marched along, showed
by noon that the worst had passed. Every.
body in Hongkong has thoroughly mas
tered the laws of circular storms. 1t was
known that the dreaded center had gone
by, and the panic abated as suddenly as IL
had arisen. = Correspondence London
Standard.