News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1883-10-18
IN HONG KONG HARBOR.
The Outside Edge of TyphOOn aud the
Trouble il Makes.

The harbor of Hong Kong presents at
night a scene that for beauty of pecu-
liar kind is probably not Unsurpassed all the
world over. The mountain upon the
base of which the city is built, circles
round the bay like a huge amphitheatre,
and the streets, rising one above the
other from the waters edge to Tar up
the hillside, are Illuminated by myrlads
of Chinese lanterns that hang over every
door, and almost over every window.
These successive tiers OF lights are
again reflected in the shlmmerlng
waters below, across which fit lnces-
sanity the tiny lanterns OF the numerous
''sanpans" that ply among the shipping.
But Hong Kong harbOr presents very
different aspect when n typhoOn Is rag
ing. At the present season (July) these
terrific whirlwinds-sOme OF them hVe
hundred miles in diameter-contlnlaL
traverse the China Sea; and III 1871 the
centre of one passed over Hong Kong
itself. On that occasion the waters OF
the little bay. only a mile or two across,
were dashed into such fury that great
steamers were torn from their mOOrings
and hurled against the Quays. The san
pans. which may be termed the gondolas
of Chinese 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 desh-
nation by three generations. The grand
mother pulls the bow oar, the son or
daughter-in-law the stroke, and the
youngest born baby, who has probably
never been out Of the boat, holds the
tiller
The memory of the typhOon of 1874
is still vivid in Hong Kong, and the
floating population live i'll continual ter
rOr of being caught by such another.
A day or two before [ left the island the
outside edge of one passed over us, and
] witnessed the panic which prevailed
during its progress. The day had been
sultrv in the extreme. Even the spar
rows seemed exhausted, and when at
midnight sudden gust of hot wind was
followed by 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 SAN
pans and cargo boats, and ashore the
people hastily arose and nude fast Their
Changing shutters. The steamships got
up SlGllll, anu IIIG 0tlii1lIS hNFoNA'' ANAhI
down their upper spars. In short, there
was uproar all over Hong Kong. AT
first there was but little wind below, but
high up in the clouds the air could be
heard to surge along in an OmlnOus and
continuous moan. BY morning 1t was
blowing a strong gale, which every min
ute increased i'll force. The steamers
were leaving their anchorage to seek
better shelter over near the mainland,
and the wrecks of numerous sanpans,
with floating bales of goods, strewed
the waters. The helpless misery OF the
families suddenly forced to leave then
homes and take refuge on shore was pitt
able to witness, but, fortunately, the
veer of the wind, as the cyclone marched
along, showed by noon that the worst
had passed. Everybody in Hong Kone
has thoroughly mastered the laws of cir
cular storms. 1t was known that the
dreaded centre had gone by, and the
panic abated rs suddenly as it hat
arisen.