Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-10-16
"a EUROPEANS WERE KILLED
Hundreds of Bodies Were Swept in
From the Angry Sea.
SEVENTEEN SHIPS WRECKED
Thieves Looted Baggage Of Passen-
gers-A Bishop Among Those Lost
Scenes of Hartrending Terror.

The steamer Empress of Japan
has arrived at Victoria, B. c., with
advices in relation to the terrific
typhoon which swept over Hong
kong, killing thousands and de-
stroying property valued up in the
millions. From the late accounts
the typhoon lasted for two hours,
and ip contradiction to the former
meager reports, twenty-four Euro
peans lost their lives. The storm
ceased in twinkling, it appears,
with the same almost marvellous
celebrity that it began, and the rays
of the celestial sun fell upon scene
of death and desolation that will go
down in the annals of the worlds
greatest calamities.
VICTORIA, B. c., October 16.-Ten thou
and~lives blotted out, seventeen steamers
and sailing vessels wrecked badly dam
aged, over thousand junks swamped,
turned over or battered to pieces against
the stone walls of the Praya, so per cent Of
the lighters, launches, yachts. households
and small native craft entirely destroyed,
many wharves wrecked, many damaged,
was the result of a typhoen lasting hut two
hours at Hongkong on September 10, &C.
eording to adviees brought by the steamer
Empress of Japan, one Of the few vessels
to escape the disaster, which arrived yes
terday. The Empress Of Japan but a day
before gave place at the Kowloon Com
pany's wharf to the steamer Changsha
which entirely wrecked at the dock.
Kowloon sustained the heaviest loss, but
all sections of Hongkong and the Hinter-
land suffered
There were twenty-four Europeans among
those killed; others were Chinese, mostly
of the boat and junk population. They usu-
ally ran for shelter when the warning gun
was fired, but on the morning of the storm
the signal was fired at $40 and at $50 the
typhoon was at its height. The junkmen
scurried for shelter, colliding with each
other. cutting down yachts households, etc.
Causeway bay. Thousands were soon
thrown into the sea, dashed to fury, with
waves twenty to thirty feet high.
Dashed to Pieces
The wind blew the junks around and sent
them swirling and twisting to be dashed
10 pieces against the Praya, where hun
dreds of junks and sampans were dashed to
match wood and the mangled bodies of the
crews battered against the stone walls
within sight of those shore powerless to
lend aid. The storm ceased as quickly as
IT began. The shone then on scenes
Of unparalleled destruction on Hongkong
This typhoon exceeded all others expe-
yienced there in severity.
Hundreds of Chinese gathered on the sea
'front.', wailing; hundreds of newly made
widows wept bitterly and many stood stolid-
~ looking on as Chinese usually do.
Hundreds of Dead Bodies.
Hundreds of bodies were swept ashore
and the work of carrying them away by
carloads TO impromptu morgues began at
once, corpses being photograp pied in groups
of eight and tagged for Identification
Hundreds of mangled bodies were piled
among the debris and the scenes were sick
ening. 1t evident soon after the storm
began that the shipping would not ride It
out and vessel after vessel dragged, swerv-
ed and was driven on shore, some being pill
ed right among the stately buildings which
line Hongkongs front. The Canadian
Pacific steamer Monteagle. which drove
ashore at Kowloon, broke the French gun
boats Fronde and Francique adrift and
both were driven ashore the latter being a
total wreck and five of her officers were
drowned. The steamers Kwong Chow and
Albatross both foundered with all hands,
each vessel having only a white master and
engineer. The loss of life on the larger
craft. however. was not as great, the Junk
men contributing the larger bulk of the
dead. The identified Europeans are:
Bishop ]. C. Hofer. bishop of Hongkong,
whose junk capsized when he was bound on
q preaching voyage to a fishing village.
Mr.. w f. Donaldson, wife and two chill
dren. who were on the steamer Kwong
Chow
Capt Patrick and Chief Engineer Wallace
of the steamer Albatross.
Capt Mead and Chief Engineer Morgan of
the Kwong Chow and Capt. Maxfeld and
chief Engineer ]. Williamson of the steam
or Hongkong.
List of Steamers.
list of the steamers sunk, ashore or
damaged follows:
lBasogan. Kwong Chow, Albatross, Perse-
verance.
Ashore-steamers Monteagle afterward