Omaha daily bee., 1906-09-19
tUNDREOs or PERSONS PROBABLY DROWN
L s, Of Life is Greatest Among House
boats in River Pearl.
MANY MERCHANT SHIPS DAMAGED
French, British, German and Jap
snese ships Are Driven Ashore or
Dnmaeed in CoIIisiou-Piers
Are Demolished.

The ma rbor lie literally strewn with wreck
age and the streets of the city arc blocked
with debris.
An unidentified steamer llided with the
British steamer Str 2, seriously
damaging the latter. q
The British steamer Loory> collided
with the British steamer csz with
slight damage. ~.
The river boat Fatshang !, Z> the
French mail boat Polynesian. ~
The British steamer Monteagle, tho. >>
man steamer Signal, the German steA *>
Emma Luyken, the British stean<f,
ChanRsha. the German steamer sexta, thu
Kowloon ferryboat and a water boat were
driven ashore.
The American steamer Sorsogon and the
German steamer Johanne are awash.
A Japanese steamer is stranded on Kel-
let's island.
The British river gunboat Moorhen is
leaking badly, one French torpedo boat
destroyer is ashore and two other dragged
their anchors the entire length Of the
harbor.
The British steamer Empress of japan
was saved by the dock companys tugs
keeping II steady.
The American steamer 8. p. Hitchcock
was driven high and dry on shore.
The British river steamers Kwong Chow,
San Cheung and Sun Lee foundered. The
French steamer Charles Hardouin was
damaged. The little Chinese steamer Wing
Chai was beaohed.
Numerous steam launches ana lighters
foundered ana most Of the wooden piers on
the water front are demolished.
1 Late sstimates show that 100 lives were
Lost and millions of dollars worth of dam
age was done during the typhoon.
storsu Comes without warning.
Although the barometer was low this
morning thsrs was nothing to presage
hurrtcane. Under ordinary precautions.
the usual harbor work was in progress
when the storm struck the shipping with
out warming Vessels pitched ashore
along the water front and fhe sdooks and
sea walls were strewn with wreckage
Ocean liners, junks. sampans and ferry
boats were piled up in the streets ana the
flooded high ways blocked with the wreck
age.
The greatest loss Of life was among the
natives. Pearl river was crowded with
boats and the storm sent hundreds TO the
bottom. a
Among the few ships in the harbor
which escaped damage is the Empress of
Japan. The British steamer Monteagls
Is ashore. but no casualties on It have
been reported.
The French torpedo boat destroyer
Froude, was damaged in a collision and
twenty persons were lost. The American
sailing ship 8. p. Hitchcock. was thrown
high and dry.
The British government oficials i'm
mediately started to clear away the
debris and soldiers and sailors are try
ing TO save the drowning and succor the
homeless.
Description of Ships.
NEW YORK. Sept. 1s-The British
steamer Monteagle arrived at Hong Kong
September IA from Vancouver and Homo
lulu. The steamer registers a.ts2 tons not.
is rs feet long, 52.2 feet beam and z7.2
in depth. II was built at New Castle in
1889.
The German steamer Johanne sailed
from Deli. an island on Java, August L
The Johanne was built at Lunbeck. Ger
many. in 1903, registers s62 tons net, is 8s
feet long. 49, feet beam and ISL feet in
depth. II is owned by NJ. Jebsen.
The British steamer Fatshan built
at Leith In 1887 and Is owned by the Hons
Kong. Canton and Macao Steamboat COM
pany and the China Navigation company
of Hong Kong. The steamer registers
Las tons net, II go feet long. 81 feet beam
and i0.2 feet In depth
The British steamer San Cheung was
built at Hong Kong In 1904 Is of $50 tons
register, leeS feet long, 3S1 feet beam.
9.l feet depth and is owned by the cheung-
on Steamboat company OF Hong Kong.
The German steamer. Emma Duyken, had
recently arrived At Hong Kong from Mauri-
titus. II was built at F1ensburg In 1891 and
is owned by the Hanseatische DampfcT
company OF Hamburg. The Emma Luyken
is OF i,ios net tons register e6ss feet long
81 feet wide and 17s deep.
Hong Kong Is an island situated In the
> China sea, on the coast OF China, from
which il Is separated By a narrow strait
1t was decided to Great Britain by treaty
in isle The roadstead has well pro
teeted anchorags, Victoria the eapsta.
dtself ccnnnoIAly called Hong Rongl. a
situated on a isAagniheent hay of the sarnt
name. setting up into the north sea o
the island. Hong kaas is a great center
OF the foreign trade oi China, Total ex
ports are roughly estimated at sl25, 600 90
and imports st s0a0oaGo@ AS Rritial
colony on Chineee soil Il ~ the most I'm
portant In it's political and defensive posi
tlon ana is the headquarters OF the nili
tary, naval and mercantile Embellishments
The population OF Hong Kong, the city
is about zSooo.