The Mathews journal. (Mathews C.H. [Court House]) 1903-1937, 1907-01-31
DEATH SWEEP IN
HONGKONG PORT
Fifty Boats Wrecked, a Hundred
Lives Lost.
LAST SEPTEMBER STORM RECALLED
Terrible Havoc Wrought in Ten
Minutes Casualties Among the
White Population - Chinese Junks
Capsized and the HarbOr Uttered
With Wreckage.

Hongkong (By Cable) A terrific
storm broke over Hongkong Monday
morning, and in the space OF 10 min
utes sank over SO Chinese craft in
the harbOr, more than a hundred ma
Jives being drowned. There were no
casualties among the white popula-
tton. Launches from the shore res
cued many occupants of the swamp
ed boats.
The harbor was Uttered with the
wreckage from the sunken junks.
During the blow the river steamer
Paul Bean broke adrift, but she was
brought to an anchor without suS-
tanning any damage
The last great storm that swept
over Hongkong and other ports In
China was on the 18th. of last Sep
tember. The damage at Hongkong
and Kowleon was S20.000,000. The
entire fleet of fishing junks was sunk
and II steamships and sailing vessels
were wrecked or badly damaged,
and 10000 lives were lost Most
of those killed were Chinese, but
there were "a Europeans among
them. The storm lasted only two
hours, and ceased as quickly as it
began.
Mondays storm was not as de-
structive as the typhoons which come
In the spring and fall, and from which
ports on the China Sea have suffered
so much. These tropical cyclones,
which are defined by the Chinese as
Winds which blow from the four
sides at once" first come in view in
the southern port of the China Sea
and take northeastern course, de-
stroying shipping that is in their
path. Great damage has been done
by typhoons in the Philippine Is
lands, Formosa, Hongkong and as
far north as Japan.
They have been encountered far
out in the Pacific Ocean on the lati-
tudes of Japan. They occur in the
late summer and in the autumn. and,
except in minor details, are similar
to the hurricane of the West Indies
and the North Atlantic.
The center of typhoon, around
which the wind blows in circles, is
usually calm which varies in dia-
meter from one-tenth to one-ffth of
the storm area. In the right hand
half of the storm disk the wind al
ways changes to the right of the
point from which it blows, while in
the left hand it changes to the left.
When caught in such a storm the
first change OF wind will indicate to
the careful seaman what side of the
storm center he is on, and by quick
tacking he may avoid the fury of
the gale. The greatest damage is
done to ships in harbors where the
vessels are at the mercy of the storm,
particularly If at anchor.
Hongkong is an island lying off
the southeast coast of China. at the
month of the Chu-Kiang, and be-
longs to Great Britain 1t is rs
miles southeast of Canton, and is
separated from the mainland of
China by narrow passage The is
land contains % square miles. and
is nine miles long by four wide. 1t
is rocky and bare, with numerous
deep and narrow but fertile valleys.
The population has increased
greatly since the island became a
British colony in 1871. and the city
OF Victoria. the capital, on the
northern end of the island, has about
100000 residents, principally Chin
ese. There are about 100000 people
on the island, in smaller towns, vii
lagos and outlying districts.