The morning journal-courier., 1908-09-30
TYPHOON DESCRIBED
Amos P Wilder, Formerly of This City, Sends Paper
 from Manila
PEOPLE COULD NOT ESCAPE
Warning Sent from ManiIa--Wmd Blew Ninety Miles m
 Hour.

Amos ?, Wilder, formerly editor of one of the local papers and a Yale graduate, now American consul at Hong Kong, has sent a copy of tho overland China Matl' to friends here giving a graphic account of the great typhoon of July 27, which swept Hong Kong harbor and tho Canton river so dlsastrously
 The paper goes into q detail of dc- scrption for which there is no space here. It appears that the Manila ob- servatory gave tclcgraphic warning on the morning of July 21 that typhoon was moving west across the China sea, The barometer fell so that that afternoon the black signal of "ty- phoon coming" was raised, and the harbor craft began scudding for shel- ter How serious matter that is over there may be inferred from the fact that tens of thousands of families know no home except the boats they live in. There Isn't a spot on earth that is their own. Il is save them selves and their homes when danger threatens
 Causeway hay offered the refuge for harbor boats but it couldn't begin 70 | hold them all Those excluded went as rule 10 smash on the shore, the Inmates drowning In the wreckage l The storm broke in all its crazy fury l about T o'clock at night, the three guns signalling it's outburst The wind rose to ninety miles m hour Buildings collapsed, trees went over. vessels dragged ashore, junks, light era. and sampans were hurled in all directions Hong Kong harbor seems to the passing visitor only strait not broad enough for a great sea, but the waves ran twenty feet high.
 Ships had prepared as well as they could for the trouble of which they had had warning but many of them dragged their anchors and were wreck ed The British warship Astraea flash ed her electric searchllght about | through the rain and scud and was of great help in that way and her crew, | true to the splendid traditions of Brit lsh seamanship risked their lives in small boats rescuing people from wrecks that drifted by II was A night of horror, and strange detail of 1t all was that, as rescued Chinamen were set on land, saved by one or another party, they melted silently one by one 1 into the dark mo thanks to their res- cuers, no inquiry about or concern for their associates or shipmates
 One of the big Canton river steam CTS the Wing King, foundered on her way to Honstong and out of about BOO people on the boat fifty were saved Al ! Canton rcd tape contributed to cause many deaths The authorities forbade | the river craft to hitch 10 bridge, and hundreds that might have been saved were swept away and lost
 The damage runs up into tho millions and vet isn't half what 1t would have been had no attention been paid to the Manila warning One also happened two years ago and then many more lives were lost though the storm wasn't so severe No one who hasn't experienced a typhoon can know all Its horror-the heat, the binding lightning the roar of wind and rain, the crash of tumbllng buildings and tho helplessness Of man In the midst of all the ruin Possibly our West Indian hurricanes are as dreadful visitors Fortunately their strength ia dsspated before they get up our way