The Caledonian-record. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1920-current, 1922-12-18
TELLSST0RY OF
TYPHOON that
KILLED $4,000
Writes From China and
Describes SwatOn
Disaster

A. F. Ufford, writing the editor
of the Burlington Free press Of
the terrible consequences of the
typhoon in Swallow, China, gives a
vivid picture of the catastrophe
which took heavy toll of lives.
, Newspaper accounts of the disas-
ter said the number Of dead was
$4,000. The letter follows:
To the Editor of the Free Press:
In the Literary Digest for Sep
TENDER 9, 1922, appears the follow
ing quotations from Science Ser
vices Science News Bulletin. "The
dead number 10000 and the home
less 100000 in China's latest war
with nature. This decisive victory
of the elements is recorded but
briefly in the daily press. In spite
of the few seconds necessary for
wirelessed bulletin to travel here
the disaster is so far away geo
graphically and racially that strike
ridden America has little time to
think about it. In a more advanced
country, where internal strife has
not upset the normal protective
forces of applied science, ty-
phoon would be predicted and
avoided with little loss of life"
The Swatow disaster was terri
bic in its consequences. Just how
the normal protective forces of
applied science" would navigate a
steamship after a tidal wave had
carried it over the bund is rather
hard to imagine Certainly the
officers and men on the ship which
were washed out Of the bay and
onto the land at Swallow were
quite up to the. average of seamen
in intelligence and courage. The
fact of the matter is that a ty-
phoon in any sea, or in its course
inland, is terribly tough custom
eT. .s gkEF
Some weeks after the SwatoW
flood MOKanShan, 4 summer resort
$50 miles inland from Shanghai,
was visited by a typhoon. On Aug
ust 81 the newspapers warned US
of the approaching visitor. With
the wind came the rain in a
downpour that lasted for SO hours
without interruption. Brooks.
drains, cutters, We're soon filled to
overlooking At about four O'Clock
on September 1 the water, which
had been soaking into the earth
for two days and a night without
interruption, suddenly burst out in
many different places. Land, trees,
stones, slid down the hill until
they found an obstacle strong
enough to hold them.
On Mokanshan is a swimming
pool which has been built at con
siderable expense by the residents.
Just at this time three persons
were at the pool. The Rev. ?. J.
King, of Shaohing, and Robert
Wilson, son of the Rev. Robert
Wilson of Bethel, Vt, were in the
pool and Mrs. King had lust gone
out. Suddenly without warning.
the lawn from a house 100 feet
above slid down into the pool. A
wave was created which carried
Mr.. King 20. feet down the noun
tain, killing him instantly. The
Wilson boy, who was in the shall
low pait, escaped with Severe
though not serious bruises. Mrs.
King was badly injured but man
aged to escape from the debris.
The lawn which slipped into the
pool had been built "a years, vet
when the amount of water was
more than the bitches could carry
1t sank into the ground and carried
everything with it to the pool. At
ter the tragedy the pool was filled
with dirt and had in it several
bamboo trees which had come
down in an upright position and
gave every appearance of having
been transplanted.
Wherever the typhoon Of Sep
TENDER l hit the land it carried
destruction. The list of counties in
which life and property have been
lost IS a long one. Taichow. Ming
pc, kinhwa, Shaohing, Nyiwn,
Tongyiang, Mongkong, probably
half of province of Chekiang suf-
tered. Floods on the lowlands;