The Washington times., 1922-10-15
coast.
tTOWNSRAVhCED.
by TYPH0ONs
Ships Go to Depths Of Ocean
Death and Dsvastation
Follow In Wake.
BY EDNA LEE BOOKER.
InternatlonaI NeNs seryiee.

Auterna1onoi News borvseo.
SHANGHAI. Oct. 14.-.Typhoons
Of an unusually devastating and ter
r.fying nature have been sweeping
the. China coast this summer season.
csrryins death and dsstrdctions An
Typhoon aftar typhoon, one tsr-
rific storm scarcely over before an.
other breaks. has ravaged the China
coast. causing loss OF many thou
sand lives and a property loss Of mil
lions OF dollars.
The Swatow typhoon In the great
est tragedy that has occurred ip
China for many years, and although
weeks have passed since the terrify.
ing disaster. when tidal wave and
wind wrecked the city, relief workers
are having O difficult time In bring.
Ing back the city to normal.
Coffins by the thousands are being
made, hundreds Of dollars are being
| raised, and relief organizations are
| still sending their workers to meet
the needs OF the stunned people.
Tourists Frightened.
Tourists who have been arriving
In China on the great ocean liners
and China residents who have been
going to or returning from the sum.
| mer resorts along the coast arrive In
Shanghai telling terrible tales of sea
travel during the typhoons. Steamers
have been dashed on the rocks by the
fury OF the storms-have had to ride
In the trough Of the waves to prevent
being blown ashore. have had many
narrow escapes. ....
A number OF the less fortunate
steamers have sunk. Their cargoes
and passengers were sucked into the
| whirlpools which characterize the
typhoons.
| One man tells q story Of three days
In a typhoon enroute from Kobe.
Japan. to Tientsfn, China. During
the storm five awe-inspiring water
spouts were seen. The waterspouts,
which are whirling columns Of air
and water extending from the angry
sea to the threatening heavens, travel
at terrific rate of speed and dash to
pieces any fishing vessels or steamers
which happen to be in their path.
The waterspouts are the vampires of
the sea, and they glory In dashing
men to death. . -
! The mountain resorts of China suf.
fcred greatly from the winds that
swept through the valleys in terrific
gales, uprooting great trees and
blowing houses from their founda.
tions. Cloudbursts caused many
landslides. and foreigners and Chi.
nese were carried down the noun.
tainsides and buried In the earth and
| stones. .....-E. n aF
Missionary Killed. 81
One Of the most tragic deaths was
that Of the Rev. Percy King. q lead
ing missionary in China. He was in
bathing in a pool when he noticed
that the land below the Southern
Methodist Mission cottage was NOV.
ing. He called q warning to a num-
ber Of other missionaries, also swim.
ming, but before heicould swim to
the shore the landslide swept into the
little pool, and he<was caught In the
overflowing water and swept down
rome two hundred yards on the rocks
Into q second pool, where he was
\ found dead. f..
i There were many amusing expert.
ences. Shanghai caught the tail ends
LOT a number Of storms. the force OF
the wind being so great that street
cars, rickshaws and automobiles were
temporarily barred from travelling
on the Bund. One woman riding in
a motor car reached into her bag to
take out a veil to tie on her hat.
When she opened her purse the wind
swept in, carrying a roll Of SO bills
from her bag. and before the car
could be stopped about 800 was
whisked away, and all efforts to find
even one of the $40 bills proved futile.
Romances Ripen.
/ A number of summer romances
have eliminated in marriage because
Of the typhoons. Pu Too, the sacred
island Of China, where no one has
ever been born or allowed to die, 10
a popular weekend resort for Shang-
hal residents. Weekend excursions
are run during the summer months
to this beautiful little island, where
sea bathing il possible. Several Of
the boats running to Pu Too have
been caught In typhoons and forced
to anchor for two and three days
until the storm passed. Any number
OF young couples he'd up by the ty.
phoons have returned to Shanghai
engaged.