THE HONG KONG TYPHOON.

Bush Advocate, Volume XXI, Issue 59, 8 September 1908, Page 7

THE HONG KONG TYPHOON.

AN INCIDENT

„-A correspondent thus refers to a sensational rescue by some Jack Tars while the typhoon which did so- much damage at Honk Kong was raging: It was the dead of the night, and this added to the awfulness of .the storm. • Many junks that had not been .able to obtain shelter; were swept i.iabo lit the harbour like spinariy match-boxes. Their crews cried out for 'help, and the voices of the perishing coiild be heard .above^ the fury : of the wjinds ... aid the surging of jjhe seai-ft ; One such, call rjeached the; nien of the Astrea, -one- of his Majesty's ships, which was r iding Oi.it ; the, ty-? phoon .at anchor in ithe^ harjbour. The searchlight was turned on and a junk' waa seen. The" -craft ■"•was- - being 'swept to' destruction, and the 'bk-ll for volunteers for a rescue : party, .rung out on the. warship! True to; the ' traditions of fthe British Navy| plenty of :. >inen!:^jvrere' willing to risk their lij^^mthei'hp'pe^of^saving those in perils r r Atf)6p^bL- ship^jiutter was ■got; 1 by' tw^elve menj un!%^prpj3db Officer M^aughlin, aAE«|hey started for the '^helpless jmajsf Their comrades oil tlieVjship ]£§pt, the searchlight^ going, andf the d^eiict craft : was at last-picked, up.

the Struggle with vThe \ -:r ■'-. WAVES.-' ■■ v ; - : ;• .

Six Chinese were taken off, and the rescuers tried to make their way back to the warship. There was an awful sea running,, and the cutter was often hidden from the watchers on the Astrea. Yet the cutter kept on, one man bailing all the time. All chance of making the warship was abandoned, and the course was altered for the shore. The rescuers afterwards admitted that they never expected to make it, but they fought that sea as coolly as if they were rowing a race at the naval sports. They encouraged each other with cries of "Hang on to her now," "Up with her," "We'll do it," "We'll land all right," and so on. In the midst of the typhoon this fight went on, and the pluck of- the sailorma-n won him through. Getting near the wharf they were in danger of being smashed against the piers, but luckily there were some civilians and two military officers, who had been witnesses of the rescue from ashore, and they waited on the wharf to land the gallant crew and those they :had saved. One of the crew, in jumping out, being almost exhausted, did riot measure his leap properly, and fell into the water. He was pulled out in an unconscious condition. When the crew got out the cry was made that a Chinaman was still in the boat. One of the sailors leaped back into the tossing boa-t in the dark and, somehow, got out another Chinaman, who was lying on the bottom of the boat, with his head cut. The sailor had barely got out when the cutter was smashed against the pier, and sunk. The Chinese clung to their rescuers, crying and thanking them in Chinese. The crew, too, were quite unnerved, which was hardly to be wondered at, since they had been, fighting the storm in an open boat from twenty minutes to twelve till a quarter past one.