TYPHOON'S HORRORS.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 291, 2 September 1908, Page 7

TYPHOON'S HORRORS.

GREAT LOSS OF LIFE. STEAMER .YINC KING WRECKED. : HUNDREDS DROWNED. {cr TELEGRAM— I'RESS ASSOCIATION—COFmOHT.) Port Darwin, September 1. Eastern files show tlmt in the late typhoon at Hong-Kong eight hundred business boats and junks, elovon guardships, four revenue cuttors, and tWenty steam launches were destroyed, along with the river passenger steamer Ying King, 768 tons. • The Ying King carried four hundred and thirty passengers (including two Europeans), of whom only twelve wero saved. The drowned included Captain Page and the two European passengers. The loss of life during the typhoon was very great, aiid will probably never be accurately known. Four hundred houses were destroyed. A GRAPHIC ACCOUNT. HOW A BRITISH WARSHIP'S CREW .RESCUED CHINESE. Writing from Hong-Kong under date August 1, our Eastern correspondent states: A little less than two years ago Hong-Ivong was visited .by a typhoon that was the worst in its history, 60 far as loss of life was concerned. On Monday night last, and during the earlv hour's of Tuesday morning,, this' colony experienced the fury of a typhoon, with a wind of a still greater velocity, which caused still' greater damage to property. Fortunately there was this year what there not on the previous occasion'—an ample warning of the approach of the storm. At G. 30 p.m. the signals were hoisted announcing that a typhoon was within 300 miles of the colony. Tho junks and sampans at once made for tho safety of such refuges as were available, and many of the smaller steamers went to the sholter of the local islands.

Warning Rockets. At about half-past eleven three green rockets were sent up from the signal station—a warning that the typhoon was within striking distance. The colony had not long to wait . The wind gathered in fierceness, rain fell in gusts, and in a few minutes the harbour was an angry, boiling, tossing sea. 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, about the harbour like so many match-boxes. _ Their crews cried' out for help, and the voices of the perishing could be heard above the fury of the winds and the. surging of the sea. One sucli call reached the men of the Astrea, one of His Majesty's ships whioh was riding out the typhoon at anchor in the harbour. The search-' light was turned on and a junk was seen. The craft was being swept to destruction, and the call for volunteers for a rescue party rung out on the 1 warship. True'io the traditions of the British Navy plenty of men were willing to risk their lives in the hope of saving tlioso in peril. An open ship's cutter' was got out, manned by twelve meh, under Torpedo Officer M'Laughlin, and they started for the helpless junk. Their comrades on the ship kept tho searchlight going, and the derelict craft was at last picked up. The Struggle v/ith the Waves, Six Chinese wore 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 tho cutter kept on, one man bailing all the time. AU chance of making the warship was abandoned, and the course was altered for tho 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 .raco at the naval sports. They encouraged each other with ories 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 tho typhoon this fight went 6n, and the pluck of the sailorman won him through. Getting near the wharf they were in danger of being smashed against the piers, but luckily there wore some civilians and two military officers, who had been witnesses of the ■rescue from ashore, and they waited on* the Wh&rf to land the gallant crew and those they had saved. One of the crew, in jumping out, being almost exhausted, did not measure his leap properly, and fell into the water. He was fmlled out in an unconscious condition. When the crew got out the cry was made that a Chinaman was still in tho boat. One of the sailors leaped back into the tossing, boat in the dark and, somehow, got out another Chinaman, who was lying on the bottom of the boat, with his head out. The sailor had barely'got out when the cutter was Bmashed against the pier, and sunk. The-Chinese clung to their rescuers, crying and thanking them in Chineso. 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.

Fury of the tempest. Meanwhile the wind was wrecking buildings ashore, tearing down trees and doing damage in all directions. At Yaumiti a number of Chinese houses collapsed, and twenty people were next day taken from the debris. Buildings were unroofed in all directions, and the damage to Government property alone is estimated at <£10,000. The steamers Laisang, Pocahontas, Schuylkill, Aeolus, Hoichiiig, Persia, Charles Hardouin, and H.M.S. Whiting were driven ashore, together with a number df steam launches and lighters. Many sampans and junks were smashed, and the damage to wharf property was extensive. Ying King Lost-Australian Captain Drowned. The saddest'tragedy of the storm was the loss of the steamer Ying King on her voyage from Canton on the night of tho typhoon, and the drowning of Captain Pago ana at least two European passengers and a large number of Chinese. She was a Chinese-owned vessel, and left Canton for Hong-ICong on tho night of July 28, at about six o'clock. She was commanded by Captain Page, an officer well known on the Australian coast, for he was for years an officer dn the Taiyuan, and married a Sydney lady. His chief officer, Mr. Ferguson, was saved, as was also the chief engineer, Mr. Fotheringhani. They stato that soon after leaving Canton the wind freshened up, and by midnight the beat was at Castle Peak Bay, off the entrance to Hong-Kong. -Both anchors were let go, and steam was kept going to ease the strain on the anchor chains. About 2 a.m. the water commenced to come into tho enginoroom, but the captain thought they would be able to ride the storm out. Alas, the vessel slowly listed over, and the fires wore put out. When all hopes of saving the vessel /vera past, the cap. tain gate orders for every man to do the best he could to save himself. There were between 270 and 300 Chinese on board, and three European passengers. One of those was Mr. S. Newman, who had been chief-officer of tho vessel up till a month or so ago. After hours in tho water, both Fotheringham and Ferguson were washed ,'ashore alive. Tho dead body of Newman was found next day, and the body of the unfortunate captain was found to-day. It is belioved that'2so Chinese were lost in this ship alone. Mrs. Page and her child are at present on a visit to' Australia. The Damage in Canton. The typhoon also visited Canton,_ whero it proved tho worst of its kind for thirty years. Thousands of lives were lost among the floating population of the junks and the flower boats: One who witnessed the typhoon, said that the scone as the unfortunato Chinese were being swept out to sea by tho storm was awful. Their agonised screams for help were heartrending, and tho anguish on their faces as tho waters washed them and their helpless craft by haunted for days the minds of those who saw them. Buildihgs were blown down in tho city, and tho death-roll was enormous, though no reliable figures are available.