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Blackhead's Hill (Signal Hill) and was last used on 30 June1933 (See Chapter 6, 'From Time Ball to Atomic Clock.')A month after its introduction, Doberck's storm warningsystem first proved its value to Hong Kong. Previously,typhoons had swept through the territory with little - if any- warning, so the typhoon of September 1884 was probablythe first for which the residents were properly prepared.There was some criticism after the event, but it was directedat the way in which the warning system was applied, ratherthan at the system itself.The Hong Kong Daily Press of Thursday, 11 September1884 reported:AH day yesterday the long-promised typhoon was expected togive this Colony a call, or at least the usual swish of its tail as itpassed. On Sunday the existence of a typhoon was telegraphedfrom Manila and since Monday the barometer has continued tofall steadily though very gradually. On Tuesday, Dr. Doberck,Government Astronomer } had his storm signal hoisted. DuringTuesday night and Wednesday morning the wind rose, and bydaylight the harbour was good deal ruffled. The barometer wasstill falling and the appearance of the sky was considered to bevery threatening. The boat people evidently did not like theaspect of things, for they soon cleared out to places of shelterand, with the exception of one or two cases, all loading andunloading [of] vessels in the harbour was suspended. Theexceptions only kept it up for a few hours and they were thenscared off by Dr. Doberck 3 s gun, which indicated the approachof a storm.The following day's edition carried two weather notices,signed by Doberck. The first, presumably reflectingpublication problems rather than a delay in its transmissionfrom the Observatory, was dated 10 September:At 5.45 am directions were given to fire the typhoon gun oneround, a strong northerly gale being expected here. At W.I5 amthe following notice was telegraphed to the treaty ports -' Typhoon approaching Hong Kong from the east. The typhoonis still about E.S.E. [east south east] ofhere. } 27
This was followed by another warning, dated 11 September:Directions to fire the typhoon gun two rounds were given at 6hours 28 mins. pm yesterday. At 1 am the following notice wastelegraphed through the Central Police Station from here -'Heavy typhoon crossed Hong Kong early this morning movingwestward. Over nine inches ofrain fell.'In the same issue [12 September 1884] the Telegraphreported both the efficiency of the warning system and theeffect it had on the residents:The very sufficient notice which was given them [small Chinesecraft in the harbour] and the very gradual approach of the stormenabled them all to get away so that the damage afloat and theloss of Chinese life has been trifling compared with what hasusually been experienced here when a typhoon strikes theColony. The two typhoon guns brought out a considerablenumber of enterprising sightseers who braved all the discomfortsof the roaring gale and blinding rain for the purpose ofwitnessing Nature in one of her fiercest moods. As usual, a knotof these gathered at the end ofPedder's Street, taking advantageof the shelter of the buildings on the East side to stand and watchthe progress of events, occasionally making short trips along thePray a . . .On Saturday, 13 September 1884, having had time toinspect the settlement and make comparisons with previousstorms, the Telegraph commented at length in an editorial, inwords that must have been pleasing to Doberck:In no previous storm of equal severity has the damage and loss oflife been so small as in that of Wednesday night and Thursdaymorning. This fortunate result must be attributed to the longwarning given and the precautions that were accordingly taken.Although the storm was by no means so severe as that whichoccured 10 years ago [the typhoon of September 1874 killedsome 2 000 people in six hours] there can be little doubt thathad the Colony been in the state of unpreparedness it was onthat occasion the destruction of property would have beenimmense and the loss of life, instead of being counted by units,would have had to be indicated by hundreds if not thousands. In28
Page 2: UNIVERSITY OFHQ,NG KONG>**"/////»I
Page 5: The Royal Observatory, Hong KongJIM
Page 8 and 9: The effect of climate on human cond
Page 11 and 12: IntroductionIifc on earth is possib
Page 13 and 14: Theories had been developed: as ear
Page 15 and 16: Then came another important scienti
Page 17 and 18: thirty feet high, huge grotesque lo
Page 20 and 21: Ancient Chinese astronomical instru
Page 22 and 23: Chapter 1KSJSJOJ/ do think that, of
Page 24 and 25: work of the observatory made no pro
Page 26 and 27: its physical observations of the ph
Page 28 and 29: period. The main building was recta
Page 30 and 31: on metal pipe frames, were too ligh
Page 34 and 35: many previous storms when the wind
Page 36 and 37: coast ports and the police in fact
Page 39 and 40: European assistants, at least one o
Page 41 and 42: ... Mr. da Silva has resigned. . .
Page 43 and 44: few minutes' warning of one of the
Page 45: water height by up to several metre
Page 50 and 51: I he early European traders, mercha
Page 52 and 53: the sun's rays in tropical climates
Page 54 and 55: coast; trees are broken or rooted u
Page 56 and 57: Professor S. Wells Williams, anothe
Page 58 and 59: We had a striking example in Hong K
Page 60 and 61: Hong Kong lies just within the trop
Page 62 and 63: Chapter 3OFCOTWETSEverybody talks a
Page 64 and 65: The sun's disc had a diameter on th
Page 66 and 67: Such detailed rules failed to impre
Page 68 and 69: the periods before winter droughts
Page 70 and 71: crossed into Hong Kong, followed by
Page 72 and 73: inlet of Tola Harbour in the New Te
Page 74 and 75: The war in Europe had spurred the d
Page 76: Inset: The backs of these cigarette
Page 79 and 80: It 8 am on 8 December 1941, 12 Japa
Page 81 and 82: The records are all in pencil, neat
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The civil staff was soon put to the
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The department is in fact primarily
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temperature down to 3J°C at the Ob
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moving directly towards Hong Kong,
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If the weather in 1965 was comparat
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since Typhoon Shirley in 1968. It h
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Radar observations early on 26 July
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almost as accurately as from a reco
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Waves smash over the praya at Kenne
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Chapter 5CLICKINGCCFTHEAt the prese
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November and December are normally
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move them a substantial distance in
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.. . wind blowing through the long
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for a series of fine weather and ca
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The typhoon of Saturday September 2
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Above: How the 1874 typhoon destroy
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Above: Aftermath of the 1923 blow w
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its of storm water which could be s
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he splitting of time into microscop
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The Third Congress of the World Met
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small craft. It includes 24-hour ar
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much of the Observatory's work invo
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The marine meteorology section of t
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The water shortage having become ve
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The signal was received by a helica
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The shock occurring yesterday after
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The Royal Observatory is part of tw
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acquired its own radar, which was u
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grass. Soil temperatures are read f
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* Vertical section through the atmo
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of Mineral Resources recommended a
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Much of Hong Kong's population live
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BibliographyABEL, Clarke, Narrative
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IndexAbel, Clarkevisit to Hong Kong
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Macdonnell, Governor Sir Richard, 2
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