Wenchow, Sept. 4.
'The typhoon of Thursday, August 29, will be spoken of by succeeding generations in t' is portion of Cbakiang Province as one of the most devastating ever experienced.
We are wondering what must have been the fate of the dit i Fukien province, where the full force of the typhoon must have been experienced. Here we only had one day's wind and rain and were in the outer part of the circle, the barometer registering 29.40. And yet what a tale of woe has to be told. With ordinary weather conditions the tides of August 25, 29 and 30 would have been higher than usual, but with a north-eastern wind' of hurricane, and at times cyclonic force, the water rose with remarkable rapidity in the wide Wenchow river. This, combined with torrential rain for over twenty-four hours, which turned the num-herles mountain streams into rus! ing deep waters, caused—unprecedented floods and in the upper reaches of the river, which are hounded by high hills, the downpouring waters assumed the proportions and powers of a tidal-wave The Hsien city of "Tsingdie" (Greenfields), situated ten above Wenchow, has been simply overwhelmed and three-four s_ wipe ed out by the devastating waters The walls of the city proved protection to the people and stated that 10,000 of its inhabitants have been drowned. The post office was washed away and all within the building lost their lives. The ma gistrate happened to be away from the city, but all within the yamen walls were lost, including the family of the official. A native pastor of the English Methodist Church was carried away on a portion of a house and after being exposed to number: Jess dangers was rescued twenty li down the river. The prefecture of Chuchow, in which Tsingdie is situated, has suffered severely, mu merous small towns having been washed aw 'A sudden flood.
Six miles above Wenchow City, a town named Koneo was entirely de stroyed and almost everyone was drowned, One of the survivors, in telling the story to your correspon dent, described the rush of water as being terribly sudden. In a few minutes the water rose four or five feet. Before the people could cling to the rafters, it had risen another few feet and then the end came. The' place was submerged, the houses collapsed and people and cattle were struggling for life night, above the noise of the wind, the despairing' cries of people being carried down river could he heard by those outside the city wal could be done for them; and when Friday morning came, the sight on the river opposite Wenchow was one which can never be forgotten. The ruins of numberless homesteads floating on the swift-flowing river, on which were crouching men, women and children over whom hovered the shadow of death, was a! most heartrending and pitiful sight. Boatmen were afraid to put off to the rescue, The Customs sampan rescued nine people. Offers of reward were made by certain Chinese residents for each person saved and during the day between 150 and 200 people were saved off the north and south gates of the city. But alas for the hundreds that could not' be saved!
Rows of bodies.
Yesterday, several hundred bodies, tretched on the shore, ten miles below Wenchow City, awaiting identification and burial, told the sad tale of their end. The districts of Juian and Pingyang also suffered terribly, and the Chinese estimate a total death-roll of from 30,000. to 40,000. officials in Wenchow have instituted inquiries through' the Self-Governing Societies to ascertain trustworthy reports, which, when known, will be communicated to you.
The loss of property must enormous. The English Methodist Church had one church entirely is, railroad fares and, while traveling The Chicago Ferrotype Ca.
Doge wst Feroeype Bedding. Chicare TI, U LA, washed away and several are damaged. The college belonging to the same mission had one side of square tower blown down which crashed through the roof of the chapel. Fortunately, the students had not returned from their summer vacation, otherwise there might have been serious loss of life.
One bright side of this terrible story of loss of life and property remains to be told. In spite of the extent of the floods, the second crop of rice does not seem to be damaged. There is every hope of the later harvest proving as fruitful as the early summer one. Thus, hoped, the privations caused by the famine will be averted; for rice is two-thirds cheaper than it was in the spring.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.