Hongkong, Aug. 4.
A typhoon struck Swatow on August 2. Many people were killed and godowns, piers, pontoons and other property suffered extensive damage. Five steamers are ashore.
The Tndo-China Navigation Company's steamer Tungshing and the China Navigation Company's Shantung are stranded. The steamer Kwaisang is standing by the Tung-shing.
Mr. McMurray, the superintendent engineer of the Indo-China Steam Navigation Company, is leaving for Swatow this afternoon. The Dock Company's salvage vessel, Henry Keswick, is on its way to Swatow to the Tungshing's rescue.
Hongkong, Aug. 5.
A wireless despatch from the steamer Kwaisang states: '"Swatow wrecked. Jardine, Matheson Com. pany's staff safe. Loss lives estimated 5,000. Jardine, Matheson's godown stock safe, but badly damaged. Strenuous efforts repaiff® Labour unavailable temporarily.""
Later reports say that the strs. Tungshing and Shantung have been wrecked in the south of Sw: tow harbour. The vessels are ex posed to danger from pirates.
The str. Weichow arrived from Swatow to-day and has brought in further particulars of the destructive typhoon. It started at 10 o'clock on Wednesday night and lasted till four next morning, with intermittent squalls of terrific violence.
The water rose quickly until the Bund was submerged six or seven feet. The inhabitants had to rush up to the top floors of their houses to escape the flood.
Almost all the buildings in the town suffered. Some had their roofs blown off and the walls of others collapsed. Telegraph poles were blown down and trees uprooted. Sampans were blown 100 yds. inshore, where they are now lying high and dry.
Messrs. Butterfield and Swire's godown was wrecked. The roof of the club buildings was also blown off. The Cape of Good Hope and Siigerlont lighthouses are damag-The str. Shantung was blown off her anchorage and seriously damaged. The Tungshing had her bottom holed. The Yingchow was disabled. The Chinese str Waming and the Prometheus went ashore, but have since been refloated, suffering no damage.
The harbour is littered with the wreckage of sampans and native craft, most of the occupants of which have been drowned. Dead j bodies are floating everywhere,—Reuter.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.