The following day, August 309, the direction of the wind at Yap (southwest) enabled us to follow the track more closely, and at 2 p.m. then at 9 p.m. word was sent to the semaphores that it had erossed meridians 132° and 130° in the same direction. Even at that time the signal showed that the storer was a heavy one, and in an answer to a local firm we added the significant term, strong typhoon.
On the 3ist it was clear that the centre was inclining more than before in a northwesterly direction, and two different positions were signalled to the semaphores, the one in the morning by lat. 16°.—long. 128° in the evening by lat. 17° long. 124° and the Koukaza wireless warning at 10 p.m. added: the typhoon is threatening the Ballintang Channel and Formosa.
Up to that date, it is easy to understand that the positions were not easy to ascertain, as we had observations only on one side of the cyclone, and the Yap report, at a very long distance being mostly! late or lacking. On August 1, better information came to hand, as the centre approached South Formosa and Northern Luzon, and two successive warnings during the day repeated that the south of the Formosa Strait and the coast of Kuangtung were directly threatened with a hard blow. The evening signal gave the position by lat. 20°, log 120° and the direction northwest with the mention heavy storm: if one looks at a map, he will sce at once that with a motion towards the northwest, Swatow wae just in the way of the storm. Manila had_west-southwest winds, South Formosa a northeast gale, the Pescadores hard north-northeast squalls, Hongkong westerly breezes, no report of course from Swatow.
According to a report sent by Reuter to the press, the gale started to blow, at Swatow, on the 2nd at 10 p.m. and Jasted during the whole night. It is sure that the falling barometer and some squalls gave signs of the cyclone previously, but the above agrees! very well with the position given to the centre, at the semaphores, at 4h. 45m. p.m.: latitude 23° longitude 117° a place very very near the Lamocks lighthouse. As nothing has. yet been received about the direction, the veering or backing of the wind, it is impossible to say whether the vortex passed on the north or the south side of the unfortunate city: it may be inferred that it crossed just on it or very near. If the positions are given correctly the j; centre of the storm has crossed the southern entrances of the Formosa Strait with a speed of 12 nautical miles per hour, which agrees very well with the average advenes at this latitude.
We have not yet any means of announced that a new' typhoon stating the pressure at the centre. Reuter.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.