Shanghai, July 13. HAVING behind them a scene of devastation, winds attaining a velocity of almost 75 miles an hour tore through the city yesterday morning as Shanghai experienced one of the worst typhoons in its history. Damages extended everywhere as the wind battered everything in its path, walls and houses collapsed in several districts, Trees were uprooted everywhere. Hoardings collapsed. Refugee camps were destroyed. One man was killed when a wall collapsed.
Over fifty-three persons were injured, luckily very few of them seriously.
The menace of floods appeared as the storm gathered in intensity.
Rarely has Shanghai suffered such serious damage from a typhoon.
At one time, at about 12 noon, when the winds reached their highest velocity, it was believed that the centre of the typhoon had struck the city but later it was discovered that it had passed a few miles to the south. Described by experts as one of the most serious ever to have been experienced in Shanghai, the typhoon diminished in intensity in the afternoon and at 9 p.m., having landed south of Shanghai in the Hangchow Bay, was reported to be progressing more northwestward than first reported.
At 6 p.m, the centre was within 30 miles of the city, proceeding north-westerly with a violent intensity, Later last' night the centre was approaching Nanking. the full fury of the terrific blasts swept the city at the height of the typhoon, driving the heavy sain in solid sheets before them, lange lurked in every street as signboards, hoardings, trees, shop windows, blinds, electric cables, walls and even houses, in some districts, crashed to the ground as if struck by an Invisible hand. Devastation was everywhere, Trees uprooted by their very roots lay across the pavement. Huge hoardings leaned drunkenly, swayed fan: ger ously as every fresh blast pitted fis might, against them and, finally, etushed down, unable "to withstand the full fury of the gale Water Everywhere Everywhere the same story was told, For many years Shanghai had not experienced a typhoon of such intensity. Never had there been s0 much damage and never had: such floods followed a typhoon. Indeed water was everywhere, As the fur= jous winds howled along the streets, bowling over rickshaws like fies, injuring pedestrians and bringing down huge signboards as if they had been made of paper, the water rose higher and higher. Cars, trams, buses and rickshaws splashed their way through inundated streets as the water was whipped along by every fresh blast, "Finally, as the storm showed no signs of abating, the flood overflowed on {0 the pavements and shopkeepers and householders, despite valiant efforts to stem its advance, saw it rush over ground floors in one huge sweep. To try to fight against it was useless, Brave indeed were the persons, who ventured along the Bund in the teeth of the ule. Several tried it to their ox}. Blown here and there like a piece of paper as each terrific gust hurted along the whole length of the roadway they could make no head way, Several were bowled over, luckily without any' serious injury and tram standards and lamp-posts became places of sanctuary for many. From these places escape was impossible without the risk of injury but, by dint of hugging friendly walls, all of them found safer places, where they sheltered from the force of the wind and blinding rain,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.