Sept. 19, 1906 (Wednesday)

TYPHOON DEVASTATES HONG KONG: On Sept. 18, a storm struck Hong Kong and hurled numerous boats and ships on shore. Preliminary estimates indicated that 100 people were killed. That includes about 20 French sailors who were reportedly killed when a tramp vessel collided with the French torpedo boat destroyer Fronde. The illustration at right shows how the storm destroyed a Chinese junk in the harbor. One report says the storm did $1 million damage during its two hours of fury. A report from Manila says Hong Kong was unaware of the danger. Before the storm, the barometer was low, but there was nothing that indicated hurricane-force wings were coming. The storm struck when regular work was being done in the harbor. Ocean liners, junks, sampans and ferryboats were piled into the streets of the city.

CARD SHARPS TRICK WEALTHY CLUB MEN: Pittsburgh clubmen are more than a little embarrassed by the way various card sharps -- newcomers in town -- have tricked them out of money during poker games. One man, W. Joseph Johnson, was pulled by police from the famous Americus Club on charges of swindling. One of the devices he used was a mirror ring (similar to what's shown at right). Players use it when dealing -- with the dime-size mirror facing up from the palm side of the hand, pointing up at the card about to be dealt. A quick glance by Johnson gave him a look at each card being dealt. Lots of money was at stake in some of these games. In one game, a judge and a bank president were in a game with nearly $50,000 in the pot. That was won by a short-term member who has since left town. Police think members might have been fleeced of as much as $1 million.