Mr. James W. Usborne, proprietor of the Bay View Hotel immediately took charge of matters on behalf of Mrs. Thomas. He arranged that all the money that could be got out of the estate should be sent to her and took upon himself the task of collecting among friends enough money to erect a suitable tombstone over the grave.
Mr. Usborne was able to raise $698.50 which enabled him to pay $200 for a white marble tombstone, with a suitable inscription, and remit the balance to Mrs. Thomas who was then residing in California.
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Many of the names appearing on the subscription list will be familiar to some present-day residents of Hongkong. Names on the list include Messrs. W.E. Van Epps, G.R. Lammert, G.F. Lammert, J. Kennedy, J.W. Kinghorn, R.C. Hurley, C. Peterson, A. Bain, J. McG. Forbes, John Roger, and D. McCrae.
Many residents will vividly recall the terrible King Edward Hotel fire which occurred in the early hours of March 11, 1929. The premises are the present Chung Ting Building, standing at the corner of Ice House Street and Des Voeux Road Central.
The disaster was the worst of its kind in the history of the Colony. As a result, nine people lost their lives, a number were injured, and many made perilous escapes from a building which, once alight, was burned out in a remarkably short time. Residents of the hotel were trapped in their rooms, and finding escape entirely impossible, had to jump over the verandahs.
Among the killed were Mr. and Mrs. D.J. Robson and Mr. P. Baille, stage magician and illusionist, while Mr. Enos Seth, a cousin of Mr. Harold Seth and Mr. Hennessey Seth, was among the missing. The injured included General and Mrs. Chan Ming-shu.
The King Edward Hotel was formally opened on October 6, 1902. On Saturday, October 3, a private dinner and general housewarming was given. A large gathering of heads of firms and departments gathered in the spacious dining room to partake of the hospitality of Messrs. Dorabjee, Madar, and Farmer.
Before sitting down to dinner, many of the guests took the opportunity of inspecting the building, and everyone spoke in terms of greatest praise regarding the excellence of the arrangements and the care and attention bestowed to ensure the comfort of the patrons.
"From basement to roof," writes the Hongkong Telegraph, "kitchen to drawing room, and from billiards to sleeping apartments, it was the same, suitably furnished throughout, expense not having been spared in a single instance.
"But the Band of the 23rd Burma Infantry strikes up 'The Uhlan's Call,' and the numerous guests taking an 'Appetiser' in the snug bar room are reminded that dinner is ready. Under the well-distributed glow of electric lamps and the refreshing breeze from silent fans, the banquet commences, and smartly uniformed boys, well up to their work, are hurrying to and fro with the dainty dishes and rich wines.
"There must have been nearly 200 guests present, for scarcely a vacant seat was to be seen at any of the many tables so prettily arranged. There was no stiff formality in the