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THE HONGKONG WEEKLY PRESS AND for others to come to me, and their evidence was bled me to overcome' many difficulties and to ac- to the effect that there had been some cases of complish my mission in a very much shorter ¦ bubonic plague during the last six weeks, but time than would otherwise have been necessary, that the latest they had heard of occurred'about Interpreter W. Quincey was also a valuable ten days ago, they could not take me to see a ussistant and displayed great intelligence and case, but were willing to keep any affected per-taot in the performance of his duties—I have son who might consult them at their dispensa- | the honour to be, sir, your obedient servant, ries for me to see, if I would wait in the neigh- bourhood and pay for a coffin should the patient die after seeing me.
In consequence of the report from Shek Lung. I visited that town with Dr. Kühne, Mr. Bourne, and Interpreter Quilony. At the place of embarkation on the north of the town I was an object of interest to the crowd of bostmen, &c.; they were evidently inspired by some fear, a one of them shouted-"Don't go too near, as he will drag you to him, and cut you in two," this being the treatment accorded to their country men by the foreign doctors in Hongkong, ac- cording to pamphlets ciculated in this and other towas, daring the epidemic in Hongkong.
terview.
SINCLAIR WESTCOTT..
Surgeon Major, A.M.S. Hongkong, 7th January, 1895.
FIRE AT THE “CHINA MAIL'
OFFICE.
It
[January 17, 1895.
CHILDREN'S TREAT AT THE CEN. TRAL POLICE STATION.
The large compound of the Contral Police Station was a festive soene of gaiety on Satar- day afternoon. It was the children's Christmas treat given by the Captain 3uperintendent and Mra May.. The compound and lawn were beauti- fully decked out with many large banners, and smaller brightly coloured flags and streamers. and all along the lawn were the tables boan- teously heaped with the dainties that delight the little ones.
The afternoon was spent in sports, and after tes an adjournment was made to the Captain Superintendent's quarters for the great event of the afternoon. The festivities were a
On Saturday night, a little before half past great success and the tiny folk as they left nine, fire was discovered to have broken out on
seemed to have enough added joy in their faces the top floor of the office of the Chinese Mail in to last out at least another year. Perhaps the Wellington Street. The China Mail occupies feature that made the most vivid impression on the house at the corner of Wyndham Street and their plastic minds was the unique sight of Cap- Wellington Street and the two adjoining housestain Sterling as he entered the room and dis- in Wellington Street, the second of which is
pensed the presents from the twinkling devoted to the business of the Chinese issue.
Christmas tree. Rigged in a sumptuous white was in this house and on the top storey that the Mother Hubbard, trimmed wi h golden yellow fire originated, and it communicated to the fringe, and having huge leg-of-mutton sleeves; adjoining house, burning out the room occupied wearing on his head a monstrous fluffy white by the sub aditor of the China Mail.
cotton wig and over his eyes massiv dark brows, and with a giant's staff in bis band, he seemed to be one of the Norse gods and to bear in bis
home of ice and snow. The children will always towering form all the mystic weirdness of his feel that they will never see just such another Santa Claus.
The
At Shek Lung, a large, dirty, and overcrowded town, we were followed by a large crowd, prin- dipally of yelling children, and the demeanour of the inhabitants was sullen and unfriendly
On arrival at the house of Dr. Aak the children were kept outside, but the men followed as in and insisted on remaining during the in-corner house was almost completely untouched. The fire is supp sed to have originated in a Dr. Mäk, a Christian Chinese medical praoți. Chinese cookhouse, but exactly how is not tioner, who was for six years first assistant to Dr known, as no one seems to have seen it, the first Kerr at the Mission Hospital at Canton, in-discovery being made by the office coolie hearing formed us that the case he had reported to Dr. the crackling of burning wood, and in a few Kühne was the only one he had had personal miantes the whole floor was in a blaze. The office knowledge of, but that be heard that it still pre- had been closed, after the issue of the China vailed, and here he consulted his friends among Mail, about half-past eight. There are no Eure the crowd and stated that they were of the same peans living on the premises, and on the closing opinion;
but on going more deeply into this evi of the office most of the Chinese seem to have When the fire dence, I concluded that it was of very little value, gone out to spend the evening and I then offered a reward of 810 if any one was discovered some delay occurred in giving would take Interpreter Quincey to see a case, but notice to the Fire Brigade. Up to the without result, so, as in the case of Tung Kun, time of the departure of the Shropshire Re I formed the opinion that it did not exist in giment one of the men of that Regiment who epidemic form
were attached to the Fire Brigade was kept on duty at the Clock Tower all night with one had he of the fire despatch boxes, and been there on Saturday night it is possible that the fire might have been checked at the ontset, but since the departure of the Shropshires the man at the lock Tower has not been re- placed, the men from the Rifles who have joined the Brigade not being considered as yet sufficiently advanced in fire drill to undertake the duty. The first assistanco therefore had to come from No. 5 Station, and with the greater distance and the delay which had taken place in the giving of the alarm, the fire had got a firm hold on the apper storey of the house in which it originated before anything was done to stop it. When the Brigade arrived on the spot a good stream of water was obtained from the plug at the corner of Wyndham and Wellington Streets, which was
I next made investigations along the delta from Tang Kun to Tai-ping-Hü. the last town on this route towards longkong, and I found At Tai-ping-Hü I that plague did not exist. learned that many persons returned from Hong- kong during the epidemic and died, but they did not communicate the disease to others.
At Canton and in Fatsban, a large town 10 miles south west of Canton, a few cases have been reported to exist by the intelligence officers of the Consulate as lately as lately as ten days ago, but no case can be discovered now.
The conclusions I draw from this enquiry
re--
1-That there have been sporadio cases of the disease during November and part of Decem- bor in Canton, Fatahan, Shek Lung, and Tung Kan;.
Among the visitors prosent were-General and Mrs. and Miss Barker, Hon. J. if. Stewart Lockhart, Capt. Fawkes and Mrs. Fawkes, Dr. Ayres, CM.Ĝ.; Capt. Murray, A.D.C.; Capt.. Stewart, R.E.; Miss Eastman, Chief Inspector Mathieson, and the inspectors and sergeants of the force. The following were the winners in the sports: FLAT RACE FOR GIRLS (over 7 years)—
Lily Witchell
Gertrude Baker.... May Hennessy
FLAT RACE FOR GIRLS (ander 7 years)-
Gertrude Baker
Annie Mann
Nellie Phelps LONG RACE FOR GIRLS—
Annie Corcoran Isabel Baker Cissie Blennessy.
SHORT RACE FOR GIRLS
Connie Coreoran Cissie Hennessy. Gertrade Baker....
LONG RACE FOR BOYS-
Willie Baker Jim Witobell. Fred Baker..
-That no, cases have been found during the | thrown on the fire from the Wallington Street / SHORT RACE FOR BOYS (under 6)
last fortnight by anybody.
side, but unfortunately there was no pressure That all those who reported the cases in De- higher up Wyndham Street and the hose that cember can find none now..
was laid up the stairs from the Wyndham Street -That it is evident that the poison liugers in entrance to obeck the progress of the fire in the district, but whether it will again canse that direction was in consequence useless' until an epidemio will depend on the sanitary sur-the turncook had been sent for to turn the The fire was, however. very well reundings and climatic conditions which it water on.
managed when water was obtained, and will encounter. The whole of the drains in Canton are cleaned was confined to the top floors of the two houses every third year, and they have just been cleaned in Wellington Street, the damage being much in accordance with this onstom. The Chinese less than the big blaze might have led one to ex- also attach much importance to the rain which pect. The top floor of the second house in has recently fallen. but it was evident after an Wellington Street was occupied by the editorial inspection of the houses in the parts of Canton offices of the Chinese Mail and that of the first from which the greatest number of cases came house by the sub-editor of the China Muil. last year, and of those in the other towns visited, The plant, which was on the ground floor and that no reliance can be placed on their sanitary first storey was not affected by the fire, but will condition to ward off another epidemic should bare suffered damage from the water. There the other conditions be favourable.
was no suspension in the publication of the China Mail, but the Chinese issue was stopped for a day. The damage is covered by insurance with thẹ China Fire
Many of the rumours of the prevalence of plague in various parts of the province with which I dealt during my enquiry, on olose investigation have proved to be due to dissaSOU other than plague, the confusion arising from
According to latest advices from Ningpo, says the fact that the Chinese have no specifio womenclature for bubonic plague, but employed the N. C. Daily News, the city of Chinhai, at the terms Wen-yik" and "Shih-oheng." which embrace any suddenly fatal epidemio disease.
In closing this report I have the honour to bring to your notice the kind manner in which the mission was received by Dr. Kühne and the great trouble he took to help us in every way.
I also met with all possible hein from Mr. Bourke, the V8-Courul at Canter, his know
of the vénáthy boople, dit lanfangs sans
the mouth of the Yung river, now wears a deserted appearance, no less than seven-tenths of its inhabitants having left the city to its fate owing to the rumours prevalent of an expected Japanese bombardment in the near future. Even at Ningpo itself business is at a standstill, depositors in the banks being only paid $87 for every hundred deposited on interest before the prosent Klarin.
Leonard Ford Cecil Foord Willie Mack Three-legged
Willie Baker Fred Baker Dan Corcoran J. Witchell Short Race-..!
Willie Hall Cecil Foord Stanley Foord Tug-of-War (Boys v. Girls)—
Boys Obstacle Race→→
Jas. Witchell. Day Corcoran Fred Baker
60 150 hod.
NM
1 2 3
2
Considerable excitement, the Foochow Echo saye, was caused amongst the shipping at Sharp Peak by the wild firing of the big guns from the forts at Chang Men, whilst at target prae- tice on New Year's day, Shots were fired în every direction at considerable risk of the ship- ping and native boats, and it was with great ifficulty that the Customs staff could convince the gunners that they were firing the wrong way at the targets. Anyhow the General sent deputy to apologise to each of the later on a captains of the vessels in port, AIT ends well, but a little care should be those in charge of the forts that the plased Wi it voor met endangör