486
buildings at the rear, but an eager vigilance on the part of the firemen and many private in- dividuals dispelled whatever grounds for fear may have been engendered. By half-past ten the fire was under absolute control, though the firemen continued playing on the wreckage in the basement until well into the small hours of the morning. The damage, which is fully covered by insurance, will exceed a quarter of a million dollars, that is to say the stock. The details of the insurance on the con- tents are as follows:-
Tls. 15,000 40,000
Imperial
Commercial Union
Northern
25,000
China Fire
20,000
Hongkong Fire
20,000
New Zealand
Transatlantic..................................
Hanseatic
****
10,000 15,000 15,000
l'otal Tis. 160,000 The building itself belonged to Messrs. D. Sas- son, Sons & Co. and was also fully insured. It was built by Mesrs. Fletcher & Co. over thirty years ago, and then consisted of two parallel godowns with a passage between and rooms above. It cost some Tls. 40,000, and would probably cost very much more than that now. The damage sustained at the Mercury office was inconsider able. The unfortunate and fateful coincidence of another serious fire raging in the Settlement at the same time played no small part in bring. ing about a total loss. As was natural the full strength of the brigade was unavilable and led to some slight delay in getting the hose in posi tion. The directors of Hall & Holtz, Limited, desire to tender their sincere thanks to the Fire Brigade and all who assisted in extinguish- ing the flames, and further intimate that the business of the company will be resumed as soon as possible at their premises at the junction of Soochow and Yuen-ming-yuen Roads.
FAMILIES BURNT OUT IN ALBANY GARDENS.
THE HONGKONG WEEKLY PRESS AND
[December 10, 1899.
SERIOUS CALAMITY AT HANKOW. ILLEGAL EXPORT OF RICE FROM
SHANGHAI
Hanków, 21st November.
Another serious calamity has befallen this devoted town, not fire but water being the agent this time. About noon yesterday half a street of houses, extending from the Great Maton to the Middle Maton, a distance of about a li along the edge of the river Han, suddenly broke away and tumbled clean into the water on the top of all the boats there. At this particular point the bank at present is forty feet high and almost perpendicular. The houses built on it, according to the custom here, extended a good deal beyond the edge of the bank by the aid of poles supporting them from underneath. The river at this spot is very deep and runs with a strong current. There have been some freshets recently which must have cut away the bank below the level of the water, for the whole gave way without the least warning, and houses and boats with all the people in them disappeared in a moment with a great crash. As usual, it is impossible to learn with any accuracy the number of lives lost, but the general statement is that about a hundred houses and the same number of boats are gone, and from five hundred to a thousand people drowned. There is not much to be seen at the place, nothing but a bare bank as clean cut away as if it had been done with a huge razor, and the water covered with sampans with people busy fishing up bodies, or anything else they can hook hold of.-N. C. Daily News correspondent.
ADMIRAL SEYMOUR A`D VICEROY LIU.
Nanking, 3rd December. Admiral Seymour arrived at Nanking from Hankow in H.M.8. Alacrity on the 1st instant. H.E. had an interview with Viceroy Lin the following day which was marked by reat cordiality on both sides. Upon expressing a wish to inspect the forts and defences at Kiangyin, Viceroy Liu at once gave a willing consent to the Admiral, who is expected to visit the forts to-day. General Chang, who is in command at present at Kiangyin, was in- structed by the Viceroy to render every facility to the British Naval officers during their visit.
KANG YU-WFI AND THE LEGATIONS.
The Kobe Chronicle translates from a Japan ese
vernacular paper the following Peking despatch :-
Peking, 28th November. Kang Yu-wei recently addressed letters to the Ministers of the various Powers at Peking. That addressed to the German Minister was of the nature of an official communication and had affixed to it the official seal of the Superin- tendent of the Official Gazette. [This was the journal in which the Emperor took such in- terest; it was suppressed after the coup d'etut.] The letter begins by stating that Kang Yu-wei had received private instruc- tions as to his policy from the Emperor himself and denounces the character of the Empress Dowager. The writer arges that the German Minister should consult with his Government, and, obtaining its consent, remove the false Court and restore the Emperor to power, which if accomplished ample reward will be given the German Minister. The letters addressed to the other Ministers were in similar terms.
About the same time a fire broke ont in Albany gardens. It originated in a row of Chi- nese dwellings in Hankow Road, at the back of the Rev C. J. F. S. Symons' house. Owing to the flimsy structure of the Chinese buildings, the fire soon spread and threatened to be a serious conflagration. The French brigade was promptly—N. C. Daily News. on the spot and, assisted by the Salvage Corps, soon had the flames under control. In the meantime the foreigners living in Albany gar- dens were busily removing their belongings, Great praise to due to Inspector Wilson and his staff for the energetic and able services they rendered. When the Chinese dwellings were gutted out, the firemen, thinking all danger was over, advised the foreigners to let their chattels remain, assuring them all was safe. Unfortunately the flying sparks had caught the eaves of the Rev. Mr. Symons' roof and to the astonishment of everyone it suddenly burst out into flame and spread with amaz- ing rapidity to the next two houses, occupied by Mr. Clayson, of the I. M. Customs, and Mr Wallace, of the Sun Fire Insurance Co. The two streams were immediately brought to bear on this fresh development and by 10.30 the firemen had nothing but smouldering ruins to cope with. A remarkable feature of the fire is that the servants' dwellings which separated the Chinese from the foreign houses are untouched. although the conflagration raged fiercely within a few feet at back and front. We are unable to ascertain the total loss, but are informed tha Mr. Wallace is insured in the "Sun Fire" for Tis. 2,500 and has sustained damage to the extent of Tls, 1,700. The Rev. Mr. Symons i› covered in the "Phoenix" for Tls. 3,000. Mr Clayson, having only been a few month: in occupation, was uninsured and, strange to say, had intended taking out a policy this com ing week. He has practically lost everything. The foreign houses are owned by Mr. S. A About the ten Chinese houses burnt we have as yet no details. Two Chinese employés of an Insurance Company were caught by the Rev. Mr. Symons assessing the contents of his ward- robes and were promptly handed over to the police.-N. C. Daily News.
As the letters came from Hongkong after Kang Yu-wei left for Japan, it is supposed by some that they were written by his friends, while others believe that they are forgeries.
The China Gazette says :—A very interesting snit will shortly be tried before a jury in the British Supreme Court. Mrs. Joly, widow of
|
It is stated in local mandarin ciroles that Viceroy Liu of Nanking, Governor. Të of Socchow, and Provincial Treasurer Nigh of the latter city, have had each a depaty in Shanghai for the last five or six weeks secretly investigat ing the amount of rice that has been exported from this port, thereby increasing the local retail prices almost to famine rates again. It will be remembered that famine rates ruled here last summer owing to the export of immense quantities of rice at the time, guaranteed by huchaos or passes reported to be issued from Tsai Taotai's yamen. It is further rumoured that the reports of the deputies noted shove to their respective Euperior officers will be far from favourable to the local authorities. —N. C. Daily News.
PIRACY IN THE NORTH.
A Chefoo dispatch states that, owing to the general distress caused by the disastrous Yellow River floods, numbers of the refugees have taken to piracy on the coast, a large number of cargo and passenger junks having been robbed within the last two months, with considerable loss both in life and goods. At first the larger and better-armed junks were not molested at all, but owing to the powerlessness of the authorities to punish these depredations, the pirates have become bolder and large junks have recently also been attacked. On the 18th ultimo a well-armed junk with a numerous crew and some twenty passengers was attacked near Chefoo by two pirate junks and a desperate encounter ensued, resulting in the loss of twenty-two men in killed and wounded on the junk and some Tls. 4,000 in cash and goods.- N. C, Daily News.
HEAVY FAILURES AT SHANGHAI AND HANKOW.
Shanghai, 26th November. On Tuesday night a Swatow man named Chou Chuan-yi, owner of the Tai Koo-chuan Shipping Agency, and Northern and Southern Produce Merchant, in the French Settlement, absconded taking his family with him and leay- ing debts owing to the various native banks in this port as well as to native sugar importing hongs, etc., to a total amount of Tls. 243,000, odd. The Tai Koo-chuan Hong was of many years' standing here and was one of the largest shipping agencies and import businesses of the port as may be judged by the large amount of its indebtedness. No less than twenty-nine native banking hongs are among its creditors, several cotton dealers and six sugar hongs. When it was known early on Wednesday morning that Chou had flown, the creditors had his nephew named Chou Hsi-kai and an employé named Chiang arrested, and these two will doubtless. throw some light on their principal's operations. On Thursday, owing to this failure, money was very tight among the native bankers both at Tungkadoo and in the English Settlement, making. it hard for large numbers of native business men to meet their engagements, for that day and yesterday all the principal native banks refused to pay out any money. It is to be feared that this will bring on more failures. Already several native banks of reputed good standing, are said to be rather "shaky” and a semi-panic prevails in the money market. far as is known just now Chou's only assets consists of 4,000 bags of sugar and a few thou- sand taels due to him.
Bo
A telegram received yesterday from Hankow reports the sudden failure at that port of a large native bank with liabilities amounting to over Tls. 400,000.
Shanghai, 29th November. As a consequence of the failure of the Tai
Hardoon and we believe are fully insured, the late British Consul at Chemúlpo, suing the 800-chuan Swatow Hong in the French settle-
H.M.S. Centurion arrived from the North on 8th Dec. and went into dock in the afternoon,
Sun Life Insurance of Canada to enforce pay- last Tuesday, as already stated in these ment of a policy of £2,500 on her late husband's columns, a larga native bank of over fifty years. life. Mr. Joly was only insured some six standing at Tungkadoo called the Paoyu Bank months before his death and had only paid one failed yesterday with liabilities aggregating premium, for which a provisional receipt was some Tls 150,000. The majority of the depo- issued, when he died. Owing to, as the Com-sitors in this bank are people of moderate pany allege, some violation of their terms of means, and the distros consequent on the insurance they have refused to pay the policy; failure will be most acute, coming especi hence the suit.
ally at it does near the end of the Chinese year: