November 3, 1906.]
LOSS OF THE
'HANKOW."
INQUIRY OPENED.
At the Magistracy on ct. 27th before Mr. H. H. J. Gompertz, sitting as coroner, and Messrs. A. Course, T. G. D.akeford and H. Rapp, jurors, an inquiry was opened concerning the deaths of passengers which occurred in the burning of the river steamer Hankow.
Captain B. Branch, master of the Hankow, was the the first witness. He stated that the Hankow left Canton at 6.45 p.m. on October 13th for Hongkong. As nearly as he could estimate there were about 950 passengers on board, including seven Europeaus in the first class. The cargo consisted of silk, silk cocoous, matting, vegetables and miscellaneous cargo. The total value of the cargo was about £50,000 (sterling). The Hankow arrived at her wharf at Hongkong 8 little before 3 o'clock on the 14th instant, She made fast at 3 o'clock and the gangway being lowered a number of passengers went off at once. Three gangways were lowered for the passengers, The vegetables were stacked on the main deck and there were 400 rolls of matting and other merchandise forward. The raw silk was in the strong room and 200 bales of silk in a room on the upper deck and about 700 further rolls of matting was stored aft. The watchman gave witness the first warning of fi e, while he was talking with the chief officer. Previous to this there were no sigus of a fire on board. Ou receiving the alarm witness and the chief officer proceeded along the starboard alleyway and found that there was no panic amongst the passengers, but the usual rush to get ashore. Witness saw the fire at the foot of the after ladder leading to the main deck. There was a blaze almost in the centre of a slack of matting and plenty of smoke, and witness gara orders to get the hose out. Two fire buckets of water were secured and emptied on the flames and just at that moment a panic started. The other fire buckets could not be got at, owing to the rush of passengers. The mate went aft and witness gave orders for the bales of matting near those on fire to be pulled down in order to stop the fire's progress.
Witness then assisted the men with the hose and met the chief officer who told him that the donkey engine could not be started as the fire and smoke bad driven the men from the hold. The hose was then attached to a hand pump aft, but that broke away and became useless. The band pump forward was too far away to be used effectively. The fire alarms were then sounded. The Chief Engineer was at this moment standing at the forward end of the port galleyway and witness askel him if anything could be done with the engines. The engineor replied that the engines could not be worked. Wituess then saw two European la lies standing
near the entrance to the saloon and told them to
them to the wharf.
Witness
f
CHINA OVERLAND TRADE REPORT.
witness left for the wharf. Water came a minute or 80 after the engines arrived, but it was impossible at this time to go aboard the ship. Witness instructed the chief officer to get a boat and pick up anyone found in the water. The Hankow was licensed to carry 2350; passengers. The ship was fitted with electric light but it was turned off a quarter of an hour
leave the ship. They did so and he accompanied Witness went aboard and below again and found the rangway still choked with Chinese and then the Chinese women's quarters took fire. Just then, as if the wind had changed, the ship was enveloped in smoke and nothing more could be done. went back to the upper deck. From the time when the watchman called him until he went back to the upper deck not more than three minutes had elapsed. Witness went along to the saloon and opposite to the gangway he met the chief engineer and ordered him ashore. Witness examined all the cabins and looked under the beds for passengers but found no-one. He then went ashore again but immediately returned to the ship and made a rush to get his papers, but he was unable to get them and Eaved nothing. From the first alarm until witness finally left the ship could not have been more than five or six minutes. Altogether five gangways were lowered for the passengers. There were no Chinese passengers forward but a gangway could easily have been put down for them if there had been. There were about 700 Chinese on the main deck and about 120 Chinese in the first class. There were therefore about 700 people to get ashore by the after gangway. Between 300 and 400 passengers would be able to leave by the gangway per minute. But with baggage (and most of the Chinese tried to take their luggage) disembarkation would be slower.
It
was customery for Chinese passengers to remain on the ship until daylight. The fire engines were approaching the ship as
after arrival. When witness came back from the fire the second time the lights were out, He smelt no suspicion of kerosene or other oil neir the fire. The damage suffered by the cargo would amount to about £80,000." The Hankow's fire appliances consisted of fire buckets, hand pomps fore and aft and steam pumps, with several reels of fire hs. These The life saving appliances e insisted of life boats, were all in gond order at the tims of the fire.
which could each carry fifty passengers, a number of rafts and all appliances according to Board of Trade regulations. On Monday morning, after the fire was extinguished, this
Hanko was towed on to sea and two charred forms resembling bodies were found on board As far as witness knew and were buried at sea.
there was no cargo on board of a specially in flammable nature. Witness attributed the great loss of life to the panic and the fact that it was impossible to do anything with the Chinese, He could not advance a definite. theory as to
the origin of the fire. He only saw one fire and could not say anything with regard to the theory that the fire started in several places at
once.
The
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With regard to the various theories! advanced as to the origin of the fire-it was possible that the ship was set on fire. This could have been done without the persons setting the ship on fire being noties. There wore many motives for people to set the ship on fire but he would rather not say anything definite. He consider. dit nulikely that the fire WAN started by spontaneous combustion, Chinese passengers all smoked and were very careless with their pipes au matches, but he thought if a fire had been started in this way it would have been noticed by the other passengers. If the fire had occurred at sea witness considered very few lives would have been saved. He considered it sife to carry matting on the ship although there was some risk. To the Jury,400 rolls of matting left plenty of room for the passengers.
James D. Christie stated that he had been chief engineer of the Hankoi for over 23 years. He had finished with the engines on the morn- ing of the fire at 2.55 a.m. The electric light was turned out at 3,15 8.m. At about 3.20 he hard the alarm of fire and went to the engine light up again. The engine room filled rapidly room to start the pumps and to give orders to
It was
with smoke and he reached the pump but was unable to start it as he was getting overcome with smoke. He was nearly suffocated by the time he returned to the deck. Nothing could have been done to check the fire. impossible for the electric installation to have caused the fire. Every light had a fuse and the lights were grouped to a distributing box. Even if it were possible for the electric light to have
started the fire it could not have caused it when
it broke out.
Dr. Heanley deposed to having examined bodies of several of the Hankow victims on the 16th instant. Death in one instance was du to drowning. Of those who perished ou board witness thought suffocation was the caus: of death; suffocation was usually the cause of death in big fires.
The ship's purser said he was unable to sare the mails or anything under his charga
After
311
A DOCTOR WHO OFFERED ASSISTANCE.
Before Mr. H.H.J. Gomperts and a jury st the Magistracy on Oct, 31, the inquiry into the cause of the burning of Hankow was continued.
Dr. Marriot was called next. He said that at about 3,10 a.m. од the morning of the 14th ultimo he was in the neigh- bourhool of the Canton wharf and noticed the fire on the *.3. Hankow. When he reached the vessel he noticed that she was lighted from end to end and burning fiercely. He can'd not see anyone on board at the time but saw people being picked up ont of the water. Between 20 and 30 were lying on the shor". Witness examined them, bat found they were pist aid. He saw nobody he could attempting to restore bodies, but spoke to s do anything for. He did not see any persons
police inspector and asked if there were any Europeans or Chinese hurt to whom he could giro m -dical assistanc›. The inspector said :-
· No. There are no Europaans hurt and all the Chinese are apparantly dead." Witness sa- tisfied himself that they were, and then left for a case he was attending. If he thought he could have done any good he would have remained, or have got another doctor to take his place. He would have advised the police to send for one, but from the condition of affairs he sur he was satisfied it could do no
The Chinese compradore deposed that when be awoke his room was full of smoke. he got outside he was knocked down and trampled on by a lot of people but regained his feet and got ashore. The rest of the compra. dore's staff perished in the fire. Witness had about $200 in his safe but saved nothing either belonging to himself or the ship. His jukis who perished in the fire were escaping from their cabins at the same time as witness
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C. J. Noronha, watchman of the Hankow. stated that when he discovered the fire he tried to put it out but was unable to do so. gare the alarn to the passengers. When he saw hat he could do nothing further he left the ship. Witness saw or smelt nothing to suggest that kerosene or other oil had caused the fire.
The inquiry was adjourned.
good.
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Chief Enginer Lane of the Fire Brigade said he arrived at the Hankour's wharf at about 3.5 a.m. on the morning of the fire, and was closely followed by the brigade. His first hydrant was got to work about 310a.m. and
the second some three minutes later. In all five hydrants were got to work and by 3,20 the first fire engine was in motion. The second had to come from Wanchai so did not get to work until som where about four o'clock. Witness found the bydrants weak, there not being sufficient pressure, A pressure of 100 lbs was required but he did not have it at any time daring the fire. The pressure would be about 6) or 70 lbs. A message was sent to the motor honse for more, but witness did not so that the pressure was increased much. When he arrived on the scene the vessel was alight aft, and on the paddle boxes, and the fire covered the ship in about seven minutes. Witness considered the rapidity with which the fire spread extraordi- nary. Had the firemen got 10 lb pressure immediately they would have been able to save more of the stem of the ship, but it would have made no difference aft. ship consisted of dry wood and Canvas saturated with oil or paiut, so the fire might be expected to spread rapidly. Witooss had reen*
a
The
pressure of 180 lbs. on the mains in the city
at night, but the extent of this depended on the motor houses. He should think that the pres- sure was usually relaxed at night. Witness considered that the motor houses could give as much pressure as required, but the size of the msins would not give a sufficient bulk of water. He did not know the size of all the mains but could speak of the Central district. If a build. ing like the Hongkong Hotel caught fire he did not think the mains would give sufficient water to check such fire. In fact, he did not think they could get a sufficient bulk of water to cope with a fire in any large building if it ones got a good start.
Sergeant Parr deposed to being at the Hankoir's wharf on the morning of her arrival, the time being about 240 am. Sometime afterwards & Portuguese or Indian watchman reported a fire aft. Witness saw the captain, chief officer and he thought the chief engineer together. He followed them aft and saw smoke descending from the after hatch. Witness sou nded a whistle, raised the alarm, ran on to the wharf and ran out the coolie gangway close to where the fire was. He then endeavoured to board the vessel by that gangway, but was unable to do so owing to the rush of Chinese shoreward. He remained by the gangway until it got too hot to stand there, and then getting hold of a rope, continued to throw it to people who had jumped overboard. He also threw timber in for them to flat on. Then he divested himself of his coat and hat, jumped into the water, and with the assistance of people
succeeded
about ia landing
3) ashore people. When the Hankow arrived witness did not notice any smoke or smell, and he was close to her until the watchman informed him