HONGKONG DAILY PRESS
"There Was Not Nothing Left For Me But Death”
GENERAL
TRAGIC WORDS UTTERED BY YOUNG GIRL WITNESS AT SHANGHAI
FRIDAY, JANUARY 12, 1940. —PAGE 5
LANE, CRAWFORD, LTD.
STREET
FIRE
INQUIRY
There was nothing left for me but death,” was the tragic stále ment made by a 15-year-old girl, Li Sam, at Kowloon Court yesterday when the inquiry was resumed lato the Shanghai Street fire "disaster on the night of December 3.
Having said these words, the girl, who appeared short in stature for her age, proceeded to tell a dramatic story of how, with this thought in her mind, she set about the task of surviving the tire. She proceeded to food the kitchen by opening a water tap.
H
"I remember the fire," L Sam some three blocks away. They sald. "When it bloke out I was welghed out a quantity of cotton cooking congee in the kitchen at wool, and having done so put one the rear of the premises." She bundle of about 2b catties under Ilved on the third floor of No, 482, his bed and another bundle, of about the same weight, under an- Shanghai Street. She continued:
other bed in the room.
I heard pudce wisties Arst. L rushed oufying to get to Ine His own bed. Lo said, consisted ve.andan, but was preven.ed by tue of wooden boards supported on Are. ne anies wire coming from two trestles. The other consisted below, yom the auection of in. also of wooden boards, staircase. When I finally could not rested on
These four supports. When
Twg prominent Hongkong Chinese, Miss L. Tan and Mr. S. T.
Hsu after their marriage on Wednesday. "
Be to the uit, verandah, I ran they completed their work, the H.K. REFUGEE AND back to the kitchen and had myself apprentices left. Soon after, Wong SOCIAL WELFARE
Sul, one of the shop fokis, came back.
under the fireplace,
40 MADE-UP QUILTS-
COUNCIL
The Hongkong Refugee and So-
GROOM & BRIDE
FROM MANILA
There was nothing left for me; but death. I threw some dry saw. dus; into the iron grating near th fireplace where the dirty water wool the apprentices had measur-with thanks the following gifts went down. I wanted to block up ed out, there was a small quantity during the month of December, the drain. At the same time of that material also on the 1930:-. turned on the water tap. I also shut the kitchen door.
Beside the 48 cattles of cotton cial Welfare Council acknowledges Registry Wedding
* FELT THE HEAT
verandah. There were also in the November, $50, Staff of St. Ste- room about 40 made-up quilts, phen's Girls' School for St. Peter'. hanging
separately down
from Food Kitchen School. wooden celling and wrapped up
"December $30, Staff of St. Ste- The water flowed first into the each in brown grass paper. "These phen's Cirls' School for St. Peter's large water ja that was under-quilts were stuffed with cotton Food Kitchen School. neath the tap, but later it over- wool and weighed about seven or flowed. I stayed in the recess just eight cattles each. under the fireplace. I did not know |
"I lay down on my bed shortly
I was quite safe there. I felt after 8 p.m.." witness said." "After the heat, but the flames did not some 15 or 20 minutes I sat up reach me
and struck" 2 match, lighting While I stayed there, the kitchen my pipe. I threw the burnt match windows caught Bre
I had satisfied my- and were on the floor. burat out. Occasionally it became self that It was out, but it was so hot, I had to scoop some wa er still glowing slightly. I used only from the floor into my hiding this one match, and I threw it on
the outer side of my bed. place to cook it. I remained there till the fire haɑ burnt out. ·
window.
Clothes and Socks, Mrs. Stet Flower seeds and vegetable seeds, Clover Flower Shop.
Toys and gifts, Miss E. S. Atkins. Christmas gifts, Miss Wise. Vests, Miss Buckland. Thermos Flask, Miss Thom. 30 bags of rice, Chow, Chun Re- :ller Association, Chinese Chamber
of Commerce.
41
In Hongkong
Mr. Richard Charles Deane and Miss Joan Margot Sibbald, 'two' Manila personalities, who arriv.d this week from the south, were married yeste day at the Registry. Supreme Court.
The bridegroom is a well-known chartered accountant in the Phillp- pine capital
Mr. T. s. Whyte-Smith, Registrar of Marriages, ociated at the ceremony, and the witnesses were Mr. and Mrs. R. P. Dobson.
ANNOUNCEMENTS
The following forthcoming mar- riages are anounced:-
Mr. Andres Sadic, musician. of
ed to my master's shop where my No. 10, Stewart Road, third floor.
"I had been smoking a little, burns were treated with, of
alight.
and Miss Ramona Leung, of No.
1 when I noticed a light near the The foreman of the jury.' Mr. 31. Morrison Hill Road; first floor; It was a long time. Finally, I got head of my bed.. That light came Gellman, questioned the witness Lance Corporal George Edward out and stood on a concrete stone from near where I threw the as to his experience with cotton Brown, of Wellington Barracks, slab where the chopping block match down. When I saw this I wool on are. Witness replied that and Miss Cheong Shult-chun; of stood usually. From there I called immediately jumped up. The co-ordinarily cotton wool is very in-No. 5, Fenwick Street; on: "Save life!" through the open ton under my bed was already flammable. He noticed the fire Mr. Ho Wing-chung, wireless spread quite evenly over the cot- operator, of No. 3, Lung Kong A Fire Brigade officer; came up "I tried to smother the fire with ton, and there was little or no Road, third floor and Miss Chan through the window. He took me the quilt I was using to cover my- Stezake.
May-kum, of No. 7, Fung Fr down into the street. There I was self. Thly did not put the fire out,! The
next witness heard was Terrace; put into an ambulance. I was out the bundle under the bed next Wong Stu, who corroborated some Mr. Lau Cho-hee, clerk, of No taken to hospital, from where I to mine caught alight from the of Lo's evidence. The inquiry, will 107, Hollywood Road, first floor, was discharged on the following flames that darted out from un-be continued this afternoon. -day.
While was in the kitchen. I do not, remember having heard or seen anyone else. I was not injured in any way. There was much smoke
der the quilt. I was using to smother the fire with. 1.
HANDS AND LEGS BURNT
"I could not put the fire out and
In the kitchen. but no other part by this time my hands and legs
of it caught are but the windows. were burnt. I don't know if there'
HOW FIRE STARTED
Lo Lam, aged 51, a cotton quit)
maker, told of how the fire started
בגס
was anyone to gave me assistance.
I did not see Wong Slu
“I continued struggling thus for
and Miss Lam Suk-ching, of No.
Mr. Q. A. A Macfadyen is sitting 141, Portland Street, third floor; as Coroner, and the jury com- Mr. Lee Hat-chi, merchant, of prises Messrs, B. A, Gellman (fore-No. 5. Ching. Fung Street, seco- man), Wong Kwal-gin, and J. A. floor, and Miss Yung Pl-yun, of Remedios.
the same address,
7!
Hongkong A.D.C. To Present
about 10 or 15 minutes. When I "The Circle"
al-
the Arst floor of No. 480. gave up the struggle. I was
ready so excited. I cannot say how
Shanghai Street
because of my
burnt
On the day of the fire, he finish-much the fire had spread. I had ed work in the shop on the first to leave floor about 2 p.m. He stayed on hands and feet. "the "floor, to look after the shop.
"T met nobody on the stairs as wh'ling the time away in prepar-I ran down I stood on the foot-
ing some cotton to be worked on path in the street by the staircase next morning.
for a short while I called "out
از
About & pan.."two apprentices! twige fre? but I don't know if arrived from his master's shop anybody heard me. Later, I walk-
BRICKS!!
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IL
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Hongkong Office:
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In February
PROCEEDS IN AID
OF B.W.O.F. ·
For their first production of the 1940 season, the Hongkong AD.C. bave chosen Sortierset Maugham's wittiest and most "amusing comedy. "The Circle," which will be presented at the China Fleet Club Theatre for four nights 21-24, inclusive.
.. WITTY COMEDY
MORTGAGE CASE CONCLUDES
After further submissions by Mr. Eldon Potter, K.C., for the plain- tiffs, the alleged mortgage fraud action, involving No. 300 Des Voeux Road Cengal and No. 96 Wing Lok Street, concluded at the Supreme Court yesterday, when the Chlet Justice, Bir Atholl MacGregor, Ie- served judgment. The sction last- ed for two weeks.
Before rising, the Chlef Justice wished Mr. H. G. Sheldon, K.C., whe appeared for the defence. success in his post of Crown Counsel, to The play concern the complica. which he had recently been an- tions and reactions which ensure pointed, and Mr. Potter, for the when Lady Catherine Champion-Bar. associated himself with His Cheney, who thirty years before Lordship's words.
gave up all "for love" and ran
away with a married man, is held Unlawful Possession up as an awful example to her daughter-in-law, Elizabeth, who is seriously thinking of doing the
same
Of Wood
Three men, who were arrested The situation is very amusingly in Cheung Chau, were jointly worked out and the play is full of charged with the unlawful posses- scenes and situations in which all sion of 1,501 cattles of tree wood. the author's gifts for witty comedy They were each fined $250, or and biting cynicism are seen at three months' impsonment by their best
Mr.. R. Edwards, at the Centra Court: yesterday.
THE CAST
The men were Li Tung, 21, un- The cast contains a number of employed, Lo Ng. 27, and Ho Yau, ald Hongkong favourites, including 26, farmers, Helen Prior, who has been a stal- Serg, Whitcroft told the Court wart stand-by of the Hongkong that he saw Ho Yan carrying a AD.C. for many years now; Cyril sing of frewood, which he threw Champkin, in the part of a away when witness approached. crochety and irritable old Peer. He followed Ho to the see-front always having trouble with 's and found the two other defen- faled teeth and with original ideas dant with a large quantity of fire- om the sanctity of Bridge; and Winnie Cox, an Elizabetfr.
It will be remembered that!
Wood
Windle Cox played with great dis- what "tough" planter home on tinction in a fortaer production of leave from the FMB.
the A.D.C. "Night Must Fall"
A NEWCOMER
Beth Smith-Wright has a small part, and among the newcomers is EB Teesdale, who is shaping very well in the part of a some-
Altogether the production promises to be a great success, and will undoubtedly provide a good antidote to the troubles of the times. All the proceeds will be devoted to the Brigh War Organisation Fund.
11
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