307
A.
THE FIRE.
Shortly after eleven o'clock, last evening,
a policeman saw fire issuing from, lower window of Messrs Fawcett & Company's stores. And he immediately proceeded, to the station to give the alarm. Mr Bleecker, the assistant residing on the pre- mises heard a crackling noise and perceived the smell of fire about the same time but as no communication took place between the P. C. and himself it is difficult to say who first discovered it. So far had it then ad- vanced in the interior of the building that Mr Bleecker had on y time to save his wife and two children by lowering them over the verandah when he was compelled to seek safely himself by similar means. The Policeman was closely followed by a gentle- ian who had perceived the fire while com- ing down past the Roman Catholic Ca- thedral. The police were then called, and in the take it easy manner which distiu- guishes that valuable branch of the public service commenced to turn out.
About a miuute afterwards a gentleman rushed up in his pajamas and jacket and represented the imminent danger to which the building was exposed. This seemed to rouge the dormant energiós of the "valuable branch;" and the firebell (which should have been rung immediately on the alarm), was then set going, and some fifteen minutes after the known outbreak of the fire the "valu able branch"-or the V. B. (if we may be allowed to adopt the initials for shortuess) were ou the spot, under the direction, us three of them some twenty minutes after- wards informed us, of-nobody whatever! X But the V. B. were not alone. Sikbs, whose chief characteristics were an utter i capacity for comprehending a single word aldressed to them and a violent desire to beat the Chinese crews of two of the engines present over the head, were visible in force, The Military, Naval, Messageries Impe. riales, Dockyard and many private engines were soon present and it is almost superfinous to say that they worked with great ene gy, cramped only by the want of any effective co-operation ou the part of the V. B. and F. B. (or fire brigade) so mythical an institution that initials do it more than justice. As for the V. D., or to speak plainly the European police, they were useless, i ao ent, insubordinate, and in two cases which came into our knowledge thieving and drunk n. (If they desire iden tification, we sl all be happy to oblige them.) And in this connection, we would draw attention to ti e very st a' behaviour of the Naval (British, American and Freuch) and Military de achments present. It was soon found that all efforts to stop the fire in the store itself would be useless, and here a little leadership would have been invaluable to the wretched V. B. regarded the other official and civilian : forces present we cappot unit to thank the gentlenion whose strenuous efforts to do something in that way were CON- spicuous. Captaiu Barry, Messrs Heard, Hayller, Coxon, Pollard, Glennie, and Captain Farringtou, did good service. But especially wore the services of Mr Tounochy valuable, and it was by his efforts that Mr Pearce, the proprietor, was enabled to preserve his personal effects from total loss. The extinction or rather cessation of the fire was chiefly owing to the fact that it caught the mat covering of Messrs Dent & Co.'s stables, which, com- bustible as they were, actually saved the remainder of the block by their rapid com. bustion, thus placing a gap between the main body of the fire and the houses in D'Aquilar Street. Moat fortunately for
As
the inhabitants of the block in which the China Mail Office is situated, the verandah of the shop occupied by Atiek was not nited, owing partly to its being kept well wetted, but chiefly to the part of the wind blowing from the harbour driving the flames into the burning store. The verandal in question is peculiarly dangerous, being wholly of wood, very projecting and occupying the corner of a block.
The scene during the fire was one of utter coufusion, which was "doubly con founded by the rush of frantic coolies, who with swords and choppers aloft, rushed about with such property as they could lay hands on, in a blind belief that the Colouy was in a fair way of being barut up and that their individual "traps were the special object of the Promethean joss. This stampede is the feature in all fires wherein Chinese are concerned, and ought to be one of the first evils against which the energy of an efficient F. B. Chief should be turned. Shouting, stumbling, quarrelling, and tum- bling right in the way of those who were! anxious and willing to assist in limiting! the fire to a given area, these fear-stricken fools rushed about, rendering freedom of or scope for action almost impossible, and only giving opportunity for the knaveries: of thieves who were on the look out at every turn. In one case which fell under: our notice, a large posse of about forty of these caturals' were seen to completely stop the crew of an engine procceding up d'Aguilar Street to connect with the hydr
ant.
The following, so far as we can learn, are the engines which were on the ground :-- Hongkong Fire Insurance Company (steam), under the very able superintendence of the engineers in charge; this engine was parti. cularly effective, but, owing to the inex- pressible stupidity of the Sikh constable sent to give the alarm, it reached the fire in time only to assist in preventing the further spread of the Haines. Messrs Dent & Co.'s engine, under the super- intendence of Mr Glennie; the Police, Water Police, aud Dockyard Police Engines; the engines belonging to the military and naval authorities as well as that of the Messageries Imperiales. One or two hoses were attached to hydrants near by, and did some service, but we fancy rather needlessly reduced the water supplyi for the engines. We failed to discover which of the engines, hydrants, hose or working-parties were under the more imme-: diate command of the Superintendent of the F. B.,-which failure was shared by a large majority of those present,
The furniture of Mr Pearce, the proprie- tor, was most needlessly broken up and spoilt by an energetic band who laboured under the idea that pitching crockery down- stairs was likely to deprive the flame of matter whereon to feed. Fortunately he preserved some of the more valuable por- tion. The fire was confined within the area over which it extended, "more by good luck than good management." The enibers remained smouldering all the forenoon but by this time they cannot have much vita- lity. The izon chest has been found intact. No cause bas as yet been as- signed for the outbreak of the fire; every thing was noticed to be correct at 5 r.M. The loss is, we believe, covered by insurance, As a parting enquiry we should like to know why the Sikhs, who cannot under- stand an English order, were latterly en- trusted with the task of directing the hoses, while the European police stood by smoking their cigars?