CHINA DWELLAND TRADE REPORT
Shanghai 941
JD. TH
1897
THE FIRE AT THE EWO WASTE SILK FILATURE SHANGHAI
hai 20th Maroh,
Shortly before midnight last night the hands At Messrs. Jardine Mi
fire was by
men
alexand
hope
hang
e to be
ked wha
more
be
Dected
CORRESPONDENCE
Co.'s Waste the customary
the
bur
departments
was still and there in fitful consum
We do not
as usual for
alls,
Stives returned.
ben
WIS
was the
ing
inge
HONGKON
PORT DUES.
JAILY: PRN:
ity of material This room drying process. few minutes after the work. people left it was seen to be in flames. The was given to the police by the ager, who proceeded to the place of the eak, but nothing could be done owing the apparently total absence of any description of fire appliance whatever, or any available water supply, consequently the fire speedily assumed alarming proportions, and it became evident that the building was doomed, for before the firemen arrived the flames had spread from the drying room to the adjoining buildings, which by this time were well alight.
23
obarred timber, and all hopel ably ruined
There were some.700 hands employed at the filature, and of these 100 were at work last night. They will, of course, be thrown out of employment, as there is absolutely nothing left of the buildings in which they were employed.
The cause of the fire is at present unknown, but is believed to have arisen through the overheating of a pipe which passed from the engine-room, up through the drying room above.
The following is the list of insurances on the premises :-
The police, as was said before, were commu- nicated with, and assistance was telephoned for to Mr. Lewis Moore, Superintendent of the Shanghai Fire Brigade. The message stated that help was badly needed, and on this Mr. Moore instructed the bell-tower men at the different stations to sound the alarm on the fire bells, This was done, "number one dis- trict being signalled with the bells. The fire- men turned out smartly, the Hongkow Mihand Ho Loongs being first on the scene, and fol- lowed in a few seconds by the Hongkow, No. 2 Co., but a first glance it could be seen by practical men that there was very little hope of saving the immense buildings, for instead of hydrants being dotted about the premises as one would expect in so important a locality-the nearest one which
stood on the road, right opposite the gateway, was between one and two hundred yards away, the next nearest being double that distance off Two or three tracks were immediately stripped of their hose, which was unhappily found to be sufficient for one stream only, but as additional trucks arrived more hose was obtainable, and finally three streams were brought into play. The whole filature, however, was now one mass of leaping, roaring flames, and it was not long before the roofs of both main building and wings fell in with a deafening crash. Long before this time it was very clear that three streams of water were totally insufficient to cope with the conflagration--indeed, it would have taken several times that number to have surrounded the building and then only at con- iderable intervals Extra assistance was there fore sent for, and the Hongkew Co.'s engine and steam-launch arrived. The engine was beside the large tank, which lies in the space between the main building and the east drawing water therefrom while the
the
plac
MAIN BUILDING AND MACHINERY-
TOTAL LOSS.
Royal Hongkong China South British Lancashire
Commercial Union
„TO THE EDITOR OF THE
DEAR SIR
to
shortly before the hastily to look up the had taken place up In doing so Hongkong shipping Robinson of the 24th Dec been accidentally omitted Association report. Mr Henders since kindly sent me a copy I see that the reasonableness
by
+
for the pay
expenses of maintain
la
lights in and about Hongkong them. My remarks therefore ref
letter from th Lond
an opinion 18 exp
exemption.
the
sed in fav
ebted to the Hor
Hongkon
Whitehead for correction ve
agents are less unreason
them. At the same time it
...
Tls. 40,000 » 30,000
30,000
37
20,000
am
22
15,000
"
15,000
readily admit th
Total, Tis. 150,000
Tls, 25,000
12
30,000
20,000
"J
10,000 10,000
15
godowns were :- The risks on the stock in the main building
Royal Atlas Hongkong Alliance New Zealand
Total, Tls. 95,000 -
bored that Hongk
was in 1842. The changed. I. When a ne original members ass whilst those subseq trance.
راز احمد شد
is no litior
Bre
ate then
added
Has any steamer ever dec of the advantages of this port of avoiding the impost of 21 This, supposing she spends one harbour representa about a
of what a fixed property of the came per annum upon land. Of who of the Earth take tribute PIE re-free, it is the children, and not
The main building, stock, and machinery, as has been stated, are totally destroyed, but the godowns and other buildings are intact, while additional buildings in course of erection main untouched by the fire.—Mercury.
THE CHINESE POST OFFICE. AND THE INVIOLABILITY OF CORRESPONDENCE.
A writer in the Shanghai Mercury says:— Much has been written about the change in our Postal arrangements, but I have seen no re- fereace to the power of postal authorities to tamper with correspondence. That it was done without scruple in England in times gone by, and may be common still in some places, is well enough known. The modus operandi-I quote from the Report of a Secret Committee was as followsThe room where the inner secrets of the post were got at was not known to any but the secret agent. “A more low-browed, could not be well
ner got right in shore close to the river villainous-looking, apave room of a sneak
wo lines of hose being laid from it to arning buildings. Thus four additional ful streams were brought to bear upon the fire and control was very gradually being
Then a new difficulty was en owing to the high walls, which, left by beams, bulged by the heat and ed by the mass of débris and machinery
threatened at every moment to fall i elm those who stood near them. Other ntage had therefore to be found the flames could be, fought, 788 not got under until heralded the omen were
conceived. It looks... and it was one-an official smeak, it is true, but but none the less a sneak.
In this room the official letter picker was appropriately housed. Unchallenged; and in fact unknown, he passed by a secret staircase every morning to his odious duties, every night he went ont again unseen.
His methods are described thus: He selects the letters he intends to operate upon Before him lie the implements of his oraft seals begrim on them the ordina and a piece
pipe. If none ons upon the letter
ge
now the
principle is universally admitted that who use the martor the hearth or the resort, its upkeep and would feel themselves if their contribute towards the over the fro "Red Lion" on the sign.
door or the
GRANVILLE Hongkong, 26th March, 1897
TO THE EDITOR OF THEDAILY
SIR Referring the leader of this date, may I be permitted
least impro you that it is
of the ed Lion an
tomer who
the
to
dir
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