The Davenport gazette. [volume] (Davenport, Scott Co., Iowa) 1841-185?, 1851-04-24
TREMENDOUS FIRE ON A CHINESE Rlv-
ER-uNPARALLELED CALAMITY.

FIRE ON A CHINESE Rly-
ER--uNPARALLEl.ED CALAMITY.
The missionary reports from CHM, -
quoted in tho kolnische Zeitung, describe
The terrible ravages Of y FIRE which took
place on the first Vi Jsnunr., l646, al Hou.
quang, during the prevalence ofan inuada.
lion. Tie New York Tribune translates
some portions Of the account. The FIRE,
which broke out among the shipping, was
Il unparalleled horror. III order 10 form an
idea Of il, We mus, imagine the scene Of its
deysstations. Along the shore Of the hi
aup, for the distance Of several miles, 90
many vessels are usually lying At anchor
that when seen from ,lle opposite bank,
they resemble thick f"rest--but regarded
from near puin. they in,k like 40 i!lini,s,
BILE, popul'us city, floating upon the water.
At a st'll greater distance. though not 80
crowded together, many .hher vessels lie al
tho same anchoring ground. The whole
farm long harbor. extending many miles,
filled with an immense number Of ships,
and presenting . spectacle Of which no oqe
who Inns not seen il can iurma conception.
On the oight in question furious gale
struck this multitudin ms fleet. aud in The
confusion that ensued one Of the vessels
was found to be on fire. Increased At once
by the wind, and fed BY the tar and other
combustible materials with which grcn.
number OF the vessels were loaded, the
fire spread like lightning 10 the neighbor.
ing vessels. The violence Of the storm
and of the fire parted the cables which had
thus Ear confined the burning ships. Scat.
tered by the raging hurricane in every d..
reclion, these every where spread devasta-
ton, turning into fame whatever they
touched, and kindiing The deyouring FIRE
in moment IN the other vessels. IN the
mids, Of This terrible sea Of fire were heard
the shrieks and groans Of an immense num-
Der Of mon, who, given over to despai.-
tossed by the storm--pursued by the flames
aud encompassed by the raging waves
were at last burned 10 crisp by the FIRE.
or swallowed up in the wild abyss Of the
stream. The Ki ang, fr great distance,
sea OF fire, and in the space Of
three hours all those vessels. with The 10.
happy men on board, miserably persisted. -
Il 10 agreed on all hands, .hat the number Of
vessels, according to moderate estimate,
a moonted TO more than three thousand
The Chinese boats, as is well known, even
the smallest, are inhabited by the family Of
The captain, together with the crew. In
deed, there are whole households, whose
are born on board. where they
live and die without knowing to wha, coun-
Try they belong. They come into the world
wherever the floating abode Of their parents
happen to be found. Among the vessels
busned were several large ships. Many Of
hem contained from forty to fifty and sixty
persons. The bodies, mu,ila.ed and dis
igursd by the FIRE, which Wore drawn on,
" the stream, amounted to sixty thousand.
These vessels we're loaded with freight, and
belonging to Chinese OF different proyin-
,es. This may show the great loss and
general bereavement caused by the fire.
Such terrible conflsgraiion was never
inown, we will not sayin China, but in the
whole world. As native from Han,-yan-
ee was surveying the scene Of des0ntion,
10 was 90 impressed with The number Of
be victims, that be ordered, a, bis own cos,
en- thousand cofIins, Tor the interment oil
he bodies, which could be offered for five
II six francs. This sum is paid by the poor
or their collins; usually they cost them
rom thirty to forty francs. and the rich pay
everal thousands, Cor the poor idolators
imagine that the more is done for the body,
he better il will be for the soul.