The Centre reporter. [volume] (Centre Hall, Pa.) 1871-1940, 1878-05-30
I,4OO PEOPLE BURNED.
The A,.faI Holocaust aI Tisntsia. china
Terrible scenes Of AKany and Death.

Tn. A,,faI Holocaust al TiohIsih. China
Terrible scenes Of AKsny and Death.
The particulars Of the great fire ai
Tientsin, China, are horrible The
number Of refugees who had basn col
lectiug at this point had been augment
ing by daily additions until the aggrc-
gate was yariOusly estimated at any
where from tfty thousand % one hun
dred and fifty thousand. An additional
soup di,pensary WAS opened On piece
of vacant ground known as the Flower
Garien of the X 'ang family. When this
relief depot WAS established, the whole
premises was surrounded with a strong
fence Of reeds and millet stalks, plaster
ed with mud As the place was 10 be
occupied only by women aud children,
the greatest care was taken that all com
municAtiou between the inside aud out
side be prevented The alley on the
west side was fenced up at its north end,
and the only gate Of the soup-y yard was
AZ the south end Of the same alley-a
gate about SIX feet wide. About ten
O'Clock on bitter cold morning an
alarm was given that fire had broken
out in this relief yard, roofed with in
hammAble mats, and crowded with hu-
man beings. Crowds Of people began
10 gather on all sides Of the yard, and
tear down the strong fence. The mo-
ment that communication was establish
ed between the inside and the outside, 3
considerable number Of outsiders leaped
into that part Of the inclosure forming
the alley. to attempt 10 rescue those who
we're still struggling 10 escape. The
scene within was awful. The long sheds
had already melted into smoke and
ashes, and only the poles were still
buning-yet not the poles alone. for
beneath stretched long lines of some
thing only distinctly seen, and which,
between the gusts Of flame and smoke,
could be recognized as the heads. arms
and bodies II human beings, all huddled
within the limits uf the former compurt-
ments. and Just as they were caught by
the fiery siroccO. Not one IN twenty
had time 10 move n yard before they
were met by flames and sufiocated where
they chanoed 90 bc. la front Of the
locked gate large number Of pOcF
wretches were caught and imprisoned
by the flames. Their wadded or
skin garments caught hre, aud could
neither be taken of nor e1tinguished-
scores of poor women we're reduced TO a
condition too horrible 70 be described
absolutely roasted on one side, and
utterly helpless 10 escape.
The greater part Of those who were
burned must have persisted instantly.
Within five minutes Of the time the hre
nroke ont. il is probable that those who
failed 90 escape were sufocAted by the
flames. Long after every scrap OF mat
and wood had been consumed, the bod
ics of the victims continued 10 bnrn and
shoulder. The oorpses were most of
them reduced literally 20 ciniers, utter
ly beyond recognition. Many OF the
survivors on the day of the fire. and the
three following days, while the bodies
were being taken out. wandered about
u;trring the most piteous lamentations,
striving to discover their children; hus-
bands came 81 institute n hopeless quest
t0r iheir wives. Nothing was left upon
the ground but hundreds OF horribly
muulAtei corpses, fragments OF half
burned clothes, aud broken pottery. IL
is definitely Ascci tAinel that the mum
Der who persisted is somewhat more than
fourteen hundred.