The news and herald. (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1877-1900, 1879-05-31
A fire tnl China.

| a person who was present at the late
fire In Hong Kong, China, says: 81
| trust never to sec such sight again
| The long road shaded with trees lead
Ing from our part of the town to the
| populous part, was alive with Chinese
carrying their goods, women huddled
| together over beds, baskets, stools
| clothes, crockery-anything and every
thing IN the way of personal goods
Small-tooted women tottcred along,
held up by their children; while others
bore some good bit Of bronze or some
family treasure. Several sewing ma
chimes lay OH the road, and met SUI
perb American piano carried along.
Sick people borne past In blankets ttld
us that the hospital was on fire. Still
we made our way to the front, through
the smoke, up Il street of small houses,
mostly those of small Psrsee merchants
who were budding out bales of cotton,
silks, embroideries, framed pictures,
etc., while so great was the mass Of
broken looking glasses that walking
became difficult. At last we reached
.
blazing mass was all that remained Of
the civil hospital and eight other large
houses. The governor and general
stood there; and I've governor said to
me, 81 had to blow 1t up to save the
jail;" and then he whispered, "God
knows what we may have to do; there
are nearly one thousand prisoners"
Now came the shrtll blast Of the buglc
'Stand oack ALL" Out came from the
smoke the engineer officers, having just
laid the charges to blow up the rear Of
the hospital, which adjoined the Jail
yard. Another explosion of bricks,
blazing bits of raftcr, shower of
sparks and binding smoke and gor-
geous cloud Of colored flame showed
the drugs stored in the hospital were
alight. Then came commotion which
| did not understand. Soldiers marched
up, fresh cries were raised, and a stran-
ger coming up said, "You had better
stand up on tho rise of the hill, for they
are about to bring out the prisoners"
1t was like the riot scene in "Barnabv
Rudge." | could hear the order elk
bayonets," and then down through the
crowd and dust tramped tho soldiers,
with about one hundred hancuifed crca-
lures IN their midst. When n and
returned we followed the governor
through the back entrance In the iail,
passing through the central police sta
ton, where the inspectors who arc
married men, have large quarters.
Here English furniture, books, orna-
ments, dresses lay about drenched with
water. Tie governor of the Jail told
told me that the jail was saved by the
blowing up of the civil hospital, but
that the danger then was from the po-
lice station stables. Very soon they
were gallantly broken open, principally
by sailors, and huge piles of hay
handed from man to man and thrown
down the steep streets; and that night
many homeless Chinese were cudtled
under the hay. Now the block of build
ings In front Of the Oriental bank was
to be blown up. l fastened thlther,
through never-ending scene of dis
iess, to find the bunk hung over with
the handsome carpets soaked with wa
ter. Within doors pa per were being
packed in safes, bank notes in fire.
proof boxes, and 40 sent down to the
harbor escorted by soldiers and placed
In steam launches. l watched the
blowing up of Ross tailoring establish
ment, fine block of buildings. Sew
erai fifty pound charges of powder
were laid, tho bugle sounded again and
Ross ceased to exist. This however
saved our end of the town. Words
cannot tell the scene in Queens road,
one of the sights of the city, for here
are Cor rather were) the curiosity or
bird shops. The place was deeply lit
tered with broken glass and shattered
vases, burning silks and gauzes, smash
cd worries, lovely lacquer cabinets IN
fragments. l tumblcd over lot Of
hares. ducks, geese, phcasants, ETC.,
the whole Of a poulterer's stock. The
fire brigade, mostly volunteers, were
still working, looking thoroughly ex-
hausted. Before one shop an Irish lad
declared he could not let the birds be
burned alive; and though ho was
warned that a fifty-pound charge was
I'm the house, he dashed in, broke open
the bird cages with his axe, and flock
of little canaries was all over Queens
road In less than five minutes. BY six
O'Clock In the evening all was over,
smouldering ruins md falling walls
only left" -
Mas<Ester.
On the 18th of September, 1923, there