The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1899-04-09
|, EghtingFre
! .....M China.

HE third watch az The night had
III Just been announced from assa-
| quarters by the firing OF three large
ssraie~ and the wAteamen. who are
not SO sleepy in these times As they
used 10 Re had started once more on iheif
+! rounds with the cry: Take care OF nFes
and candles, Use no foreign oil. wssn.
/ hard by the city wall--a sudden roar ana
/ a glare: the pale moonlight warmed into
orange everywhere. and a great pillar OF
smoke expanding over - hundred houses
Shouts os "FSre.' Screams OF waxing
mothers; seizing and roussng or sleeping
children. Every one slipping into their
/ clothes. Every one at the door. WITH aaa
| ya.' or ..Hai yo!'' or Hal ye,' according
| Ia the distance from the volume OF fame
the first sound uttered in a tone or patio
sophicai surprise; the second as long
| drawn sigh OF sympathetic wonder. the
| third. a staecato OF agonized alarm
Close at hand. and soon to be upon ns''
| Is the next ery-yariously worded. from
| the latter speakers. interlarded with
swear words by most OF the men, ana
with "O-mi-t'u-fo' or Ancestors pro-
;ectr' or ''pu'sah protect" in the case
OF women. Then general gathering up
OF belongings. children Knocked over,
sworn al, picked up dragged TO the street,
then boxes. bundles. everything portable
| dragged there. too.
| tons. from the various depcts OF the little
water dragons" A babel OF voices every
where. Fire more distant than was mag
/ ined. or Hal ye,'' as near as can be-
Lantern bearers rushing along the streets.
! asking or answering hurried questions as
| to the precise spot Bearers of burdens
| hurryins about coiiiding a spill here.
| broken rope there. lantern bearer upset,
| child tramplei on yonder. Boxes miss
| ing from doorwSys. Thieves by the score
on the ale-t-sman fortunes 10 be made
| tonight.
Clear The way. Here comes the water
/ dragon" with its uncouth band OF firemen
| in gray. Clear the way, mandarin Ia
his chair. Crowds damned against shop
| shutters. into houses. anywhere. Room
| for the water carriersl Soldiers with hal
| herds enforce that cry as the scene OF the
/ fire is neared.
The river is too far of. TIE iong-elosed
perfect peace tank" is officially opened.
| A torch is 1T within. 1t Is barely aalf
| full. No other water at hand. Who has
| wellg The foreigner, perhaps. And SO
| rush is made To his gate. His men
| have already been carrying buckets 10 the
| front in case the fire leaps over the few
| houses between or the big sparks fall
! there. A touch OF nature such as this
common danger and there is no foreigner.
| Water Is carried out. hahles. bundles.
boxes are carried in The man with a
compound is everyeody's brother now.
| Happy thought, Carry the engines on
| 10 the city hail, They cannot get near
| otherwise. And 30 they are carried up
| from inside the gate The men behind
are drenehed. but never mind. Only swear
| a little that SO much water has beeNssptlt.
The wall isAa mass of lanterns. And.
now the little Jets squirt forth To what
purpose, upon The flames hfty feet high?
Only brick walls can step sthe flames in
this crowded mass Of wooden structures.
dried by arouth.
The wind is fairly high but the house.
has side walls OF thin tile, and there is
| a brick wall TO the west And engines
have forced their way below as well. as
above the FIRE 4 bit nearer. and the
hose Will play into the house itself. But
1 horrors, The water cracks the tile wall.
| 1t comes down with crash. and four
men under it-hruised. burned. one of
them never 70 recover
The bodies are dragged out. the hose
| turned onto them. They are carried away.
three regain consciousness. And through
| the gap the engines have an opportunity
| row.
Half an hour passes. ana the flames he
| gin 20 abate.
Whose house, is the question next
/ day and the answer is AN empty house
where no one has lived FOR months" And
| the whole turns out 10 be a piece Of
| thieves business. one Unknown setting
the empty house on Are while tia watch
| utan had turned the corner, and scores
| 81 others ready with their carrying poles
70 run away with anything they could
| lay their hands on. All this in a quiet
riace and only the house burned.
Accounts have been published OF the
series ~ fgres in Haukow. beginning with
rhae NJ he night ~ October l. with sts
| destruction Of ten thousand houses and
the loss Of hundreds % lives. Az least
We call them accounts. They are graphic
and detailed We say, Bot I question
whether human mind can grasp more than
| an iata Of the uHwritten account read.
as even the heather CAinese would say.
a. sIl-ses8nE heaxsr-->crth china Herald