The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1906-10-14
! Persisted IN
BURNING SHIP
Horrible Fate of Hundreds of
Chinese Passengers on
Steamer HankoW.
EUROPEANS ALL SAVED
VESSEL DESTROYED AT HONG
KONG WHARF.
EUROPEANS ALL SAVED

Hong Kong, Oct. 1.-THE British
steamer Hankow from Canton was
burned at $40 o'clock this (Sundav)
morning while lying alongside her
wharf. Hundreds Of Chinese passen-
gers were burned to death and val
liable cargo was destroyed. All the
European passengers and crew were
saved.
tae steamer Hankow. with 1000 Chi
hese passengers, men, women and
chlidren, and seven Europeans, and a
cargo including 300 bales of mating.
ooo bales OF raw silk and 400 bales
waste silk. arrived from Canton at 8
o clock this morning and was shortly
afterward moored at the wharf.
Ablaze Fore and Aft.
Her chief officer reported to Captain
Branch that the ship was afire. The
captain then directed the chief for
elsner to turn on the water through
the fire hose. This was impossible for
the reason that within five minutes
after the alarm was given the Hankow
was ablaze the fore and aft CAPTAIN
Branch then awakened the European
passengers, who rushed down the
gang way, the ladies in their night
clothes The crew was compelled to
IeaYe the ship, which by this time was
veritable furnace. The Chinese
steerage passengers were thrown into
frishtful panic. Horrifying shrieks
ana cries TO save their lives were
heard but escape was impossible. ow-
ing to the infiammable nature of the
cargo.
Hundreds Cremated.
Hundreds were burned TO death and
many others jumped into the harbor
and were drowned.
Responding to signals, the British
cruiser Flora and the naval dock
yard despatched contingents of en-
gines and assistance. The land ana
floating brigades Of firemen made her
culean efforts to extinguish the flames
which leaped TO height of over sixty
feet
The British steamer Pow An, which
was burned at the same wharf was
towed out to save her from destruc-
ton: neighbOring pier, a hundred
yards distant, was burned to the
waters edge. Governor Nathan, ac-
companied by his aide de camp, ar
rived at the scene at AIS a. IN. Gov
ernor Nathan suggested gcuttling the
ship but the suggestion was found to
be impracticable.
Recovering the Bodies.
The fire was brought under control
at O'Clock a. m, at which time only
the shell ana hull of the HankOW re- |
manned. The grewsople work of re- |
covering the dead was then begun
The fire fighters have already re-
covered seventy-five corpses. Many of |
them were huddled together and only |
singed, while others were incinerated
beyond recognition. OF the cargo 200
bales of raw silk are saved but badly
damaged by water. The remainder was
totally destroyed.
There are many theories as to the
cause of the fire. The first is tina
is was caused by the overturning of |
the lantern of Chinese boarding
house runne- who came aboard seek
ing customers. The second was that
an opium smoker accidentally set fire |
TO the mating, the third is that it was
caused by the crossing of electric |
wires. A fourth theory and one that
is considered the most probable is that |
the fire was incendiary and was an |
outgrow of a boycott against British
river boats.
The steamer Hankow was owned by
the China Navigation company of Lon
don and was built in Glasgow in 1876. |
The vessel was constructed of iron,
her dirensi )ns being length. 3OS5: |
beam. 423: depth, 1872 feet. She reg
istered 3073 tons gross.
DI AIM NIOI Atom 0C