A FIRE AT HONG KONG.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume VI, Issue 707, 31 May 1879, Page 2

A FIRE AT HONG KONG.

The following account of the terrible; fire which lately ravaged Hong Kong will be found interesting :' — "• We certainly have had an exciting year — first, the fearful rain-storm m May, then about a month since an earthquake, and now the worst fire ever known m Hong Kong. I, with some of our guests, went to the top of the house, where a gigantic column of flame and smoke rose before ua. We soon saw that many housea were blazing. My guests left me, and £ remained on the roof, seeing the circle of hills on which the city is built become more ghastly brilliant every minute. The shouts, cries, yells, and crash of the falling roofs became louder and louder ; the harbour was bo lighted up that I could see the boats putting off from the men-of-war. At last, at half-past three, I heard the first explosion (they were beginning to blow up houses) ; and so, quitting the house, I went through streets which by nine were blazing ruins, and soon met homeless crowds carrying their little household goods, while the streets were as light as day, and shaking every now and then as the engineers blew up house after house. X. and the doctor returned at nearly six with a fearful tale. No one would take the responsibility of blowing up the lines of Chinese housea, and so most valuable time was lust till, on the appearance of the Governor, the order was promptly given. Then v the appalling work commenced. We^ had t>arely returned for a brief rest when some coolies rushed into our garden, carrying furniture, and informed us that the chief magistrate's house had caught fire. This was awful news.- If the magistracy had gone, the gaol and civil hospital must go. I roused up X. j , when m rushed a coolie to say the Roman Catholic cathedral was on fire. X. dressed himself m an instant, leaving me to follow with coolies carrying baskets of sandwiches and brandy and soda-water. ' I trust never 1 ! to: see such a sight again. The long road shaded with trees leading from our part of the town to the populous part, was alive; with Chinese carrying their goods, women huddled together over beds, baskets, boxes, stools, clothes crockery— anything and everything m the way of personal goods. Small-footed women tottered along, held up by their children, while others bore some good bit of bronze or some family treasure. Several Be wing-machines lay on the road, and I met a superb American piano carried along. Sick people borne past m blankets told us that the hospital was on fire. Still we made our way to the front, through the smoke, up a street of small houses, mostly those of small Parsee merchants, who were huddling out bales of cotton, silks, embroideries, framed pictures, &c, while so great was the mass of broken looking-glasses that walking became difficult. At last we reached the cordon of soldiers, and beyond it a blazing mass was all that remained of the Civil Hospital and eight other large houses. The Governor and general stood there, and the Governor said to me, ( I had to blow it up to save the gaol;' and then he whispered, ' God knows what we have to do — there are nearly 1000 prisoners. ' Now came the shrill blast of the bugle, 'Stand back 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 gaolyard. Another explosion of bricks, blazing bits of rafter, a shower of sparks and blinding smoke, and a gorgeous cloud of coloured name showed the drugs stored m the hospital were alight. Then came a commotion which 1 did not understand. Soldiers marched up, fresh cries were raised ; and a stranger coming up said, "You had better stand up the rise of the hill, for they are about to bring out the prisoners." It Was like the riot scene m Barnaby Budge, I could hear , the order "Fix bayonets," and then down through the crowd and dust tramped the soldiers, with about 100 wretched hand-cuffed creatures m their midst. When X. And I returned we followed the Governor through the back entrance into the goal, passing through the cenral police Btation, where the inspectors, who are married men, have large quarters. Here English furniture, books,' ornaments, dresses, lay abput drenched with water. The Governor of the gaol- told me that the gaol was served by the blowing up of the civil hospital, but the danger then was from police-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 ateeps streets ; and last night many home- j less Chinees were cuddled under the hay. Now the block of buildings m front of the Oriental Bank was to be blown up. I hastened thither, through a neverending scene of distress, to find the bank hung over with, the handsome carpets soaked with water. Within doors papers were being packed m safes, bank-notes m fire-proof boxes, and .so I sent down to the harbor, escorted by soldiers, and placed m steam launches. I watched the blowing up of Ross's tailoring establishment, a fine block of buildings. Several 501 b. charges of powder were laid, the bugle sounded again, and Ross's ceased to exist. This, however, saved our end of the town. Words cannot tell the scene m Queen's road, one of the sights of the city, for here are (or rather -were) the curiosity and bird shops. The place was deeply littered with broken glass and shattered vases, burning: silks and gauzes, smashed ivories, lovely lacquer cabinets m fragments. I toumbled over a lot of hares, ducks, geese, pheasants, &c, the whole of a poulterer's were still working, looking throughly exhausted. Before one shop an Irish lad declared he couid not let the birds be burned alive ; and, though he was warned that a 601 b. t charge was m the house, he dashed m, broke open dozens of cages with his axe, and a flock of little canaries was all over Queens-road m less, than five minutes. By 6 o'clock m. the evening all was over, smouldering ruins and falling walls only left."