Terrible Scenes at a Fire.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XXVI, Issue 8413, 12 January 1899, Page 4

Terrible Scenes at a Fire.

The North China Herald, reti-mii!; to tlie lire in tlic native pity »F Hankow' on tlio Ist October, says that' the d.-i ruction \>,is oven greater than M luM ostnnat>'d. The fire arose through the it|i>-ettin^ of ;\ kerosene lamp iii a thaclicd-nmf house at 11 p.m.. iiml it Mas not till 1 p.m. die following d;iy that the liipw.it^nt under control. No less than tlnee miles of streets and alley-\\d\s weie liuint out. leaving homele!-;' 10,<i.'il families. There was n gale of wind Mow in;,' at the linn-, .so that the flying tp.irus st.uted a iiinll.i_'i,ition in alleys in several njiposite i|iiaitei--at the same time, thin .■miiiiL' nil' the people living in the inlt-i \ l-iu'iil' ln>ti-e-. from escape. In one alley alcniu '217 persons, old and vdhiil', fiilnl to e-raiic. while t.wo lire engines' in the alley ueio also burned in the geneial ratavirophe. The loss of life is now e-iiinnu.i io !>,■ at least. '2000. The scene mi tin: sinvt- the following inoi'iiing m.i-. almost too hmiil.lc to deserilie. Hnmhed.-. uf )> t -..pl|. \, ),,, J,, l( j heen in their homes, s-ui founded hy wall-, of lire and unalile to eteapc, lay the'ie. In one place there w-is a iioiul inlrj wliicli people had jumped to en-ape fiom the tin.-, got stuck in the mud anil weie dimmed.