tive fire broke out in a Chid in the Maloo about turday evening, and spread ing rapidity to the on hand. t was first perceived by a constable, breaking through an upper window of the medicine shop, and he hastened to give alarm at the Louza Polica Station. ourly, the alarm was given at the Central Station, and telegraphed to Hongkew, while the alarm-bells were set in motion, and in a mites the various fire brigades, the Hook and Ladder Company, a atrong body ice, and detachments of seamen and igus ships of war in harbour, were hurrying to the scene of disaster. Inspector Wilson was firat on the spot, and endeavoured with an extine-tent to put out the flames, but after ejecting about half ite contents was obliged to descend owing to the intense heat, I leas than a quarter of an hour after dis covery, the flames had complete mastery of the house, and had caught those on each side. The several engines and hose reels were posted in the most advantageous positions for action, the water-well at corner of Maloo and Shanse road be first started with. There wore, however, owing to neap tides, only about three feet four of water it, and these were soon exhausted, having had no perceptible effect on the fire, which now began to work backwards the dense mass of Chinese dwellings lying between the Maloo and Kiukiang road. wells at the junction of Ningpo and Sh: roads were also brought into use as speed as fire rendered it necessary to pass the water from one engine to another before the flames could be reached, engines were ocoupied in performing this operation, some time being lost before Water was also obtained from the wall at the corner of Hankow and Shantung roads, and other places, but we are informed that the whole aupply was inadequate to check the flames, house after house catching fire, until sisieon were ablaze at one time, and burning matchwood. Fortunately, there was little d, or the consequences would still more disastrous, The heat use, that the houses on the opposite. side of the Maloo began to show signs of ignition, and the occupants were seen at their upper windows pouring water fom basins aust buckets on the smoking wood-work of which the houses are built, In one place, flames actually burst out, and, but for the speedy turning-on of hose, would have led to secund cent gration. Property and shop-goods of all Kinds were thrown into the roadway, only to be trampled to pieces, snaked' with water and oil, or stolen, In fact, the scene for hundreds of yards was one of perfect wreck, Ttatlength became apparent that the efforts of the firemen were useless to at the progress of the flames, and pr were accordingly made for demolishing the houses adjoining those to which the fire had now extended. Hooks, grapples, and axes were soon engaged in (he necessary work of destruction; but it was not until three houses were destroyed that the Aames ed. That object having been ed, the engines continued playing on the burning rubbish until all chance of further out-bronk was at an end. The fire was conquered at as nearly as possible 10.45, but the last of the engines did not retire until past two am., a strong body of firemen and police remaining some hours longer, in case of further emergency, and coolies were employed pouring water on the smoulder: 18 until late on Sun next premises to the medicine hop in which the fire broke out, were used us a general store, and in this, itwas sid, was kept a large quantity of oil contained in the usual paper-tined baskets, which would account for the fierceness of the flames and their rapid spreading.
There are two theories as to of the disaster,—ono, that a man in the ripley of the medicine dealer, who was bed, sick, in trying to light a pipe, fi i the other, that another man was occupied in boiling medicine in a pot on a small Chit stove, the heat from which Tt is i value of the property destroyed, damaged, and stolen, but it must have been very great, for the Police Stations were full of native thieves awaiting an interview with the authorities at the od Court next morning, and we regret toadd that there are one or two foreigners also implicated, one of them being a 1 of-war'a man, How many pilferers undetected cannot be known, So di astrous a fire has not occurred in the Malou for upwards of ten years, and a view of the ruins creates a feeling of surpris that the flames did not been their way through into the Kiukinng road,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.