Betwween one and half-past one o'clock on Friday afternoon (2nd) the occupants of the Shanghai Club were alarmed by the news that their splendid, renovated premises were on fire, and upon inspection it was at once found that the beams and rafters underneath the zine roof in the highest part of the building had become ignited. The fire evidently had been smouldering for some time before its discovery, and had got 8 strong hold on the woodwork of the roof, "Che first intimation of the fire was the tumbling down of quantity of burning timber almost on top of a coolie engaged in taking the dishes from the lift as the members of the Club were at tifin. Immediately upon the alarm being given, the firemen of the various con panies began to arrive with their hose carriages, and many ready volunteers amongst the non-firemen portion of the members of the Club aided the brigade. A plentiful supply of hand grenades were on the premises and these, with water buckets were used before the hose was laid on, but without effect. The fire at first seemed to be of an insignia ficant character, but it was shortly found that it was very difficult to get at it, spreading as it did away far under the roof. Unfortunately the water pressure from the hydrants was totally inadequate to reach the roof from which the jet fell powerlessly back, when within five or six fect of the burning timbers. This made the aspect all the more serious, and besides the water, without doing good in the way of extinguishing the flames, was doing a lot of damage inside the corridors, and halls. A party of blue jackets and marines under the command of one of the officers from H.M.S. Firebrand shortly arrived on the scene and did good service. Another line of hose was laid on and conveyed through one of the bedroom windows; ht out on the roof—the effort to reach which from the inside had been only partially swecessful—and all the extra pressure at the command of the Water Works Com-of the unfortunate steamer; her Captain pany was tried, but in vain. It fell short was unaware of the misfortune to the of the flames' by murly feet, and the Pautak, news of it not having reached fears of the fire spreading began to grow Chefoo when he left that port. The weather stronger. Meanwhile the steam fire engines was very thick off the northern coast last had been sent for, and the firemen week, nearly all the steamers reporting and volunteers after waiting nearly heavy fogs, and it is doubtless owing to half an hour on the roof under a blazing these that the accident occurred to the sun, battling as best they could with the Pantah We were informed at the Com-flames, with water buckets drawn up by ropes, the somewhat despised and ante-Juny's oice that 400 bags of copper cash had been recovered from the Puutah at nated "steamers" began to pump up low water on Sunday the water from the river, and soon a strong A telegram was received on Tuesday state stream from the Whangpoo was obtained, ing that the Pautah isa hopeless wreck. Her through the Victoria and Torrent. Averyhigh bow is out of the water but the after part wind was blowingatthe time, which rendered is submerged. The treasure, some cargo, the necessary experiment of raising the and 400 bags copper cash have been saved, zine roofing somewhat hazardous, lest The Huechang is standing by the flames should be fanned downward and thus spread through the body of the building.
However, the task of extinguishing the fire was with some little difficulty and with the expenditure of " good deal of time and
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.