__A fire which was unfortunately attended
border of the Fourth Fire District, and postenday morning in Nanking Road, on the with the loss of four lives occurred early
next door to Messrs, L. Vrard &'Co,'s store. 'The premises were occupied by a furniture dealer, who traded under the firm of Sam & Ca.' and the proprietor, Sum, was well-known amongst foreigners. Ib seems there were some thirteen persons on the premises on Vednesday night, and town Up lines were engaged *chin-chining jons" owing to the approach of the {nese New Year. Having finished their devotions, they retired to bed at about [one o'clock yesterday morning leaving {the candles they had employed in their j worship burning on the table Everything was quiet till about 3.15 a.m, when some of the inmates were aroused by finding the house on fire, They made a {rush and got out into the street, leave Sam, his wife, child, and an amah i upper room at the back of the building, from which there appears to have been 110 exit except by the staircase, Ina vemarkably short time, the flames had complete mastery of the premises. A native constable on duty in Kiukiang Rond saw the flames and ran to the Central Pol: ce Station to ive the alarm, Inspector Cameron, who earl the policeman's whistle hastily dressed himself and when he got to the fire, in less than five minutes, the whole of the shop was in flames, so that if it had been known that there were people inside, no effort could have saved them. The only entrance to the buililing which extended back about a hundred feet was by the front door, 80 that supposing the remaining inmates had not been suffocated by this time, they could not have got out. 'The fire made its way into the next house' nearest: to Honan Rosd, and such was the heat that the signboard of Luen Wo on the opposite side of Nanking Road was blistered. Between the fire and Messrs. Vrard & Ca. was a lane, but the flames soon over-lapped this and set fire to the wooden shutters of the second and third storeys of the fine red brick building, the lower windows of plate glias with revolving iron shutters being saved.
As soon as the fire alarm was given, the Firemen turned out with great rapidity, probably the quickest night turn out on record, and the "Victorias had water playin, the flames before the bells had stopped ringing. The ' Deluge" Company and the Mih-ho-longs had a neck and neck race to get to the fire, and having. attached their hose to the hydrants, had the mortification of finding that no stream came, This
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.