By 8.30 p.m, only the four walls of the factory remained standing and they were momentarily expected to crumble into the france be-Tow, On the north side of. the building, which had been tackled bs the Shanghai Munigipal Council' fire brigade, the firemen were work ing "with their lives in their hands," fas an officer put it. "I did not Tike having to stay there," he added. "My men have been working: splendidly, in very grave danger, for the last two hours."
At this period, dozens of Chinese could be observed emerging from Chinese dwellings in the vicinity with all their belongings. These precautions appeared far from un~ timely, for it looked az if the whole of a block of new, but humble, dwellings would soon be involved i the flames.
Fortunately no lives were lost, bat the damage must have been considerable. It was mentioned that the insurance amounted to a few Iakhs. No cause has at present been given for the outbreak, which is said to be the biggest since the Soochow Road fire, when "morning contemporary. was burnt, Municipal Brigade's Fine Work It is nevertheless pertinent to re= member, that had not the Shanghai Fire Brigade prosoded the Chapel vans by some 16 minutes, hed Lines cof hope on the fire and men at the nozzle, good portion of the pualy ness section of Chapel would have keen destroyed. Eight or 10 vans turned out on call, the blaze bolag seen by all watch towers simul taneously, at seven o'clock, and the first engine made fast' to the hydrant at the intersection of North Honan Road with Boundary, Road. It was half a mie of winding road to. the fire, but the men ran out their hose by hand, coupled up with relaying engines who maintained the pressure, and poured 2,000 gallons of water per minute the already blazing furnace Tt was through their sole efforte that the trouble was handled and a catastrophe averted—a fitting tut ing of the cheek after all the insults heaped on the Municipality in the ast four months. attack, the robbers started to make] at the invitation of the Japanese '2 house-to-house search for booty.
Government and one of the crown All who resisted were beaten and] ing achievements of his brilliant
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.