From Our Own Correspondent.
Soochow, Dec. 25, 1923.
The Soochow foreign community seems to be celebrating the day" in the usual delightful way. There are quite a number of visitors in town, though perhaps not as mapy as usual. A large number of Language School students are paying visits to other cities. Shanghai holiday house boaters, on trips around Soochow will find it hard travelling if their houseboats draw as much as 30 inches. Last year's low water mark was unusual, but the water is already lower, and promises to do some record breaking before February. All the louches are having trouble on their runs, some going aground every day, and heavy cargo boats can carry only half a cargo. It is a crying shame that China's so-called government squanders its funds on robber armies, instead of using at least a small per cent. of the peoples' taxes for dredging, and the many other needed improvements.
FIRE BRIGADE BUSY, Soochow's fire department has been having a busy time. Ab 3 p.m. yesterday they were called out, there was a second big fire at 10 p.m. another at 12.30 a.m. and at 3a.m. a fourth blaze. The midnight fire promised to wipe out a whole block of houses, but in 30 niinutes the fire was under control. We often laugh at these old hand-pump fire engines, with their water supply via a bucket brigade, from a canal or a well in the vicinity: yet when we see these seemingly inefficient engines in action we find them wonderfully efficient. After watching the flames at midnight last night leaping from 10 to 25 feet, fanned the sparks several hundred yards, by quite a strong gale which blew
and then seeing - this big fire stopped short in its tracks in less than half an hour, we must take off our hats to such efficient work And five engines were on the job within five minutes after the fire started.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.