for January.
The total number of calls to fires, or suppered fires, during the month was 17, a8 against 27 for the corresponding. month last year. The damage to Foreign buildings and contents cannot, fas yet be ascertained, but the damage to Chinese property is estimated at Tls. 5,000. The estimated value of property at risk in Foreign and Chinese buildings during the month was Tls. 108,000 and Tls. 30,500 respectively. The' damage '0 property through fire during January 1915 was Tls. 117,300.
The calls wore received as follows:
Watch towers 6 Police 5 Telephones 6
Street alarms 2
The general alarm was given on 6 occasions, the remaining 11 being Station calls.
The calls proved to be 2 medium sized fires, 11 small fires, 2 false alarms and 2 fires outside the Settlement, The supposed causes of these fires are as follows:—
Sparks or embers from stove 3 Defective flue or grate 3 Candle or lamp upset 2 Lizhted match or cigarette end 1 Naked light 1 Oil boiling over 1 Ignition of petrol 1 Unknown 1 The promises affected were Foreign buildings 6 Chinese buildings 17 Eight houses were destroyed by fire and six damaged by smoke, fire and water. The water axed at fires during the month was 183,490 gallons, The Brigade was occupied 10 hours and 10 minutes at fires, or supposed fires, and the staff was employed for a further 524 hours watching and damping down.
There were only two fires of any note during the month, ie., the Chuog Hwa Book Godown and East Yuhang Road, the former being s foreign building occupied by Chinese firm, and the latter of Chinese construction and occupation. During the 30 days prior to the Chinese New Year's the loss on Chinese buildings this year was Tls, 5,000, us against Tle, 19,450 for 1916 (5 fires over Tle. 500), Tis, 23,150 for 1914 (8 over Tls. 500), Tie, 15,850 for 1913 (all over Tle. 500) and approximately is, 75,000 for 1912 (9 over Tls. 500). It will be seen that there marked difference during 1916 to that of 1912, I think the causes of fires, in the main, accounts for such a decrease, It will be noticed from the foregoing list of causes, that with the exception of one unknown, the cause of every fire has been accounted for, and was either accidental or unintentional. Whereas in 1912 there is little doubt that the majority of the fires were due to Allowed. as regards that incendiary origin, It must be, howe
merchandise, in general, there has been less inducement for the customary New Year's fires, but at the same time the earlier calls now received aod the nse of modern appliances allow the Brigade to deal much more expeditiously with fires than in the past, and theca improvements have strong bearing on the marked decrease of malicious fires, The only fires of note during the month were No.7 East Hanbury Road, January 6, at 8.10 p.m—On arrival the Brigade found the centre portion of the Ist floor of two storey foreign godown in flames, the fire already through the roof and spreading rapidly over the whole floor. Jets were quickly directed through the windows and ledders were raised to the windows on the north and south sides and lines of hose taken into the upper windows. Covering jets were also placed on the south side to protect the Fr. Reiber Feather UN
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.