Municipal Fire Brigade and Customs Float Engaged Shortly after 10 o'clock on Thursday night a fire was reported by most of the watch towers the Settlement, the flames bursting high into the Investigation showed was in the immediate or on the premises of the Nee T: Shing Coal Ca. (South Wharf). the time of going to press the exact spot could mot be' ascertained.
The Customs float, together with the Municipal fire fiose were both manned and auxiliary equipment from Central and Horgkew: stations wes rushed to the river side and sent along to the scene 6f the fire.
Gas masks and sat from the emergency van were taken along.
For several hours the flames and smoke lit up the eastern horizon and it could be seen easily from the! western banks of the river, ay well as the buildings of the' Central district. From a point on the] Tangkadoo foreshore, near the junk anchorage, observers could sce that an immense amount of damage had been done to property directly' behind the first row of buildings on the Pootung shore. By this time (10.30 o'clock) both floats were Pumping large quantities of water:
to the flames from the northern end. A heavy wind prevented an approach on the farther sector. By LI o'clock it appeared that the firemen had gained a certain amon of control over the fire which however, still burning fiercely. had burned out much of the buildings, At 12 ofelock the flames were quite well down, At 1 o'clock we were informed that the fire was in No. S'godown of the above company and that the building was completely destroyed. The blaze also jumped to another godown and all the apparatus: was Lrought into play to save the building and, although badly -damaged, it was not a total loss.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.