Belief that Communists are Working as Incendiaries Hankow, Oct. 16.
A terrific conflagration raged for several hours at Huachingkai, at]
rear of Frenchtown, yesterday evening, ax a result of which 260 houses occupied by people of the poorer class were demolished.
Owing to a high wind and lack of water the fire brigade could only concentrate their efforts to confine the blaze to a certain area.
The number of persons who lost their lives has not yet been ascertained, but it is feared that there were at least six fatalities, This is the Afth of a series destructive fires which have ravaged the native sections of the city since the beginning of the month. The authorities believe that these fires were cases of incendiarism, in which they suspect the connivance of Communists.—Reutor Godown Burnt Down Yet another fire has to be added the long list in Hankow; already there hud been five this month; and suspicions have been aroused" that they are th® work of Communists.
The latest fire, according to tele-received, was on Tues night, when the Nisshin Kisen Kaisha Godown, which is ext to the British Consulate, was burnt down. Fortunately no damage was done to the Consulate and.the message snys that the police kept the crowd under perfect control.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.