over a Square Mile of Houses Burnt Out: 300 dissing What was described by those who know as the worst native for many years. past the night of April 8 over square nile of land in the rear of the Ne¥.K, Whaaves on the Pootung side and before it could be brought under contro had burnt out over:
100 hans too houses and huts, with ripe list of deaths. he tire could be seen for miles from Ube Settlement side of the was not until the viers in desperation tore down giv flimsy structures that a limit could be svt to the flames which one tine it seemed that nothing icons Scones Witnessed Any exact estimate of the number fof deaths would be impossible, The ed Friends did thely Lest te keep a list of those missing and at a late howe it had passed the 200; mark and wan still growing. The seens about the fire were the extreme Here" scraming would rush frantically by tlucehinge a baby to bor br looking. vainly for others last soe in une basing inferno; there dazed child watching the flames as if fascinated, would be pounced upon by exultant parents and borne aivay to a rendezvous. Long before the flames were out and firemen wore labouring 10 keep has the fixe front, bedraggled villagers their clothes soaked in water, would standing on what had an hour before been their homes. thrusting thefe ayins down into the hot embers fu search for their children and Fielongings, The writer aye awed woman, searcely able to totter. plunge into the lames, carrying a cooking pot and throw its contents of water on what had ut recently Doon the family hearth, to rush out gain and repeat the act again and Bravery. of Desperation, Thos brave, if foolhardy, people, were everywhere, pressing upon thy fire line as closely as the firemen were being pressed back by it. Frequently some smouldering substance would suddenly flare forth and & huge blaze leap up into the 1 dowls of white smoke above, Ons half-ulad woman, well inthe ceonire of the still smouldering area, was seen suddenly to stoop and pick up something she had uncovered i prodding with a ban ole, sand she did aw the ground about her. for of some twenty feot shot into dames. They parsed quickly. und the woman was seen writhing. fon the seronnd, What prize she had secur will never be known, for fan instant later her body was blot toil out at other lures hurst forth, One learned that she had lived with family aver a match shop, which nad been their livelihood.
And on the edges of this de sol area wax another scene one cannot soon forget. Firemen ard noigh= ours would come to a man whose house still stood and order tol 3 raze it to the ground, A. violent Argument followed. but while it eas foing on, some of the firemen would slip behind the man, fix hook and rope in the frail wall and a moment later the tiled roof woul corns down with a crash. Then the party: would move off to repeat the opera tion at the next house.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.