FIRE, A Gre broke out in the Koo Yung Hsing Wool Weaving Factory, Lane 172 House 15, Alabaster Road, manufacturing woollen linings for Chinese garments, at approximately 1 a.m, on November 13, resulting in seven Persons being burned to death: The promises were an old type large Chinese hong in which there were several looms "for weaving the cloth, and two "teasing machines" "by which the nap was reised. Night work was proceeding, there being some ten workers on the shift. Seven workers of the day shift are known to have been on the premises, four of them occupying 8 bedroom in the back portion of the house above the location of one of the teasing machines, and three in a ground floor room. "All four of the Sceupants of the first named location were burned to death. One of the three on the ground floor at frst escaped, but. returning into the burning horse, was overcome, and the other two were also burned to death.
One worker reported that when he switched on the power there ime mediately appeared a fash of the motor which was above a teasing machine approximately at celling evel. It Is likely that a small dust explosion occurred. This view is substantiated by the statement of an office worker in the factory who was awakened by. a dull sound. The worker who saw the flash attempted to extinguish the fire with cloth.
'The teasing of woven cloth, whether woollen, as in the present instance, or cotton. is accompanied by production of dust in' the form of Iminute Mbres, Three other Ares have occurred within the last twelve months in factories making flannel-ott from cotton. but fortunately they have not been accompanied by loss of lite. Nevertheless. knowing the dangers associated with this type fof manufacture, and in view of the approach of the season when these foods "are in greater. demand, Industrial Section of the Council has recently checked: the fifteen plants known in the Settlement. The factory where the fire occurred on October 9, when It wat there was a satisfactory ventilation system to withdraw—the dust from the machine at the point origin and prevent its escape into the ait of the workroom. Six plants were found not {0 have suitable provision for exhaust. AIL but one of these have now complied with reques ie for Tnstallations of the type required.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.