Good Work by the Combined Brigades on Cargo A fio occurred in the after hold of the str. Hsin Ningshao, whose owners are the Ningpo-Shaoshing Steamship Go., on the night of Tuesday whilst the vessel was on a voyage to Shanghai from Ningpo, The first indication of anything wrong occurred at 7.65 pam. 0 Tuesday night when smoke observed emerging from the after hold. The captain and officers were informed and the hold was inde airtight by taxpauling and steam was injected, The situation. was Particularly critical inasneuah the ship carried 1,500 passengers and the outcome of a serious fire fon board can better be imagined than described. However, nothing serious happened and the vessel anchored at Woosung at 4.40 a.m, on Wednesday morning. Mess ges were sent to the dour Master and the versal proceeded up river and - moor I at, 7.05 am, at the Ningpo-Shaoshing Wharf situated next, to the China Merchants Whart at the junction of the French Bund and Chinese Bund, Here the passengers were quickly disembarked, the tar-Pauling taken off the hold and water pumped by the ship, the Dragon' Fire Float the French Brigade, and the Central Fire Brigade, S.M.C. 'The fire ocourred in native bales of raw cotton, of which there were 1,150, and the smoke and fumes were sich that several firemen including Onief Oficer Hyson, Shanghai Fire Brigade, were overcome and had to receive' medical attention. The cause of the fire was probably Spontaneous combustion and the whole of the congo of cotton suffered from water damage. We under. Stand that the shipment is covered insurance and that there was little or no damage to the ship,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.