Among the structures destroyed or gutted were two. small Chinese fron works and a" Chinese printing establishment, the National Press, al in North Thibet "Road. Tt was thought the materials in these plants gave to the smoke that. peculiar DBlackness which distinguished the blaze from ordinary house fires. A huge column of smoke, rivalling and limes exceeding that emanating from the conflagration nest the Mark= ham Road Railway yard, rose over the scene and could be noted "for males round Shanghai.
Police from West Hongkew Station, under Insp. J. E-P. Blenkinsop, Kepi 2 large crowd of the curious In check the streels of West Hongkew and assisted in evacuations families from the burning block. Members of the Police Specials, under the com= mand of Chief Ingp. N, B. Ramsay, were on duty in North Thibet Road and. adjoining "streets, On guard {here, so were soldiers of the Royal rusillers, whose defences face North Thibet Road. "Chinese crow: fon the south side of the bridge wore Kept Under control by police squads from "Louza Station, The barbed. Wire barrier on the bridge was closed While the fire was in progress.
The Chinese Fire Brigade func-toned "on the Chinese side of the Seltiement gates and was assisted by Chinese soldiers. "Tt was chiefly duc, however, to the efforts of the Settl ment Brigade that the blaze was extinguished, Water to play_on the fire was pumped from the Soochow Creek by one of the engines, drawn up in North Soochow Mead a short distance east of the North "Thibet Road Bridge.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.