Sending up a column of smoke reminiscent of last August's Yangtszepoo fires, a fierce fire raged at the Osaka Shosen Kaisha (0.S.K.) wharf, 184 Yangtszepoo Road, yesterday afternoon. Th2 ing from dark-grey to a Li was visible for miles' round, on both sides of the Whangpoo River, and was still billowing forth, fanned by a brisk south wind, as darkness fell.
Although the flames were largely confined to piles ut horse fodder—hay and mush—destined for use by the Japanese Army, anxiety was felt for some time because of the reported proximity of a Japanese ammunition dump. Prompt precautions, however, saved the explosives from going up and causing a major disaster.
The alarm was sounded in Yangtszepoo Fire Station at 4.15 pa and a number of engines were hastily despatched to the wharf, and in a matter of moments their hoses were being played on the flames under the direction of Mr. R. G. Watkins, Fourth Officer. They were soon joined by a number of small, portable pumps, mounted on three-wheeler chassis, which had been hurriedly summoned to the spot by the Japanese authorities.
At 420 pin., the Harbour Fire Brigade, under Mr. W. J. German, Chief Fire Officer, was also summoned to the scene, and the two Customs firefloats, Poochi and Huning, travelled down to the wharf at full speed. Finally, further reinforcements were despatched from other Settlement stations until eventually four Settlement pumps, the Poochi and the Huning, and the Japanese military pumps were all tackling the fire "Under Control"
After strenuous efforts on the part of this combined force of fire-fighters, one of the most representative Shanghai has known for some time, the flames were put under control by about 5.30 o'clock. Most of the firemen, however, were kept at the scene until late last night, playing water on the still badly smouldering fodder. The Customs fire-float Poochi returned to her berth at 9 o'clock last night, but the Huning was left tahind, to stay at the scene all night.
The first Fire Brigade machine was withdrawn at about the same time, but a pump, in the charge of a small party of officers and firemen. was leftatthe wharf to keep tamping down the embers which, it was then found, consisted not only of piles of horse fodder, but also baskets of charcoal.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.