From tHe "Nortu-Cuina Dairy NEWS" or Ocrozer 13, 1877
Amid all that has been said anent the Woosung Railway, one remarkable feature in connection withthe enterprise seems to have. been lost sight of. It was predicted by the Mandarins that all sorts of ills could occur; but the case of suicide and the trouble in regard to coolie labour are the only instances in which their prognostications have been realized; the former, too, being at best a very questionable case; while the other was the result of the rapacity of a village tipao. At last, however, a genuine mishap, arising from the working of the line, has occurred; and from the in-lerest at present centring in the railway, perhaps there has been a tendency to overestimate it, A spark from the noon train, on Thursday set fire to a native house, close to the rails, about two miles below Kiangwan, The driver and passengers in the train apparently were not aware of what had happened, and went on. The house, however, was burnt to the ground, and a quantity of rice and straw was also consumed by the flames. When the train returned to the place, from Woosung, a crowd of people, numbering about 500 stood on the line and debarred its progress. Learning what had occurred, the officials in charge of the train promised that Mr. Morrison should come down to investigate the matter; and the train was then allowed to proceed, and all excitement abated. The matter has since been thoroughly inquired into by Mr. Morrison and Chinese officials, and it is understood that the damage done will be made good, so soon as an understanding as to the amount can be arrived at. A superstition is said to prevail among the Chinese, to the effect that bad luck follows persons who have lived in a house which has been on fire, until a shower of rain falls; and in consequence, the six inmates who were burnt out in this instance could not find shelter, nobody would take them in, and they had to pass the night in the fields. Yesterday, however, they were made comfortable by gifts from ihe Taotai and the managers of the line; and in fact, it is believed they are now better cared for than they have been for some time.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.