April 21 swarming mab of Chinese filed Honan Road, much' to. the distress of police on trafic daty, who, unaware' of what had taken place in the Central Fire Station compound. thought that farmed" robbers. had "been ae a few steps of the central police station. "Officers of the Fire Bridge had been trying. to test applicants for the post of tlemen andy owing to the crowd, shifted the venue to Hongkew station, No formal announcement of the intended tests had been made public. Daring the week previous, however, the. word had been passed. round hat candidates for positions would examined on ApH 20.
On entering the dempound Mr. lat Hunting, third Oficer, who Was scrutinize the applicants, was confronted by a mob of bout, 900 fen. "Calling on the services of the foreign firemen attached to Central the attempted to bring about semblance of order, but his efforts were unavailing.
At last a space of aut 10 ft. square was cleared and one of the mob was to be given his prelimin~ fry test, The crowd would. have inone of that, however, and rushed forward on the unoccupied area.
'Aa the mob, milled round, they urged forward, those. inthe rear pressing to the front, completely fturrounding. the' would-be. examine Jers. {twas impossible to run, Up tdders or to suspend ropes. The Jerowd. would not believe Mr." Hunt ing, when he announced that the tests would be instituted at Hor kew, and it was not until he made for the Fire Brigade car that they believed him, Then the exodus, They swarmed round him as he drove off. the chauffeur got under way, the mob" rushed helter-skelter along. Honan Road. One or two had bicy=
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.