TERRIFIC explosion which rocked the entire neighbourhood demolished the Taiyo Spice Factory, 33-34 Hong Tebong Li, off Rue Admiral Bayle, on Sunday morning, taking six lives and injuring nearly thirty persons, all Chinese.
'A fire which started immediately in the wrecked building practi lly levelled it with the ground and} gave firemen more than an hour's battle before the flames were under control.
Adjoining houses were seriously damaged by the explosion, but were saved from the flames by the prompt action of the firemen.
The search for bodies continued through the early afternoon, the last victim to be found being the manager of the factory, Mr. Tseng Dzeng-tse, who was Identified through his clothing.
His body was unrecognizable.
The victims were mostly employees of the establishment, who were either struck by fragments of the building or pieces of machinery, or burned. Besides several passers-by were injured by debris thrown into the street in the explosion.
Windows for blocks around were shattered and the roar of the blast could be heard for miles. Some of those injured are near death in the hospitals to which they were taken.
The cause of the explosion could
night, although it was believed that not "be definitely determined, that chemical action had an important part in it. One theory was that Contact of acid used in the factory With grease set off the blast. The French. authorities continued their investigation next day. The hotier of the factory did not explode, but was found virtually intact in the ruins.
Rush to Who was assisted by Station Officers! MIN. R. Prigent, M,. Besrest and G. Bossu, Assistant Station Officer Eh. Gros,' and others. Altogether _thir~ teen French fire engines responded, and two more came from the Nantao Fire Brigade, Ambulances fro" both the French and Chinese municipal ities took the injured to hospi-tat The police were Jed by Maj. L. Fabre, Chief of the French Police, The French Fire Brigade were notified of the disaster by telephone fat 830 am, and immediately several fire engines and the Fire Brigade and Police ambulances were des patched to the scene. The sight which the narrow street presented was one of unforgettable horror. The whole front of the two-storey belek building had been blown down and the pavement was littered with dead and Injured. "The ruins were brightly ablaze and the screams some victims, trapped in the mass of debris, rent the alr, of the two French and of the Chinese City Which had also. been summoned: worked feverishly side with the firemen to ives and extricate the victims. the first twenty minutes, twenty-five persons were taken away. These were mostly the less seriously injured, who were easily reached, white others Were pinned helplessly by pieces of wreckage, One of the most serious prohi which confronted the firemen. the propping up of a building joining the ruined factory. The. sup-pons of this house had been practi-ally Knocked away by the explosion and" it was. leaning perilously towards the street and about to to} ple over. Strong beams were 1 Qulsitioned and were hastily placed a8 to remove the danger.
'The fire was virtually under control at 940 a.m, giving the authoritle an opportunity. to extend their search for victims. 'The body of one fof the male employees was found fat noon, and the mandger's mangled remains' were recovered at one clock. The searchers were then satisfied that there were no more bodies in the ruins
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.