Up to an early hour this morning, the Mayor Silk factory, on the south of the creek, and situated between points representing the extensions of Rue Pere Robert and Avenue Dubail, was burning fiercely. A small party of foreign civilians and French troops and police officers watched the blaze, which soon spread to a wooden bridge spanning a branch of the creek running south.
Several fire engines from the French Fire Brigade were drawn up by the side of the road, presumably to deal with any outbreaks on the Concession side of the Creek as a result of the flying sparks. No fire brigades attended the actual fire itself, and the streets around it, clearly' visible in the light of the flames, were deserted save for innumerable overturned rickshaws and various bundles. The walls and metal doors of the burning building bore' many marks of rifle and machine-gun bullets. A large number of sampans were moored along the Concession side of the creek, deserted, dark and smelly.
Civilians were. permitted along the Route de Zikawei as far west as Avenue Dubail. Here, however. barbed wire and a French sentry prevented further progress along the winding, darkened road. Every now and again. a French armoured car, its huge lamps lighting up the French flags hung at intervals of ten feet along the barbed wire fence by the side of the creek, would slowly pass. snd patrols were kept up throughout the night.
Trenches Being Dug Workmen from the French Public Works Department were busy all night as well. digging trenches in the roadway all along the side of the Creek. These trenches: which were being dug out with astounding rapidity, were noticed every ten yards or so, and were expected to be completed by this morning At intervals of a hundred yards or more. a French sentry, with rifle and bayonet. stood on guard, watching the murky streets on the other side of the Creek and ready to take into custody anyone trying to swim across to the safety of the Concession Calls at the French police stations in the vicinity of the Chinese area showed how the Chinese soldiers who had surrendered to the French were spending the night. As related else-here, a number of them poured into the Concession from Nantao with the hordes of refugees. They were disarmed, and "interned" in most of the available space in the police stations.
The main station, in Rue Stanislas Chevalier. was a typical example. On cots, under cots. in chairs. along benches and even on the floor itself, they spent the night, most of them utterly exhausted and snoring well by 10 o'clock last night. Most of them seemed to be in "coolie" clothes, but here and there could be seen a soldier, apparently from the provinces, still in his drab grey Uniform, Other arrangements will be made for them to-day—but last night they all seemed to be trying to make the most out of the first peaceful night's sleep they had had for a long time, no matter how hard the bench or floor might be.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.