Two godowns filled to capacity with cotton, went up in flames at North Chengtu and Soochow Roads yesterday afternoon and engines from Sinza, Central and Ichang Road fire stations had to battle hard for the better part of three hours to bring the flames under control. The blaze was reported at 3.50 p.m. but when the first engines arrived, it was found that the fire had progressed to the extent that reinforcements from other stations had to be summoned.
Handicapped by a comparatively low water pressure and by the fact that a northerly wind was blowing from across the creek, the firemen, some of them donning moke-masks, approached the flames and finally managed to put them under control at 640 p.m. Capt. H. G. Reed, Chief Officer of the Fire Brigade, personally supervised operations and at the time of going to press men were still busy dampening down the debris.
The contents of the two buildings were almost completely destroyed and all but the outer walls remained standing by the time the flames had been checked.
The godowns belong to Koo Ting-zeng, a Chinese firm, owning its own fire-fighting equipment which went into action sassoon as the flames were noticed, although it was not anywhere nearly sufficient to cope with the flames which spread with lightening rapidity.
Damages, which are considerable, have not been estimated yet, while Im ordie Shipping Lines Operate as Usual Danes, Norwegians Tell Of No Schedule Changes Manila, Apr. 11.
Norwegian and Danish shipping lines here. will continue to operate on their original operating schedules de~ spite the German invasion of Norway and Denmark, it was learned today.
Agents of these shipping companies said they had not received orders to alter the schedules they maintained before the German occupation of Denmark and Norway.
The s. Talisman, a Norwegian ship, is scheduled to leave Manila on April 15, en route to New York.
The Danish steamers Niel Maersic and Panama, which arrived here earlier this week, are still in harbour.
The captains of these ships said they had received advices regarding changes in their schedules.
Meanwhile, the Norwegian and Danish Consulates at "Manila said they did not "possess any knowledge of their future status—United Press. the cause of the fire remains a complete mystery, When night fell, the S.F.B's new flood-lighting equipment went into action and greatly facilitated the work of the firemen who are remaining on duty at least until this morning, Fortunately there is very little traffic on the two streets from which the firemen tackled the blaze although police from Sinza station were kept busy in checking Chinese pedestrians from coming too near. At one time it was feared that the brick-wall on the north side of one of the godowns would collapse but fortunately, this did not materialize.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.