Show horrible fate of hundreds of helpless mongolians on steamer bankow vessel De stroked at hong kong wharf men women and children being burned to death or drowned passengers are saved hong kong china the british steamer bankow from canton was burned sunday morning while lying alongside her wharf hundreds of chinese passengers were burned to death and a valuable cargo was de strayed all the european passengers and crew were saved the steamer bankow with 2 chinese passengers men women and children and seven europeans and a cargo including bales of matting bales of raw silk and bales waste silk arrived from canton at three clock sunday morning and was shortly afterward moored at the wharf her chief officer reported to captain branch that the ship was afire the captain then directed the chief tor elgner to turn on the water through the fire hose this was impossible for the reason that within alve min utes after the alarm was given the bankow was ablaze the fore and aft captain branch then awakened the european passengers who rushed down the gang way the ladles in theia night clothes the crew was corn polled to leave the ship which by this time was a veritable furnace the chinese steerage passengers were thrown into a frightful panic hor shrieks and cries to save their lives were heard but escape was am possible owing to the inflammable na ture of the cargo hundreds were burned to death and others jumped into the harbor and were drowned the fire was started by the over turning of a lantern by a opium er |