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Show CHINESE PERISH " IN BURNING SHIP Horrible Fate of Hundreds ol Helpless Mongolians on Steamer Hankow Verne I Destroked at Hong Kong Wharf, Men, Women and Children Being Burned to Death or Drowned European Passengers are Saved. Hong Kong, Chlnn. Tho British steamer Hankow from Canton was burned Sunday morning whllo lying nlongsldo her wharf. Hundreds of Chlncso passengers wero burned to death and a valuablo cargo was destroyed. de-stroyed. All tho European passengers nnd crow wero snved. Tho steamer Hankow, with 2,000 Chlncso passengers, men, women and children, nnd seven Europeans, nnd a cargo Including 300 bales of matting, CC0 bales of raw silk and 400 bales , waste silk, arrived from Canton at thrco o'clock Sunday morning and was shortly afterward moored at tho wharf. Her chief officer reported to Captain Branch that tho ship was afire. Tho captain then directed tho chief foreigner for-eigner to turn on tho wntcr through tho flro hose. This was lmposslblo for tho reason that within flvo minutes min-utes nfter tho alarm was given tho Hankow was ablazo tho foro and aft. Captain Branch then awakened tho European passengers, who rushed down tho gnng way, tho ladles in their night clothes. Tho crow was compelled com-pelled to leave tho ship, which by this tlmo was n verltablo furnnco. Tho Chlneso stcerngo passengers wero thrown Into a frightful panic. Horrifying Hor-rifying shrieks and cries to savo their lives wero heard but escnpo was Impossible, Im-possible, owing to tho lnflamranblo nn-turo nn-turo of tho cargo. Hundreds wero burned to death nnd many others Jumped Into tho hnrbor and wero drowned. Tho flro was started by tho overturning over-turning of a lantern by a opium smoker. |