A Fire in the Suburbs

Waihi Daily Telegraph, Volume IV, Issue 1042, 16 July 1904, Page 3

A Fire in the Suburbs

Six Roomed House Burned Loss of Over £IOO Wowh of Furniture This morning, at a little beforo 8 o'clock a tiro occurred in a houso in tho vicinity ot tho hospital. Tho lire alarm was give.i, and was succeeded by a prolonged whistle emanating from the Waihi Com* pany'r. en»ino at No, l l shaft, The tiro brigndo arrived at tho scono of tho lire in very quick time, but owing to tho want of water (heir efforts to get tlm outbreak under did not avail, Meanwhile a number of people from tho town and neighbourhood Imd assembled on tho ground, The houso was of six rooms, and was owned and occupied by Mr Alfred Butler. At the timo of the tiro Mr Butler was tho only occupant of the houso, Ho had been on afternoon shift at the mine, gotting home a little after midnight, and shortly after retiring weutlo sleep, leaving a lighted candlo in the He awoke some hours la'or lo Jim! a portion of tho room in tl lines, and it part of Iho bed clothes burning, The lire had such a hold and spread so raoidly that ho experienced somo dillicitlly in making his exit from the burning room without get* ting scorched. Somo of his noaror neighbours were early on iho spot, but very little was saved. Valuable timo was lost in trying to savo an organ. It was got as fur fig tho outer door whon it jiuniuod, and while tho men wrestled with it theliro overtook them, and the insitutuent, which was valued at about £lO, was left in the ibonvfiy, und wiis burned, In ti vory short time tho whole building was enveloped in llames, Tho occurrence was most unfortunate, uiore especially as Iho lurniture of two families was contained in (lie house. It appears that Mr Butler had intended vacating the house the day before und moviiy into his new house, but his tirningemonls were interfered with by the non rrrival of (lie curlers. One load of furniture only had been remov ed The incoming tenant, Mr J, Porch, had installed somo of his I'urnituro into t'ie illfated house. Ilis furniture, with the ex, Caption ot ono or two articles, was burned with tho houso. There was no insurance on the furniture of either. Mr Porcheslun'.us the loss on liir, furniture at about £iU and Mr Butter at a littlo tinder this amount, Tho building was insured for £175 in tho Zealand Fire Insurance Com» jinny's ollije,