DISASTROUS FIRE.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume XXXVII, Issue 9126, 23 October 1917, Page 5

DISASTROUS FIRE.

'DEVASTATION IN DANNEVIRKE

31 PREMISES:; DESTROYED

DAMAGE ESTIMATED AT £200,000

DANNEVIRKE, Oct. 22. Dannovirke will have good cause to long; remember Labour Day of 1917, a most disastrous fir© devastating the heart of the commercial area, which is now a scene of desolation, only brick walls and gaunt chimney stacks indicating where business places did flourishing business. The blow to the town is most disastrous, as, apart, from the structures and stock which perished, hundreds of employees will be workless, and .great ..dislocation of; business must ensue before the loss can be made [good. ■ • ■ i . ■ The fire-bell was to have/been givou a trial ring at 6.30 p.m., structural alterations having just been completed, but four hours earlier it was given an urgent.test on account of an outbreak in Andrew's Hotel, an immense old wooden structure situated on the cor-

ner.of High and ; Station^ street^ .one of the relics of tlie days when coaches played a part in through trips to Wellington. jA westerly gale was;;blowing, •and .fanned vine flames froni the' • rear of the hotel;- Within three minutes the wholo of. thai v upper portion was wrapped in flames, wlych ■ destroyed everything* in their path.- The oceiipants of. the place barely had time fco make: their fiexit,- ■ sind some housemaids had to t>© rescued; from the balcony.' Though the brigade, earlyiiit work, the, primitive appliances, and-the gigantic nature of - the conflagration, made their efforts appear puny. Within a few....minutes the whole place a.■holocaust, and the flames jumped the wide street to the Dannevirke CSo-operatiVe Association's big -storehouse opposite Andrew's Hotel", and soon this ■ was a roaring inferno, endangering also the Club Hotel, facing, the railway station; Fortunately the wind was blowing away from this, and, though in grave danger"for a time, it escaped. Not /so the; Masonic Hotel, another, ancient wooden landmark on the east side of High Street. This caught as the flames from Miller's shop spread, and soon both sides of the main thoroughfare were being demolished with incrodible rapidity. In spite of the efforts of the lire-fighters, the .flames spread east, west, north, and south. The Dunnevirke Gas Company's gasometers, on a section at the rear of the Masonic right, were right within the danger zone. The fences all around were destroyed, but the flames kept back from the gasometers. The fire started shortly after 2 o'clock, and it was well on towards 5 o'clock before it could be said that the Daunevirke and Woodville Brigades had got the upper hand. Even then the. danger was not all over,, huge masses of burning debris being visible in all directions

There was rip loss of, life, arid no serious accidents. > ■';■'.'■'■":■ , .'.:■■ .*" Placesnot far from the scene of the conflagration were '. salvaged by hundreds of onlookers, and it was the busiest' Labour Day the helpers ever put in.

Furniture, drapery. crockory—in fact, an unimaginable collection of articles of all descriptions—littered the thoroughfares, highways, and byways within half a mile of the blaze.'

"Dannevirke has undoubtedly received a terrific blow commercially. An', estimate of the loss is absolutely impossible at present, bat will run probably to within, the. vicinity of £200,000, if not more.

The places destroyed, all practically a total loss, were as follow:— * Andrew*s Hotel. ! ' Harris aad Sons' Livery Stables. John P. Engelbretsen, draper. Theodore Wysocke, tailor. Richard Roake, auctioneer. Lee Wong, laundry. Dannevirke Co-operative Association, Ltd. Arthur Henry Hill, tobacconist. Peter J. Wyiiand, jeweller. Rosse, tailor. Thomas J. Ftynn, bootmaker. B. O. Thomson, hairdresser. Edward E. Prior, chemist. James N'eagle, motor importer. Rose, Ltd., building. John Percival Dodds, mugic store. Lucy Miller, confectionejr." Lionel P. Bartlett, bootmaker. Drum'raond-Hodder and Co., ironmongers. ...'•."' V

George L. Bartlett, hairdresser and tobacconist.

C. Hooper, hairdresser and tobacconist. Arthur C. Miller, bookseller. Georgo A. Chftrinan, restaurant. Malcolm -"McCalluin," watchmaker. , Masonic Hotel. - ' ' Quing Kee and Co., fruiterers. Armstrong and Morrison, drapers. ' Dannevirke-HunUjrville Coachii)£; Company. Collett and Sons, ironfoundry. In addition to these, sample rooms and .outbuildings'""of all descriptions were added to' the flames, and even the roadway took';'fife. . The Dannevirke Co-operative Association were probably the., biggest losers. The etocfc, valued at. present prices, , was ,' approximately. 5 worth £50,000, while the insurance is.about £25,000. This firm employed ,70 handfi. Andrew's f Hotel was 'owned by Messrs Andrews-arid Mrs Larelle.,., 1 1 insured, btif the amount '[is",, riot available

The Masonic Hotel was owned b^' the Allardice Estate, and was also insured, but the details are not known. Most -of the other places were insured, also the stocks. The policies run into many thousands, practically all the insurance companies being hit, but the loss .is many thousands in excess of the insurances. •

' Two out of four hotels were burned, three out. of foiir..." tobacconists, and practically only one grocery business of- any , size is. left. Business, must ,bo greatly dislocated; .■■.'■• ' ■■■. The.losses. are doubly, big on account of the shops being ■heavily' stocked in view of.tho. Ghi'istmfts trade. ( Some of the sufferers will be finnnCially ruined.