GREAT FIRE AT INVERCARGILL.

Auckland Star, Volume XIII, Issue 3559, 5 January 1882, Page 3

GREAT FIRE AT INVERCARGILL.

LOSS, £15j000.

[BY TELEGRAPH.—PRESS ASSOCIATION.j

INVERCARGILL, this day. A TERRiiiLK conllagration broke out here last evening at 10 o'clock in a shop on the western side of Dec-street, occupied by Mrs Hannah,

The flames spread with fearful rapidity, anil, notwithstanding the superhuman exertions of the Fire Brigade, and the general public, by midnight the following buildings (in addition to Mrs Hannah's) had been destroyed t—The city butchery (occupied by Mr F. Campbell), The Hibernian Hotel, Mr D. Loche's groccery and wine and spirits store, and unoccupied buildiDg known as the Red Lion Hotel, Mr McCulskey's boot shop, Mr Hanan's Temple of Science, Mr W. Brown's drapery store, Mr Cooper's jeweller's shop. Messrs Cooper and Brown occupied a portion of Mr Hanan's buildDgs. For some t;me Messra W. Painley and Go's, large warehouse at the corner of Deo and Spcy streets were in great danger, though "fully two chains distant from where the conflagration was raging. The intense heat cracked the windows, and the stock in the interior of the building was seriously damaged. The building was on fire more than once, and other buildings on the same side uf the street had very narrow escapes.

In the meantime strenuous efforts were being made to arrest the spread of the fire. Shortly after midnight the shops of Rogers (tailor), Paterson (bootmaker), and Raisido (pastrycook), were torn down to aavej tho White Swan Hotel and tliß buildings to the northward.

Notwithstanding the scarcity of water, by 1.30 the lire was got under sufficiently to ensure the safety of tho White Swan Hotel, which several times was in imminent datiger. The insurances are :—North British, £1,500, (a portion of which is reinsured) distributed as follows : £1,000 on Roche's storo, £400 on Hanan'a Temple of Science ; Transatladtic : £150 on Roger's stock,, ana £300 on the Hibernian Hotel; Colonial: £700 on stock and furniture of tho Hibernian Hotel, £300 on Roche's stock, £1000 on tho Temple of Science, and £150 on Kaeaide's building — total, £2,150. Northcro, £150 on Raeside's shop; Liverpool, London, and Globe, £200 on the Hibernian Hotel; £100, Campbell's butchery, £SOO on JMrs Wilson's stock and building, £1,Q60 on Roche's building and stock, £300 on Hanau's stock, .and £500 on Brown's (drapery stock) - total, £I,SOO, of which £300 is reinsured in the Colonial; South British, £150 on Roche's buildinp. Total insurances, so far as known, £7,500. The total value of the property destroyed is estimated at £15,000. The manager of the South British Insurance Compauy to-day received a telegram from Invcrcargill giving tho amounts of tho insurances on the properties destroyed as follows :—Colonial, £1,000 ; North British, £1,500; New Zealand, £1,500; Transatlantic, £1,200; London, Liverpool and Globe, £1,100; South British, £200.