A BIG BLAZE.

Auckland Star, Volume XXIX, Issue 64, 17 March 1898, Page 6

A BIG BLAZE.

D. S. C. BLOCK BURNED. $?■ - r EXTENSIVE DAMAGE TO PROPERTY. INSURANCES TOTAL NEARLY £50.000.,

The extraordinary series of fires from which Auckland has suffered of late was increased by the addition of another big fclaze early on February 24th. The large at the corner of Queen and Victoria-streets, jknown as the D.S.C. Buildings, caught iire shortly after 1 a.in., and before the flames could be subdued the block was almost completely destroyed. No more destructive blaze has taken place in the city for years. THE OUTBREAK. The fire appears to have been noticed simultaneously by several people who observed a thin smoke or haze hanging over the D.S.C. buildings. Then the tire gave sudden and startling proof of its existence. A huge column of llame shot through the roof of the building, casting a bright glare far and wide. The lirehells throughout the city rang out the alarm, and in a few minutes the firemen were at ■work fighting one of the fiercest and strongest fires ever known in Queen-street. The blaze was magnificent, and a great (Browd of people quickly thronged the streets and different points of vantage to watch the fire. WHERE THE FIRE RAGED. To understand the progress of the fire an idea of the interior arrangements of the buildings may be given. The greater part ©f the block is occupied by the Direct Supply Company, which extends from the corner up both streets, and over the ground floor of most of the other shops. On the ground floor are the chief sales departments. Messrs Glanville and Ellyett's grocery store occupies the ground floor space in Queen-street between the haberdashery and furniture departments of the D.S.C, while next door to the latter is the tobacconist shop and warehouse ot Messrs H. E. Partridge and Co. On the ground jtloor frontage to Victoria-street the D.S.C. is flanked by the jeweilers shop of Mr J. Prince, Mr M. McDermott, tinsmith; Wallis and Caley, saddlers ;J. C. Oldbury, gunsmith, and A. A. Partridge, pipe hos-, pital. The first and second floors of the fclock were devoted to millinery, mantles, refreshment rooms and other departments of the D.S.C., while doors led from the .lower end of both floors into the reserve furniture departments. It will be seen how inflammable were the goods which fed the flames, and what a sweep the fire could make with such materials to work upon. FIGHTING THE FIRE. Superintendent Hughes directed the operations of the Fire Brigades, and the Salvage Corps, under Captain Field, also aided in the work. About sixty of the Southern firemen, now in Auckland for the annual firemen's demonstration, lent all the assistance possible, but as the necessary additional plant was not forthcoming for the extra men, their efforts naturally ■jyere greatly handicapped. But all worked •with a will. It was dangerous work, however, and difficult. The ilame3 had gained a tremendous hold on the huge block of buildings, and fed by the inflammable material within roared stronger every minute. Floors and ceilings came crashing down as the supports were burned away, and the firemen had to exercise the greatest care to avoid the felling tinabers. Leads of hose •were attached to all the available hydrants, and a strong pressure of water was brought to bear upon the (lames at various points. The men tried hard to keep the fire within the premises of the D.S.C. alone, where it had first broken out, but the leads at first had little effect upon the mass of flames. The pressure of water was not strong enough at first to send the jets with any force to the upper storey, so that the flames could work their own sweet ■will aloft. Thirty thousand gallons an hour were being pumped down from the Ponsonby Reservoir, but even this enormous flow of water could not keep pace with the demand, and the pumps at the Western Springs had to be called into requisition. To reach the topmost storey the firemen gallantly clambered up to the burning verandah roofs, but here too they were sadly handicapped by the smoke and terrible heat. THE FIRE SPREADS. The flames in the upper storey now began to eat their way along the roof into the upper rooms of Messrs Partridge, and Glanville and Ellyett, on the Queen-street side, and above the shops of Messrs Prince and McDermott, in Victoria-street. From the back of Ellyett's shop the fire caught the furniture department of the D.S.C, and very soon the costly sideboards, wardTobes, suites of furniture, with which the place was filled, were but a pile of black and smouldering ashes. Still the firemen jontiniied to pour in volumes of water with ttnabated energy, but it was fully an hour and a-half before they at last began to gain the upper hand. Meanwhile the fire &a4 been working sad havoc on the Vic-toria-street side and in the rear. Sweeping through a huge apartment once built for an auction mart, the flames worked their way along the upper storeys of the Vic-toria-street shops towards the Central Hotel, a large brick building which adjoined the block in that thoroughfare. IN VICTORIA-STREET. Prince's shop was soon in flames, and efforts were made to save the stock, of which there must have been some £3,000 worth in all. The firemen succeeded in clearing ■out most of the goods in the front part of the shop, but the safes and the goods in the inner rooms had to be left. The shop was gutted, though the efforts of the firemen were successful in saving McDermott's shop next door, without much damage to it or to the stock, though the upper storey, belonging to the D.S.C, had been eaten out by the flames. Meanwhile the Central Hotel was in grave danger, and at one time it really looked as though that handsome building must; chare the fate of the adjoining block. As the flames came leaping up the rear of the Victoria-street premises, a length of hose was run down the alley way behind the Central, to meet the advancing danger. For a bad quarter of an hour the fate of the hotel hung in the balance, as it were, then the unceasing efforts of the fire^ men were successful, and the progress of the fire in that direction was happily checked. Almost all the windows in the back wall of the Central were shattered by the scorching heat, and wooden frames and •window sills were badly scorched. Otherwise the building escaped without much damage. The Southern firemen proved of great assistance during the fight with the flames, helping the lodgers to get out their belongings, in case the place should catch. Luckily, the precaution proved unnecessary. Had the Central caught Urn neighbouring carriage factory of Mr J. Macky and Mr Spencer's printing office would assuredly have gone as well. On the Queen-street side the progress of the fire was checked at Partridge's shop, the adjoining premises of Mr Henjrickson, jeweller, the Chicago

estaurant, and Mr E. Eagleton, hair.resser, thus being saved. By three o'clock the fire was practically iver, but all through the morning the hoses lave been kept playing upon the ruins, in ase some smouldering pile should start .blaze again. BY LIGHT OF DAY. Seen last night in all its strength and ury the fire made a magnificent spectacle. Hie contrast came with the daylight, when .he flames were quenched. It was, indeed, i mournful sight that met the eye this norning, and drew a constant crowd throughout the day to gaze upon the havoc vrouo'ht. Of the D.S.C.'s tine structure lougnt remains but the blackened skeleton'of brick-work, rootless and windowless, md broken here and there. Of verandah j ■here is not a trace, while within the walls lothing remains but the iron pillars that lpheld the floors, broken walls and piles of Mackened ruins. The tire could not have nade a cleaner sweep. A diminutive pile )f goods on the footpath, covered with a ;arpaulin, showed how little could be done ;o save the contents of the D.S.C. The mvement round the ruined block was ■oped otf, and a strong patrol of policemen ,<ept the two inquisitive from poking imong the debris. There was a sort of ?omic irony about a huge linen placard which the flames had spared, and which, stretched boldly above the blackened jntrance of the 'D.S.C, set forth the fact that " wonderful bargains " could be had within for cash. Needless to say the purchasers were few. DAMAGE AND INSURANCES. The D.S.C. block was a handsome three-storey structure of brick, of comparatively recent erection. The buildings were opened for business in 1S8J), and cost altogether some £18,000. The whole block belonged to Messrs L. I). Nathan and Co., whose insurances on the different shops total about £10,000 in the Norwich Union, though the larger portion of this amount is re-insured in other companies. The D.S.C.'s stock was insured for a total amount of about £23,000. The damage done to Messrs 11. h. Partridge and Co.'s stock is very extensive. The stock was insured for £10,000,^ distributed between the South British, North German and National Companies. Partridge's stock was insured for £400 in the North German, £3,000 in the South British, and £3,000 in the National. The last two had re-insurances on part of their policies. The salvage of the stock is expected to be considerable. Messrs Glanville and Ellyett's stock was insured for £800 in the Norwich Union. Little or nothing was saved. Mr J. Prince's shop has suffered badly, and a large quantity of valuable jewellery and material has been ruined. At present it is impossible to-estimate the damage. The more valuable part of the stock was locked up in two safes, and when one of these was opened this morning the contents ■were found to be uninjured. Most of the damage was done among the materials in the shop. Mr Prince had just opened up a large shipment of spectacles from Melbourne, and everyone of these was ruined. About £100 worth of new goods was to have arrived yesterday, but luckily there was a delay in transit, find they escaped. There was'a policy of £2l>o on the stock in the StandarcTonic'e. Mr Prince lias opened temporary premises in Victoria - street, directly opposite the burnt shop, and will carry on business as usual. The greater part of Messrs Wall is and Caley's saddlery stock has been irreparably damaged by tire and water. It was insured for £900 in the following olives : PhoMiix, £200 ; Standard, £300 ; Now Zealand, £100; and Manchester, £.300. The stock, however, was valued at considerably more than the amount it was insured for. Messrs Wallis and Caley are shifting to temporary premises on the opposite side of the road, in the corner building belonging to Messrs J. and .J. Dickey.' Their own shop is so badly damaged in the upper storey and at the rear that it will probably need to be rebuilt. According to an estimate made this morning the loss sustained by the insurance companies totalled £44,000, but as the list was not completed this amount will be increased considerably. INSURANCE COMPANIES' LOSSES. Almost every fire insurance company in the city has been hit by the tire. The following table gives the individual losses : — Commercial Union £5,000 on D.S.C. stock, less a re-insurance of £500, net loss 4,500 Palatine, on D.S.C, stock and Partridge's stock 4,000 iNew Zealand insurances £4,250, less re-insurance £1,250, net lons ... 3,000 Phrenix, on D.S.C. stock 2,600 Victoria, on D.S.C. stock £2,000,... and a re-insurance £500 2,500 Standard, net loss "2,000 National, on D.S.C. stock, £1,000 and on Partridge's stock £1,000... 2,000 Royal, on D.S.C. stock 2,000 South British, on D.S.C. stock £1,000, on Partridge's stock £700, 1,700 North British, net loss 1,400 Norwich Union, gross insurances £11,000, less re-insurances £7,000. Net loss £3,000 on building, £400 on Glanville and Ellyett's stock — total .' 2,400 Imperial Insurance on D.S.C. Stock 1,250 Sun, on D.S.C. stock 1,000 Liverpool, London, and Globe, on D.S.C. stock ... 1,000 London and Lancashire re insurance on D.S.C. stock 1,000 Manchester, £1,250 on D.S.C. stock, £300 on Wallis and Caley's stock, less re-insurances £2;30. Net loss 1,000 Magdeburg re-insurance on Partridge's stock... ... ... ... 750 Alliance, on D.S.C. stock 500 Koyal Exchange, re-insurance on Partridge's stock ... 500 United, on D.S.C. building £1,000, on Oldbury's stock £200, net loss 1,200 Northern, re-insurance on D.S.C. stock... 500 North German, insurance on Partridge's stock 400 North Queensland, insurance not available ' The only two fire insurance companies who do not appear to be interested in the tire are the Guardian and the Australian Alliance. D.S.C. DRAPERY STOCK. The following are the complete insurances on the drapery stock of the D.S.C. : —National, £2,000 ; Commercial Union, -£2,000; Victoria, £2,000; Royal, £2,000 ; Phoenix, £1,250; Imperial, £1,250 ; North German, £1,200; Sun, £1.000;. total, £12,700. THE CENTRAL HOTEL, Damage has been done to the billiardtable and in other parts of the hotel. Mr Roberts' furniture is insured in the Norwich Union for £650, the stock for £200, and the billiard-room for £250.