THE GRAND HOTEL DISASTER.

Auckland Star, Volume XXXII, Issue 130, 3 June 1901, Page 2

THE GRAND HOTEL DISASTER.

(To the Editor.)

Sir,—As one who is sincerely sorry for those who have lost their loved ones in the fire at the Grand Hotel, I wish to raise my voice, against the unfair Treatment meted out to our Firr Brigade. I know, as a rule, suggestions from women are usually laughed at, but nevertheless we have now nearly all the privileges of the sterner sex. and should speak out. For my part. I am disgusted to think there 'is so little interest shown -in regard to the proper equipment of the brigade, the members of which very often risk their lives, and in any case turn out of their beds at all seasons to protect the, lives and property of their fellow-beings. As it is usual to lock the stable door when the horse is gone, perhaps this fearful fire will wake up som^ of iis. i feel like saying something that might be misconstrued, but all the same 1 can't help thinking some of the money which is being* spent on the city just now might be better employed.—l am, etc., ' J ' S. E. COLLIXGS.

(To tne Editor.)

gi r% _l n reference to your report in last niffhfs issue, in which it is suggested that the fire at the Grand Hotel may have originated from bath heaters, will you kindly insert a local stating- that you understand, there were no bath heaters fixed in any of the bath rooms. I can assure you that from enquiry at the architect's ofh'ce. from the plumber who did the work at the Grand Hotel, and also from this Company's Inspector, who knows the arrangement of the building-, the above information may be entirely relied upon.—l am, etc., E. ]J. PARSONS, Secretary Auckland Gas Co. June 1.

(To the Editor.)

Sir, —This lamentable disaster must forcibly draw the attention of the public to the shockingly incompetent management of our city, by Nature's gift the fairest in the colony, by man's, or should I say by old women's —a fair retort from a "lad"— muddling', the foulest. Many years ago a gentleman lectured on our "City of dreadful dirt." and earned much opprobrium. Who that knows QueenStreet now can say the title i^imde•served? 1, "in common wit^-many other citizen*, have repeatedly drawn attention to the wants of the fire brigade. It has been a glaring scandal for years, and after the public excitement occasioned by this dreadful calamity has cooled down, will probably remain so for many more. Five years ago I was in a friend's house {in Grafton l^oad. Suddenly some one rushed in and called out that the house next door was on fire. I went out and looked at it, and assured the inmates that there was no cause for alarm, as it would be a quarter of an hour before their place would catch fire, and by that time the brigade would be working. I was sadly' out in my calculations. In thirty-five minutes a "thin red line" of deadbeat men, Tugging wearily at about a, ton of obsolete vehicle, toilod painfully up their second big hill, and although more fit to lie down than to work, started in manfully to fight the fire. My friend's house was gutted, and he would have lost everything but for a few friends and the good old bowlers from the Auckland Club, who came up in force and ""looted" the place in record time. We to-day have the same efficient fire brigade outfitmen for horses, and hoses that squirt anywhere but at the nozzle. I am sadly afraid we. shall never improve matters so long as we have our Little Ancklanders running this city. What we want, is a Greater Auckland. I think those who by their position and means are qualified to take an active part in work which should be an honouv, if properly conducted, ought to do so, and the surest way to get a good class of men to manage our affairs will be to abolish the ward system absolutely. It is a very sad state of affairs that there should be any grounds for such plain language as I have used, but I am sure that, judging the Council by their works, the public must admit that it is called for. I know as well as anybody that in outCouncil we have some worthy and reputable citizens, good men and true, who are therefrom perfectly disinterested motives, and who do their best for the good of the city, according to their lights (may each one think I mean him), but, the Council can only be judged as a body, and to say of. them as a corporation that, in many of the most important matters they have been found .sadly wanting is unquestionably a flattering statement of the true position of affairs.—l am. etc V. A. VAILE.

(To the Editor.)

Si ri . — 1 K it possible to indict the City Council on a charge of manslaughter for causing the r!Path of Mr Johnston's three little children and other inmates at. the Grand Hotel fire? If a citizen neglected his duty in such a barefaced manner as the City Council has, and showed such utter callousness for the safety of those whoso lives and property were entrusted to his care, it would not be long before he found himself in the dock preparatory to a lengthened term in Mt. lOden. In such a ca.se he would only get his deserts. Why. then, should the City Council escape? The reason I ask this question is "that I was a witness of the disastrous fire above referred to, and this is what I saw: On the arrival of the brigade (?) (it cjan only be termed a brigade as far as the men are concerned, the appliances count for nothing) it took fully five minutes before a lead was on the fire, and what a lead; it must have thrown the water fully ten feet high. It was never my lot to witness such an infantile exhibition, and it would have been highly amusing but for the lamentable loss of life. The pressure was so poor that it would scarcely throw a jet of water as high as the roof of the little one-storey cottage next to the hotel. When the hotel was completely gutted the pressure seemed to be all that could bo desired, and one jet was powerful enough to easily reach the third floor. Had the alarm been rung as it should have been, viz., 10 to 15 minutes earlier, and a proper supply of water available, tbifi terrible loss of life and property might have been averted. People in Wyndham-sfcreet Saw the outbreak fully a quarter of an hour before the alarm was .given, Is it not time Auck-

land had a paid brigade and a look-out man always on duty. Why are the brigade expected to do horses' work, dragging ladders, etc., to a fire, and then turn to and do a night's work. It is a standing disgrace to our city authorities, and they ought to be made to account for it, [t redounds to the credit of the brigade that the city has not been devastated over and over again. A braver or more willing lot of men could not be found, and they simply work wonders with the appliances at their disposal. I am informed by a member of the brigade that when a fire occurs they have to knock up the groom at an adjacent stable, and after he has been awakened the harnessing process begins. It is about time this darktown state of affairs is put a stop to; and in conclusion I would ask you and the .Ratepayers' Association to lend your valuable aid in bringing atxrat an immediate and radical reform. —I am, etc., A SUFFERER.

I' "' (To the Editor.) Sir,—The late fire, attended by fatal results, is only another instance of the inactivity of our City Council, and perhaps after the repeated warnings, and the present sad loss of life, they will awake to their sense of duty. It is a r-rying shaxne that our city, which we claim to be the fairest in the colony, should be so far behind in the matter of fire-fighting appliances, but who's the fault? Tt is the insurance companies and City Council to whose door this sad event should be laid. Let oar citizens wake up and say, we demand for this city a brigade equally, if not superiorly, equipped to that of our sister cities of Christchurch and Wellington. I qnite agree with what Mr James Stewart says, only his letter is too mild. The hook and ladder carriage is killing to men, and it is no wonder they complain; and I say, justly so. It is the work of at least two good horses to take the present ladders to a fire, even in level ground, let alone where there are hills to contend with; and surely in a two or three-storey building the ladder is the first thing wanted, more especially where the saving of life is to be considered. I myself passed the ladders going Tip the rise from Victoria-street, and the firemen, with the aid of a few volunteers, were struggling nobly to drag the lumbering, awkward great thing up the rise, cheering each, other now jand again to try and get a little move out of already knocked-np men. The men themselves I look upon as a noble body, and deserve all the praise they get. risking, in many cases, their own lives in trying to save the lives and property of others, as witnessed on Friday morning, fighting the flames in the face of intense heat and under tottering walls. Let us now wake up and say thai Superintendent Gladding's applications for new appliances must not only be received, but adopted and acted upon, or we shall one day be sorry for our sluggishness and want of action. —I am, etc.,

AN EYE WITNESS,