AN ACRE OF FLAME.

Auckland Star, Volume XLI, Issue 26, 31 January 1910, Page 6

AN ACRE OF FLAME.

GREAT DRAPERY ESTABLISH-

MENT DESTROYED.

TERRIBLE SCENES

(From Our Special Correspondent.)

LONDON, December 24.

Christmas in the Old Country seldom passes|without a tragedy of some sort and this will be a sad Yuletide in the many homes in London affected by the terrible ure at Clapham Junction, which on Monday afternoon destroyed the great drapery .premises of Ardling suid

At present the full toll in life exacted by the fire fiend is not certain. Nine persons are known to have either perished in the flames or succumbed to injuries received in their frantic attempts to escape them, but it is to be feared that the still smouldering ruins conceal the charred and mangled remains of other victims-

Seeing that Messrs. Harding and Hobbs employ in normal times over 400 hands, that many additional hands had been engaged to cope with the Christmas rush of business, and that the premises at the time of the outbreak were thronged chiefly with women and children, the wonder is that the loss of life was not very much greater. The fire spread in all directions with almost inconceivable rapidity, and within twenty minutes of the first outbreak the whole block of buildings covering about an acre was one mass of flame from basement to roof.

The speed at which the flames travelled from one department to another was undoubtedly due in a measure to the presence of the Christmas decorations, and this fact brings home to one the danger of these huge Christmas bazaars that are now so common to London, and, indeed, to all centres of population.

Huge emporiums of trade and fashion like tl>a.t of Messrs. Arding and Hobbs aro no doubt fitted well enough for the transaction of their ordinary business, but when the premises are decorated with hangings and curtains and cottonwool snow, crammed with an increased stock, most of it very inflammable in character, and lit very often with a temporary installation of electricity hurriedly put up, and then packed with customers, mainly women and children, there are all the elements of a fearful holocaust.

This is not to suggest that such conditions account for the fire at Messrs. Arding and Habbs' but it can be said truthfully that the " Christmas Bazaar" In its present form is a source of great danger to the public, unless only lireresisting decorations are used.

It is not quite certain how the lire at Clapfaam Junction started, but it appears to have had its origin in the fall of an umbrella on to an electric globe in a window containing an assortment of celluloid articles, and decorated on a scheme in which cottonwool figured largely. Celluloid and cottonwool 1 Truly a combination to rejoice the heart of an incendiary. SWIFT TRAGEDY. It was about half-past four in the afternoon when the fire broke out. At that time there were some hundreds of customers in the various departments, and the happy business of present-buying for Christmas wae in full swing. Suddenly the brilliantly lighted premises were plunged in darkness, a mad ringing of telephone bells commenced, and then there came the awful cry of "Fire!"

Imagine the soeno! Women dropped purchases, and ran shrieking from the building, some in their panic forgetting even the children they had with them; others plunged wildly about in the darkness, seeking for the little ones who had strayed from their side to feast their eyes on the wealth of Christmas presents displayed, and from scores of terrified youngsters arose heart-rending cries for their mothers.

Happily, though many of the young assistants joined in the panic, the majority kept their heads, and by judicious handling, the crowd of women and children were quickly shepherded to the various exits. So far as is known at present not a single customer suffered hurt, but many of the women were temporarily mad with fright. As the customers -were being hurried from the building the glass of the -window in which the fire started fell outwards, and huge tongues of flame shot out. From that moment the place was doomed. Had the premises been soaked in paraffin the flames could scarcely have travelled more rapidly than they did along and up tho Lavender Hill and St. John's road frontages of the premises. And their progress within the building must- (have been equally rapid, for in less than 20 minutes the Whole block was a roaring furnace of fierce flames. There was scarcely any smoke, only red hot fire which seemed to lick up everything in its way as though it had been paper. Against this mighty NIAGARA OF FLAME the fire brigade could do nothing. Dozens of engines were speedily on the scene, but the tons of water poured on the iblazing pile had no more effect than ■the contents of a penny squirt would have on a blast furnace.

To add to the brigade's difficulties the streets were gay with Christmas decorations in the shape o>f festoons of paper flowers interspersed with bunting, running along and across the streets. These caught fire and threatened to involve the shops opposite to the burning block, .but the firemen, aided by volunteers— foremost among them John Burns — quickly tore them down, and so undoubtedly greatly limited the range of the fh-e. For so fierce was the heat 'from the blazing block that it broke windows over a hundred feet away, and scorched the woodwork of the shop fronts just opposite to such an extent that a mere spark was enough to cause a blaze. It was on these buildings that the firemen had to concentrate their attention, for nothing human hands could do could check the fire in Messrs. Axding and Hobbs' premises. That acre of thriving business was an island of lurid flame, walls were beginning to fall in every direction, and in less than fifty minutes after the first outbreak fhe ibig clock tower above the main entrance collapsed. It fell to the ground with a terrible crash and from its red ruins there burst a mighty sheet of flame iwhieh semed to lick the very heavens. And then down came a shower of red hot debris.

The 'burning particles flew far and •wide, and a tongue of flame leaped the street and set fire to the already badly heat-damaged grocery and provision stores of ilessrs. Francis and Sons. Happily this outbreak was quickly subdued, as ■weTe several minor fires caused by lihe blazing debris scattered by the fall of the tower. FEARFUL SCENES. There were ernne fearful scenes during the first few minutes after the outbreak. Most of the shop assistants managed to outstrip the frre in their race for safety, but many of those in the upper jjarfcs, o£ tha building (found their

escape cut off. These- for the most part were in the portion of the fbiiilding overlooking Ilminster Gardens.

They appeared at the third and fourth floor windows shrieking for help. Fire escapes were speedily on the spot, but the first to arrive were tog short, and by -the time longer ones came upon the scene the lower windows were spouting flames. Meanwhile one man made a jump for the escape, missed his mark and fell to the ground with a hideous thud.

Men (brought sheets and stood beneath the windows imploring the imprisoned men and women to jump. But they were all afraid to take the chance untU the flames began to consume the flooring 'beneath their feet. Then some of them jumped. No more horrible sight could be imagined. They clung to the window sills until the last moment and then let go. And not one of them could be caught in the sheets.

They turned complete somersaults in mid-air, fell on the pavements, and moved no more. Not a man or a girl who jumped from the Ihninster-gardene windows escaped fearful injury, and at leaet three of them were killed outright. One poor fellow went mad through fright, and committed suicide. He was seen standing patiently on a window ledge waiting for rescue: All at once he started to shriek and gesticulate wildly. Then he stopped, Temoved some oif his clothing, and turning towards the flames, gave one hideous yell and threw himself into them. HEROIC SACRIFICE. Aprainet all bhe red rain and heartchilling tragedy there was, as always, a record of heroism.

There are stories of firemen who risked all for a rescue, and one of them in particular, who, in descending, found the escape was alight, and leaped to the ground from a perilous height with a girl upon his shoulders.

There is the story of the young assistant who, when on the point of being rescued from a fourth-floor window plunged back into the building, and brought to the waiting fireman a couple of fear-paralyeed girls. He saved their lives at the expense of his own, for even as he essayed to clamber out of the window the flames darted on him, and he fell back into the fiery vortex. Another young fellow, a salesman employed in a shop opposite, gave his life to save his sweetheart, who was employed in a third-storey department in the blazing building. He fought his way through the smoke and flame, to the room where she worked, carried her senseless form safely to the head of an escape, handed over his burden to a fireman, and in the moment of his triumph was overcome by smoke. Ere an effort could be made to rescue him the flames had claimed his body. JOHN BURNS AS FIREMAN. Everyone is saying that if Mr. John Burns was in danger of losing his seat In Rattoreea at the General Election, all danger haa vanished since he distinguished himself by his gallant work at the big Olapham Junction fire. "It's simply sickening to talk because a man has simply done his duty as a neighbour," he said afterwards. " 1 happened to be on the spot, that's all. I don't want to talk about it." But all the papers m the kingdom talked about it at great length and under striking headlines, for John Burns is a picturesque personal ity, and people wanted to read about his exploits as an amateur fireman.

In his work as a rescuer he showed the resources of an engineer. He obtained possession of a mail bag, cut holes in it for his eyes, and thus was a>ble to get closer to the fire zone than would otherwise be possible. Even with this protection he emerged rather badly burned. His clothes were singed, his hat was a wreck, and his right hand was badly blistered.

Having helped a number of people out of the burning building, he dashed into a butcher's shop, and seized a knife-

"Come along boys!" he shouted. Sailors, soldiers and civilians rushed up, and he said: "For God's sake, cut those festoons down. They'll fire the whole of Clapham Junction." This was in reference to the "Venetian masts, streamers, flags and festoons with which the tradesmen had decorated the roads. Mr. Burns told the sailors wliat to do, and he himself climbed to the top of one of the poles and cut away the ropes, thus releasing the festoons, which were gathered up and taken out of the way. Mr. Burns also helped with the hose-pipe; he put his shoulder to the wheel of a refractory fire engine; and he also helped the potman of an adjoining hotel to pour buckets of water on the windows.