FIRE AT ASPHALT WORKS.

Auckland Star, Volume XLVI, Issue 281, 25 November 1915, Page 7

FIRE AT ASPHALT WORKS.

ELAHT PUT OUT Ox ACTION. BRIGADE'S GOOD SAVE. An outbreak of fire occurred this morning in the Auckland works of the ' Neuchatel Asphalt" Co., Ltd., adjoining t the Paraell railway bridge, the plant being damaged to a considerable extent. ' The building is a two-storeyed iron t structure containing a couple of large : boilers and three electrically-driven rot- ' ary heaters for the treatment of asphalt, t At the time of the outbreak there \va3 j 1 no asphalt in the building, as the heat-i< ers were being utilised for drying a • quantity of pumice for the Poverty Bay I Farmers' Meat Co. Tho workmen engaged in the drying operations state that * the fire appeared to have a good hold on I tie interior woodwork of the building < before they were aware that anything Tag wrong. The city and Parnell fire brigades were quickly on the scene, and got three leads of hose to work, with the result that the flames were quickly extinguished. It is unlikely that the Iteavy iron boilers and heaters have been nmch damaged by the fire, but two electric motors of 22 and 10 horse-power, which supplied power for the machinery, feve probably been rained, while a quantity pi belting and shafting vrUl have to " be replaced. The origin of the fire is ] not known exactly, but probably it was ] connected in some way with the coke < furnaces, under the heater 3. The build- i ing and plant are insured for £600 in 1 the Commercial Union office. It is con- < sidered fortunate that asphalt was not 1 being treated at the time of the out- t break, otherwise the consequences might i nave been more serious, especially as ] tfie works are only a few feet away J fton. the railway viad.net, over whicJl 1 j^ns-are coatnraa£|j" jQssingpr JJ