GREAT TIMBER BLAZE.

Auckland Star, Volume LI, Issue 5, 6 January 1920, Page 5

GREAT TIMBER BLAZE.

DESTRUCTIVE FIRE A.Tj HERNE * ' - . CASHMORE'E MILL ALIGHT. ! BRIGADE HANDICAPPED BY, EFATER .--._*, SHORTAGE. "., ;dp . ':■■*':. . Si>rfS«£j TOTAL LOSS BEARED, £ _ Fire swept through the timberanill Ci. Messrs. Cashmore Bros., Cox's Bridge Road, Heme Bay, this afternoon, «"d at the time of writing the indicatiana were that the whole of the building and. its stock -would 'be destroyed. The outbreak commenced while themillhands were having lunch, and Wraa first noticed between 12.30 and 1 o'clock, somewhere in the neighbourhood of the breakdown saw. The mill is situated at the mouth of Cox's Creek, and the spot where the lire appears to! (have originated lies on the westward* and incidentally the (windward side, hi the premises. 51 The alarm was promptly given, thjj Pitt Street and the Ponsonby Brigades receiving calls practically Bimultane* ously. Both brigades hurried to Herni* ; Bay, but on arrival the flames had ob* tamed a secure hold, and the brigades immediately found themselves under serious handicap owing to lack of water. Even at 2 o'clock there was practically no pressure at all from the Heme Bay" ■ side. One tender was sent to the GreyLynn side, but whether or not the aeaxcbi for water there -was successful known at the time of writing. •s-'sA THE BRIGADE '**"&$ Consequently the brigade was pzactitr tally impotent, and within a ncery short time the mill was a roaring mass of flames, which quickly spread from the building to the timber stacke in the. yard and overwhelmed the whole-main mill plant. _-'i .- The office and stable also came iwiththtij" the sweep of the fire in its early stages*'- - Fortunately the stable was empty. I&fc. 2 o'clock tie flames had not j the joinery and the box factory, which.: lie furthest to the east, under the cliffy f •bounding Heme Bay. At one period' there was a fear that disaster 'Stould .' overtake a number of houses on thi": cliffs to the east and north, but, owing*; to the dryness of the timber stacks, danger from sparks was nst so «eriomt j as it might have been. " *'. Dense volumes of black smoke werei visible from the centreof the city in the ; first few minutes of the fire, and created. a good deal of excitement and tion. b ' PROBABLE DAMAGE fS,OOO. " sTO ft> It is estimated that the value of &6 ' mill and plant is between £4,000 and ' £5,000, and that the stock of timber, which was about normal, -was reckoned \ to be worth between £3,000 and £4,000, so that in the event of nothing being '• saved the damage will probably be any? thing from £7,000 to £9,000. The in- --' surances are with the Atlas Office,, ■ Wyndham Street, Auckland, and are 'be-i - lieved to he only about fifty per cent, j of the total value of the buildings* - plant and stock. > ATTACKING THE FLAMES. ""' Three leads of hose were run out on the Heme Bay side, hut, as already t stated, the pressure was so poor that , they were of very little use. It was 3 found, however, that when the motor ten- . der "was sent round the head -of the creek , to the other side, the water pressure c was considerably better in that neight bourhood. Two leads were promptly 3 operated from this side, and with the opportune veering of the wind, it was found possible to prevent- the fire from spreading to a few timber stacks which. k had not yet been affected. The breeze being now ! from the east, the flames were fanned away from the c joinery and box factories, which at 3 a o'clock appeared to be likely to escape. c Unfortunately for the brigade the tide was dead low; otherwise a powerful Dennis 70 horsepower motor power, pump would have been taken down to a the water and used to pump salt water d on to the flames. This pump is capabla l " of keeping seven leads of hose well,; ■t supplied. 4 tr The danger of the boiler iblowimjflijt =■ was recognised by the fire-fighters at aa early stage, and the too-eager spectators who were inclined to crowd neal the scene were warned to retire to & safer distance. As the fire continued without any sign of the boiler bursting, however, "the conclusion was arrived at by many that it would collapse-without any explosion. .„.r^