LEAP FOR LIFE.

Auckland Star, Volume LXI, Issue 101, 1 May 1930, Page 7

LEAP FOR LIFE.

GREYMOUTH HOTEL FIRE | . I BRIDE ON HONEYMOON TOUR. | 1 THREE PEOPLE IN HOSPITAL, j ~ . l! FIVE BUILDINGS AFFECTED. (By Telegraph.—Press Association.) GREYMOUTH, this day. One of the worst fires in Grey mouth for several years was discovered about ■ 3.30 this morning in the Royal Hotel, j Upper Mawhera Quay. The flames had I a strong hold upstairs before they were f] noticed and a number of boarders had ; little time to get out. Several women J escaped in their night clothing and a | number of men had only time to grasp jj| their trousers. One young woman jumped from an | upper window and sustained injuries. |i She was Mrs. Howat, of Kanieri, wife Ij of Mr. C. Howat, jun. They were on i their honeymoon tour and arrived yes- |l terday. Mrs. Howat was taken to hos- fj pital. Her husband and one other man fj were also taken to hospital. Ij Fire spread through the hotel with rapidity, the building being fairly old li and its timbers very dry. It was afire || from end to end in a short space of time. The fire brigade had a difficult task, 1 i as the place was blazing when they ar- jij rived and the wind was dead against them. All who were in the Royal Hotel : escaped. The hotel was to have been j| taken over to-day by Mr. Andrew Lees I from Mr. Williams. Nothing was saved ■ from the building, which was completely demolished. Fire Sweeps On. Other buildings were attacked by fire as the wind was strong and water , could i: : not be got directly in front of the advancing flames. The brick walls kept ! the fire to the upper storeys at first, and Mr. G. Webster had time to clear the stock from his umbrella shop. Mr. S. Darrell's second-hand shop ad- Ijj joining was not cleared, but flames leaped across to the roof of the Railway Hotel ? and that structure was doomed. Some furniture was got out. It was impos- ». sible to save the rear part of the Rail- i way Hotel, while cottages at the back j' of the hotel were destroyed. | Fire threatened to cross over to the |: shops fronting Mackay Street, including fj Scott's establishment, but the brigade checked it. * t About 4.40 a.m. .the brigade had -ccii- j! trol. All of the buildings mentioned, j; as well as Messrs. • Milner's jewellery |j shop and Mr. F. Diimble's tobacconist !j shop, were damaged by dense clouds of j acrid smoke. . Injured in Hospital. j; The Royal Hotel was owned by Mr. J, | A. Lutz, of Wellington. With its con- j tents it was completely destroyed. The I. insurances on the building were £1500 in j the Queensland Office, fIOOO in the Phoenix, £250 in the National and £270 in the. Standard. Thq contents were in-i j sured, but the amounts are not available. i In the case of Mr. Darrell's shop, the . building was owned by Mr. W. Mcllroy, ijj but the insurance is not available. The (j stock was not insured. The loss is esti- j' mated at £800. Mr. Webster's building was., covered ij for £750 in the New Zealand Office. The ■ damage was partial and it is understood that the stock was not insured. Most $ of it was saved. j; The Railway Hotel building, the rear | of which was damaged by water, was | insured for £400 in the Northern Office. | The following persons were admitted 1 to hospital:—- jl Mr. and Mrs. Howat, the latter seri- | ously injured. | Mr. A. G. Smith, injuries not serious. | Fireman Blockage received cuts on 1 one of his hands. Fireman Walton had !> a narrow escape from falling timber, | his helmet being dented. | The water supply is reported to have ji been very good. A wind sweeping down | the Grey River Gorge fanned the flames, jji