CHRISTCHURCH.

Bay of Plenty Times, 8 February 1879, Page 2

CHRISTCHURCH.

.-. ;■//. LisasfS-OU&Pures. . Great Lestructioi '*Sf Property.. 'it--.One^of~ the -. most.xdesti-Uctive'j.fira_s;*yer-known in Christchurch ..broke out shortly before 6 o'clock' last evening in a large wooden building o^cjipiectby. Mesprs Seland"era. and * Co, Messrs 'Sotensdfc. &nd ""Co, and Messrs A Sargood,'S-_.i A and Ewen, all"" soft goods merohants.r. T The downstairs part of the building was occupied* *aY offices and warehouses by the.tw.O/fi^st-n^med fffm^ and \ the whole. of; the -nppgr> part, "was in occupation of Sa_g6od,- ; Son,^&nd-Ewen.'i>The fire coinmenced ; up_talf_jH_i'_hc back warehouse of Sorrehsdn,' next to the firo brigade station.. Dense volumes of smoke jsddh poured out of the windows in evdry'di-eefcion-.. Tho firo fbrigadj; d^urat m- djoor ;. hut, were driven back by smoke. The fury of tfiefii-e ' increased withuwohdorfuir&pidity, and notwithstanding the • efforts of the brigade and i powerful 'ett^-ifS^thee^itire -place .w_ts g*titted, I and everything^ utterly destroyed. .,« Nothing w r hatovcr was saved from Sargood's, neither- | hooka nor papers ; but?; moat hi thentf \_»re saved from the lower part of the hndding. Sargood f s insurances' '.'ire— Tlie National, £2,000; Victorias .€1,000 ; ( .Transatlantic, £1,000; Northern, £500; South British; £2,000. Saunders Bros, stock : New Zealand, £-_,<'0O; ..South .British, £2,500; Standard, £1,000; Liverpool 'ana Loudon and Globe. £1.000. Buildings : New Zealand, £I,ooi_ ;'• South :J rt^_3* £3,ooo in the Standard. , •,- . r ,--,-.-, . „-,,. . „. 1 . -. .' C_i_.l /. v. ii,.' Shortly before one o'clock this morning the fire-bell gave -the- -al__rni -for a • Wcoud.*<'ti_ae, whilst' >.&&- *brigc-desT. were i still at'? work their.,tM.e engines at the river pumping 'Write. ' oh 'tlio firp at ' Sargdofcfs, : which ' had sprung, Ul^again^ yory.brjs^ly.^^ln -., about ton minutes the new fire was found to be in the rear of i'wentyrnau, and Go's, aT large hardware warehouSd'in 'Gash^ll j otree^, ,: and in lew thah"fdurt4en'_minfiWtv.o ffr&afeie W^t'er were brought' "cft^e^bn Jhe flames,, wlfich were rapidly, subdued ~>wd..cpmEletely extinguished by half-past one. It is supposed the fire was the "work of an incendiary, a hat aud coat were found in the stables at the rear.