FIRES.

Press, Volume L, Issue 8541, 22 July 1893, Page 8

FIRES.

NARROW ESCAPE OF AN HOTEL.

A fire.broke out in the shop of Mr Walsh, draper, of Colombo street, last evening, resulting in the upper portion of the building being gutted, while the Golden Fleece Hotel,'with which the shop is connected, was slightly damaged. The fire was discovered about a quarter to nine. Several Eersons sitting in the bar parlour of the otel perceived a smell of smoke and Mrs Sweeney, wife of the licensee tmd several . others rushed upstairs and found the rooms full of smoke. A young man named S. Moore, employed at Messrs Mum ford and Sons, fishmongers, ran to the Chester street Fire Brigade station and gave the alarm. In .the meantime Mrs Sweeney, with the assistance of the servants, got out the children who were sleeping in the upper rooms, noarest to the seat of the fire. The fire brigades were promptly on the scene, , and the chemical engine from Chester street was stationed in Colombo street in front of „the shop, and that from Lichfield street in the back yard of the Golden Fleece hotel. These engines chocked the progress of the fire, and water being laid on from the steamer Deluge, which was Btationed at the Gloucester streot tank, all danger was averted within twenty minutes. The Ex- ' tiuguiaher was also stationed at the Gloucester street tank, and the railway engine at the river, in readiness should their services have been required. The fh*e gutted the upper rooms in Walsh's shop, and had mads its way through a door into one of the bedrooms of the hotel. The firemen, under Mr Superintendent Turton, worked very smartly, and it was owing to their getting to work promptly that tho Golden Fleece waa saved. The heavy smoke made the work all the more difficult The fire originated as stated iv the upper floor in Walsh's shop which had up till a short time ago been used as work rooms. Latterly they had not been in use, and contained nothing of much 'value beyond several I sewing machines. The fire had not time to spread into the shop below, but the stock was considerably damaged by water. Underneath the bedrooms of the hotel, which are I connected with Walsh's premises, is a shop occupied by Messrs Mumford and son, fishmongers, and their stock-in-•trade waa slightly damaged by water. Mr Rayner's boot shop on the south side of Mr Walsh's premises was uninjured. The Golden Fleece buildings, which • include Walsh's and Mumford's shops, are the property of the executors in Oram's Estate, and the insurance on them could not be learned last evening. Mr Walsh had £525 on his stock in the Sun Office, the value of the stock being estimated at £600. Mr Sweeney in May last made a proposal to insure his furniture and stock in the

Royal Exchange Office for £500. The proposal was accepted but he has not yet paid the premium. During the evening a large force of police, under Mr Inspector Broham, kept the street clear so as to give the firemen room to work with the hose, and prevented any interference with the goods iv the two shops affected by the fire.

Our Southbrook correspondent writes :— On Thursday a large shed used by Mr J. Seed in connection with his rope-making works was burned to the ground. One of the boys employed trod on a match which was under a little tow. This at once took fire, and in a few seconds the whole place was in a blaze. The iirebell called out the Brigade, but there was no chance of saviug the building. Unfortunately Mr Seed had lust in a full stock of tow, having some large orders to complete, but scarcely any was saved. The machinery used in the work was also destroyed. There was no insurance either on the building (owned by Mr Judd) or its contents, and the loss is stimated at about £100.

Concerning Madame Patey, England's greatest contralto, (whose retirement from public life I mentioned last week), the following appears In London 2'ruth, May 25rh :— *' Madame Patey, who has for upwards of twenty years been our leading oratorio contralto. Is about to retire into private life at the—for a popular singer—early age of fifty-one." Those who know Madame Patey will say that she suffers from an affection of the heart, and this accounts for her desire to avoid the excitements ot tbe concert room. Daring faer Australian tour Madame Patey waa esteemed as a good woman and a great singer, and if her concerts were not all that coald be desired from a financial point of view, they w«m ____ ay i. ?■£■£• to and .tt Is to her credit that she never |, of artistic dignity or by paaderiua to m mawkish sentiment. *-**""«-™ug to