DESTRUCTIVE FIRE AT TE AROHA.

Press, Volume LIII, Issue 9323, 25 January 1896, Page 10

DESTRUCTIVE FIRE AT TE AROHA.

TEN BUILDINGS BURNED. NARROW ESCAPES. (press association telegram.) AUCKLAND, January 24. A fire ab Te Aroha destroyed the properties occupied by J. Wood, butcher; F. i Tonge, draper; R. Bremnar, shoemaker; the Club Hotel ; Park's boarding house ; Calder's fruit shop; Mrs Waters, dressmaker ; George Bygrove, fruit shop ; W. Batten, watchmaker ; J. Barber, bootmaker. All were burned to the ground. Hubert Cox, a son of Mr E. Y. Cox, of Shaftesbury, sustained very severe injuries while getting through a window. He was badly cut about the arms by the broken glass and also severely burned. Cox was to have left this morning for Auckland to be married. Morrison, an invalid boarder, had a very narrow escape. Ho was unable to move himself, and was carried out ab the last minute. The fire started in the hotel about half past three o'clock in the morning. It is thought by the lessee, Schultz, to have originated in the card room. Later. Mr Schultze, the proprietor, was tne last to retire ou the previous eveuing, and was satisfied that all lights were out. In early morning Mrs Schultze was awakened by a smell of fire. She quickly roused her husband, and both escaped to the street in their night clothes. They were virtually driven out by tho flames and smoke along the passage. Mr Schultze immediately rau to the yard aud up a tire escape, for the purpose of arousing the boarders sleeping upstairs, but he was unable to re-cuter the building on account of the dense smoke. When he came back to tho front of the hotel Messrs Hubert Cox and Langton, gentlemen staying in the hotel, were sliding down the verandah posts from the balcony. These gentlemen had a most marvellous escape with their lives. Langton, who is a cousin to Cox, had iusb arrived from Melbourne on a visit, and was a great loser, only escaping to the street in his pyjamas, and leaving to the mercy of the flames bis gold watch and chain, two gold sets of seals, a gold pencil case, a purse and a sovereign case, withseveral sovereigns iuit. MrLangtou estimates his loss at £60. Cox lost two watches and chains, also his gold ring. Cox did not awake till the smoke filled his room, and he then jumped up with a feeling of suffocation. When tbe flames burst in his hair and face were considerably singed. He made for the window, dashing through the one leading on to the verandah. Iv doing so he sustained several severe cuts about the hands, arms, feet and legs. Afterwards ho attempted to slide down the verandah post, but, owiug to his cuts, he was unable to hold oa, and dropped from the balcony. He narrowly ; escaped a broken neck, and as it was be ia considerably shaken aud bruised by the fall, though fortunately no bones were broken. The Club Hotel was soon euveloped in flames and the fire quickly spread to the adjoining buildings, Bretinau's boot shop to the north and Calder's private boarding house to the south, which were soon a mass of flames. Mrs Calder and her family escaped bo the street in their sleeping costumes. The ladies had nob time to dress er even to recover their personal effects. The flames took hold of the upper storey of Park House first, which rendered it impossible for anyone to enter the bedrooms again. The only article saved was a p<auo from the room near the street. The total loss is estimated to be £6000. The insurances, as far as can be ascertained, are as follows—New Zealand £1775 on Park house and the Club Hotel. Of this amount £325 are reinsurances from the following officesNational £165, Alliance £165, United £165, Staudard £165, Norwich Union £165. The re-insurances are all on the Club Hotel. The North British and Mercantile have £200 on the Club Hotel and £50 on the stock. The United also had £300 on the contents of

the Club Hotel, £150 being reinsured in the North Queensland. The United has a risk: of £50 on Breinner's stock. The National has £180 on the furniture and piano in Martha Kenney's boardinghouse, and £140 on the stock of George Bygrove, fruiterer, &«. Tho Norwich Union has £300 on Robb's building, and £165 on the Club Hotel, reinsured, as stated above, in New Zealand offices. Dr. Campbell owned the Club Hotel.