BIG FIRE IN THE CITY.

Press, Volume LXII, Issue 12683, 22 December 1906, Page 2

BIG FIRE IN THE CITY.

■ ■ t EXTENBIVT- DAMAGE AT A. J. WHITE'S PREMISES. BRIGADE DELAYED FOR WANT OP HORSES. Considerable damage wa » caused to a large amount of stock at Messrs A. J. White and eCo.'a warehouse y«*sterdny morning by an outbreak of fire. The store in which the conflagration originated is a wooden -structure with an iron roof, situated at the rear of a largo three-storied building occupied by the polishers and upholsterere, and is bounded on the weet side by the large brick wall of Meagre Oates and Lowry'a premi«», while on the south the_re i« another wooden structure, in which tne pantechnioon is accommodated. Tlie ©act bide of the building abuts on to a right-of-way, which runs from the yard on to Tuam street. The fire waa dieoovered by a, workman named Burmeister, who was on. the roof, and his tir*>t impression was that the fire had broken out in OateQs, iiowry and Co.'s apreini-os, as Ban»> were epurting up from the 6ide of the brick wall. He called to anothet workman in the timber yard, who immediately hurried away and gave the alarm. The fire brigade experienced groat difficulty in getting in their horeos (wliich were employed in the watercart), and the bells were rung vigorously for about five minutes. Event, ually the engines were despatched, but on arrival the fire had an extremely strong hold. The chemical engine taken up the right-of-way was of little avail in coping with the flames, which wero confined to half tlie et<er© at that time. A partition which divided the store withstood the names till juat before tho water arrived from the "Extinguisher," located at the tank In front of the Plxceleior Hotel, and the "Deluge," stationed at A. J. White's tank. The fire then spread with groat rapidity among the cases, hales ot linoleum, and tho inflammable bamboo and oane articles, which were stocked there. Tha water, however, echecked the flames sufficiently to allow a large number of the workmen, employed by the firm, to get a great deal of this material out, but not before most of it had suffered extensively by the fire and water. The greatest difficulty experienced in checking tlie flames in this portion waa th© edense smoke and the way tlie fire was ooccealed amongst the cases, nearly all having to be moved before the outbreak was subdued. The store was a perfect wreck after the fire was extinguished, and the damage is estimated to run into thousands, ea the stock was most valuable. The brick walls which surrounded the 6tore were no doubt the means of confining tho conflagration to a small area, and if it had not been for these the whole of the warehouse, or Messrs Oates and Lowry's premises would in allr>robabilit*Thave been demolished. The insurances are as follows:— Stock: Bulk store No. 1, £600 in the Royal, £400 in the Victoria, and £500 in tho Manchester. Bulk store No. 2, £150 in the Victoria, and stock in a smaller eihed £200 in the Phoenix. The buildings an insured as follows:—Bulk shed No. 1, £100 in the Victoria; trap shed, £75 in the Phoenix office; pantechnicon shed, £25 in the Phoenix office, and a smaller 6hod, £40 in the Alliance.' The damage is estimat-dd to exceed tho insurances.