FIRE AT PARLIAMENTARY BUILDINGS

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 67, 12 December 1907, Page 8

FIRE AT PARLIAMENTARY BUILDINGS

B0!ll LEGISLATIVRXHAMBERSiN ASHES, v;.' - . : ;r THE iLIBRARYrSAYED.::?. complete description of THE ©AMAQE. v. i-.U; '

■The . firo . which., has reduced to ashes a good- half of the Parliamentary Buildings in; Molesworth Street, was practically subdued soon after wo went to press yesterday .morning. The ' period between tho outbreak, at about 2 a.m. and 6 a:m:," Wai"'quit6 sufficient : for the flames to dovour the whole of tho lyooden portions of tho blo6k. To those-who have not a personal acquaintance, withfthe lay of the building," it)should bo explained that, taking it as a sqiia'rc,.tho ancient;;wooden portion of the building is the southern : wing, which, hav- , ing' a gable end 'frontage to the.-south of the • main entrance ■ portico, trends back parallel Sydney Street,- then- turns at right angles and runs across to Hill Street, forming the' .westernmost portion of the building. The southern wing contained the Chamber of the House of Representatives, somo ministerial; .offices , and committee rooms, Hansard rooms, and the Speaker's room, while tho'principal apartments at the rear of western'front contained the islative Council.,,^chamber —a comfortable apartment—with' white and . gold walls and crimsoft -curtains,- and soft red carpet's— '■ and: its attendant, committee rooms arid pflices. The. Council Chamber has been completely .destroyed.-:.' ' :. : ■

HOW BELLAMY'S FARED

The entrance to:'the Legislative Council is\on'the northern'side of-the-building at the . rear. Between ,'that and the extensive, portion of the building set apart for the purposes of the magnificent AssemblyLibrary is "Bellamy's," in whose jovial halls, the. politician .has of times passed the jocund word, and ; melted under the beneficent influence of kindly faro. Times without number has the place been thrown open to the public. for various . events superior to 'everyday happenings. .' There Ministers, and . members have toasted each other's healths, and.'use.cl,hard Words towards each other in public '.(never in private) the sucr, ceeding day. " Bellamy's" is the stout bri6k Wing that runs between the western end of the main lobby and Hill Street, as far as the walls are. concerned, it. still

• AN-INCVp.ENT,

stands as solid as ever, but within is.roof- 1 less chaos. The fire ate into the' wood-work of tho"'roof —Bellamy's is' one-storied—and,'-having, eaten away the. supports, the "roof j fell 'in., with a rending "crash, 'and turned , the ;place'"into: furnace. ""With , the floor., littered with a shattered.' and, .still' ' burning.-roof, there was no hope of getting into Bellamy's cellar, where is stored a. lib- , ; eral supply of wines, • spirits, -and cigars, j under seal. ,:The cellar 1 is thought;: to-;bei flooded, in which'case the cigars and 9ther- , dry goods', /will be damaged. .' The 'liquor -j should be . ; j , ALL THAT WAS LEFT. . j Tho'Brigade'fought'tho flames hopelessly- 1 'so long.as tho tinder in the building lasted, ] but. thanks to a good pressure — the-fire. ; ; could- not'have ; happened at a'mor.e. oppor-, ; tune time.to ensure that — and a lot: of. .hard,.. work, they-ivero able to save tho imost.-valu-: able'portion of the building—the Library.-. As the .wooden walls'and all therein subsided ' into gr's ashes, and stout brick waljs'-.were l olferedjas' less palatable food for the flames'j; , the fife's, enthusiasm died down," and . ; when tho spruce, Government officials'cam&.tfipping' 1 down Molosworth Street at a 'few minutes', , ■beforo 9 a.m. all that was left standing/of ;: tho wooden building..was a couple of uprights, and a few partially-consumed weather-boards of the front elevation of the southern wing," . and half' a.'dozen gaunt chimney-stacks; of' great length reaching up through the, murk of mingled steam and smoke. 'The hoses wero still playing everywhere,, and venturing in tho main entrance one had 'to bo prepared for a ' soaking and ,to do"somo .heel-' walking,'for tho water-poured down every--where';/'and sayo for a charred plank hero . and there,' or , ait island of charcoal,.tho floor, was awash. : i ,;'|N THE MAIN LOBBY.;-; Thb?.mairi. lobby, -was wonderful "siglitT— it had been tho'site of a pitched, 'battle/; and; it looked it. • At this hour (say,' 9 a.m.) tho' lobby; was. still occupied by.,firemen,.Vwitji'l. ready .hqso for tho hundreds ,of little,flame revivals that spurted out hero and there. It wits nearly anklo deep in black mullock, and tho ,air .was permeated with.. choking smoke that mad 6 'the eyes (smaH"sha'risly. Tho shape of tho lofty, arched Gothic coiling was.still there, but only the shape: tho roof, had fallen either insido or out'.- ; 'Through ,a door on ,tho southern, side, there. waS, to.Jjo. seen, a-.chaos'' of-., twisted corrugated,.i'rqn, plaster,-smoking planks,- and great mounds of charcoal—all that is loft of tho House,; of Representatives-; and through, a door at tho far end of'tho lobby: one stepped 011 ashen remains of what was tho Upper -Houso. A CLANCE UPSTAIRS. As one passed upstairs, the. library behind the barred glass pnnnelled doors looked asspick and span as ever, more so than over, indeed, because of the glaring contrast with the scene' outside: Tho mam staircase was'| caked sit or eight inches with charcoal' and plaster. If one turned to the right on reaching the top'and walked straight ahead, he would ordinarily'walk into the Speaker s Gallery If be attempted to do so now ho would probably break his neck for it that point that a brick wall divides, the building longitudinally, and whore tho firo^ was brought into submission. . Stroll through the rooms. Shades of political decency! Note the hanks of red tape sodden and'dirtied on the slushy floor; tho rows of books with the hacks scorched oft and Parliamentary Debates trampled under foot' as i£ of uo importance whatever.. The

boforo the firo ,10110 volumes of Parliamentary recordu, etc., wore placed on the shelves of tlio room, in readiness for the Minister's arrival next Sunday. Mr. Redmond made a dive for tho room in the smoke yesterday ' iriiing; ho carried out the Minister's "dispatch" box, and secured some £o in cash of his own, but, being an elderly man, lie was nearly overcome by the smoke and fumos, and had to ho helped down the stains and out of tho building with a towel round his head. •

Tho books, furniture, and reoords from the Premier's o'fico and tlio Cabinet room were

roof of the Minister Lands' office fell in and his library is seriously burnt as it stands on the shelves;; roof still remains on his secretary's .office, next door, where water only has bebiv' at : «;ovk._ In a waitingroom near tlic',idp f, of. the.stairs; no damageis ; very appftrenf."except 1 the falling away of some-'of tlio!white-plaster beading, but on one-sidd-there'must have becm a fall of molten lead: frora.'the. r.oof (which had insinuated'itself, between'the ornamental heading and tho ' wall "proper),, 'for there was a wash-hand basing half .;full, of lead, and" a mirror that hung against tlio wall' was silvered, ,ivi%\ ft i£ne same,metal.

Two "firemon' .were ' standing dangerously near to a .Legislative Council chimney when it fell yesterday. ntornirig;' Luckily, it fell in-wards,-about'twelvo'feet from''tho ground, but', iis tho top part fell in'towards tho chamber,; 7 tlio lower! 'bitk'iiiked • out, but, fortunately;-: settled-back ?into its place when relieved lof Vvits :top. o(Ai>bystandor saw the ddngen<-t6.the ; fifemejiV a)id sang out: "Look out; there, 1!' -".lYoji. kedii your mouth.shut," 'said, a.-person of-'authority to the alarmist. ".Whatnot'!" said tho,rbystander. "Surely Ican,,shout': out: if" a mail's in danger?" i" You lkeep'your mouth."' shut or I'll make vou, that's,all.'.' -Seeing.no object in arguing with ..tlio 1 vested'' authority, tho speaker resolved' to, keop''Hijs.';iitbiith shut, even if lie detected a "wall; ifo" fall on tho Public : ; UNDER THE. HOUSE. Tlicto '' aro extensivfe cellars under tho House," which ara. utilised for various; purposes."'' --There is quit©.'a'lot' of machinery, for instance/ for keeping the air of the chambers pure, or warming', it,'as the case may be. Little damage has been done in that directioiiii-though 'tho'cellar'was. anklo ,deep in| -watej;;''at|,ilo 'lp|cl6ejy.'yesterday. The djuamp.raiK},, motor aro quite all right. The ■ cellar where (his gear is 1 stationed is entered from the front of,, tlio building,, and it was there, ; -,tbat 'a.vcharico.'-! existed for-- tho'firo to 'spread surreptitiously through doors in tho bricli wallV to- that jiortiou of tho building under'tlio'library. Tliis was foreseen by Mr. David Henry, ..electrician,..who informed the •Brigade;'and- ,! guided'';theni along devious underground' ways";' - whore, all chances of tlio fireyspfc'adiiig'Hindergrbuhd .wcro effectually .guarded''against.,''Tho'- Library cellar, whero : tho'paper'files'arOjStowed, received no harm.

. WHERE WILL PARLIAMENT MEET? ' ■ M, -i. ; i , I i. ; . . 1 There is,not thp; remotest' chance of Parlia- < ment: :being- able; to -meet at the Parliameii- j tary Builclmgs in ,'June. uext, and the.ques- j tion is.now; .A\;iieve- pan, ,they meet in \Vel- , lingtpii? To.that there sfoms to bo only one : answer—at ithe ;Town Hall. ' The big hall could, without a great deal of expense, bo '. 'iidapted for thopurposes of. tho House ot • .Representatives, and the Concert Chamber could be; used byV'.the-. "Legislative Council. .There are several dressing, cloak, and com- 1 mittee rooms that miglift be commandeered for Ministerial arid comhiitteo rooms. Though such an arrangement -wwild be a little awkward and inconvenient, it is probably the begt that could bo done "in Wellington, and, perhaps, in New- Zealand. The Mayor has wired tlie Premier asking if lie will require 'tliei use of'-the'Town,'Hall. The now Drill Hall-is suggested as an alternative; ' ' . ARCHITECTURE. Tho -old..portion qt,.tlie, building, which is no more, iyas'designed ~liy Mr. Clayton, when that, wjis Gpyernmbnt Architect. ■The hew ;brick,, psirt, ; a,.handsome two-story building, ,jn 4! 10 Vdecprtitivo Gothic style of 'drcliiioctufojvivai.dosigiicd by tho late Mr. Turn,bull,',.h'ifc,,tJio_ design was subsequently modified, and,revised by Mr. John Campbell,-the present'Gpv'enimont Architect., •Tho;- Bellamy's .Wing.- was also designed by Mr.,.Thomas, ,T,urnbull. ,>Thero is at present a building,pxteii.sion contract in hand, which provides for the occupation of the > space betweon; .the., destroyed: southern wing and Sydney. Street. This,is 1 being carried out by Mr,,Michael.,Train,,of, .Inyeroargill, at a cost of £21,{)00. ...It. is .now .possiblb,, if not probable, that, thati,contract, may be cancelled in favour of, a icomprelionsive building scheme to cover tho ,wholo .block, joining it up with tlie. libr.ary,,block,,in ~tho-,samo style of architecture,. but;* built of. moro substantial material—stone, instead of brick and stucco. Such •a building might .easily run' into £100,000. : 1 .'.' fit i i ST e ri S'" R O O M S. ijr.Vin'uillay.'tlio.'Hon' J. Carroll, and the ■Hon, It.,"M'Nab. we're- the other Ministers, besi'dps'/.thp,'' Premier,who occupied the Parliamentary They each had practically all the ..contents of their rooms destroyed! 1 The rooms of Dr. Findlay and Mr. Carroll ...were, almost immediately over the intcrprpterfj'. room, and .in tho heart of the buildings, ,a veritable de;ith-trap in the case oi a! lire. All : th«j ofßco contents wero lost, .including .private'.,,papers and property. Dr. Jj'indlay. Had . been . busy the previous day getting i'tlirough. a, quantity of State correspondence in view of his ljorthern trip. Both the their; replies were destroyed. "Some of the correspondents will have to go without, rpplies,".. remarked Dr. Findlay tu a reporter. 'Phe Hon, J., Carroll lost a dress suit, u .frock coat, and :other articlos of upparol,: a . lot of Maori curios, besides, of course, all the,, contents of the office. Mr. Poulton (private secretary to, the AttorneyGeneral), and Mi;, Johnston (acting-private secretary , to, the Native both suffered losses. ,'.', Mr, M'Nab perhaps has sustained: the heaviest: blow of all. In his absence in ~the south- with his secretary, it is not' known exactly, the-contents of his room. I'jvorything, however,;,in destroyed, as the room has collapsed. His messenger, Mr. T. Redmond, an old Ministerial identity,. states ~ that forty . copies of Mr. M'Nab's book "Murihiku," a number of carefully-compiled records, newspaper .clippings, and books of research gciicijal!/ lid\'p. gone, his historical ro- ■ crtrds;in .coiiiiqction iylth further books, were in' tl'ic room'is not" known yet. Only the day

carted across to the Government buildings at an early hour. Deposited in confusion on the centre corridor of tho buildings they looked a■' hopeless' muddl6. Parliamentary papers, that had been tied up with neat bluo ribbon and laid on the tablo of the House with all duo formality were scattered ignominously about, to be pickcd up, perhaps, and chucked 611 the heap. The sight here and in the new' room' was«one to break' the

heart of the tidy clerk or secretary. A messenger attached to tho Preiniors's staff rescued a bundle of private and important memos from the feot. of a number of peoplo 011

the lawn, in; front of Parliamentary Buildings. Fortunately tho Premier has a large quantity of papers away with him, evidently, as he carried two secretaries, with the intention of getting through a lot of work; Tho Cnbinet' room in fact contained but J littlo in the way of important' documents. Mr. C. Matthews, private-secretary to tho Hon. .1. M'Gowan, who was early, on tho scene, held keys of tho room, and know tho rolativo values of tho documents, and was thus ablo to give valuable help in salvage operations. SAVED THE TROUBLE. . It was the 1 intention of the, Government to have tho old library portion of the building, 'tliath.wliprein. the.firo originated, pulled down and replaced in-brick or. stone, as soon as the new Sydney Street wing was completed, probably within tho next twelve months. That portion of t'li'e building was of vo'ry little' value. 1 ' 'The destroyed portions were estimated by Mr. Campbell,'Government architect, at about £35,000 value. The present library wing that still remains intact was worth about £17,000.' It will take at least twentyone months or two years to erect the now building.

Mr. Robinson, who has chargo of Bellamy's, managed .to salvo his knives anil silver, but lost a lot of new linen. Sonic half-a-dozon hands who wero omployed at Bellamy's ,have lost the WIIOI9 of their kits. .

" When a place in .which a large number of men uro independently employed is on fire," said a parliamentary official yesterday, '! and the presence of these men is absolutely necessary for the preserving of precious documents, there should be no attempt to quieten an alarm—quite the contrary. It's a very different affair to a small fire. - Now, if-the fire-bell had rung decently last night, I would; have been hero and could have laid my 'hands 011 important documents in ray "room 'that now are lost." ;

Mr. Bothamley, Assistant Clerk to the Legislative Council, lost £15 in cash.

Ministers would make 110 statement yesterday as to the future.- No decision,-they said, could be come to without another meeting of Cabinet, at which the Premier's presence would be required.

Tho Premier, who yesterday was in Invercargill,. has 'received many telegrams- from Mayors and public bodies throughout tlie Dominion, sympathising, with tho Government in tho loss sustained by,tho fire.

A littlo memento of the fire, in tho form of a postcard containing a photograph oF the interior of tho Chamber of tho Uousoof Representatives, was fonvordeel to_ the Dominion oflico yesterday by Mr. I'. JBuchanan. ,

Durili" tho courso of the firo a firejuan iiamed Alfred Williamson, a single man, stationed at tho Central Firo Station, was burned so severely about tho head, hands, and body that ho had to be romoved to the Hospital. On inquiry at tho Hospital, last night, it was stated that Williamson was making satisfactory progress.;

THE LIBRARY.

WHAT MIGHT •HAVE BEEN LOST. The Library, very dear to many'people, quite apart from its great value, must, in its peaceful and quiet serenity, have, seemed more dear and valuable yesterday. Host people know that, if it iiad .gone in the general ruin, the loss, material and sentimental, would have been enormously great. From the Chief Librarian,-Mr. C. Wilson —who is perhaps the most thankful human being in the country just now—a Dominion

reporter gathered somo interesting particulars of the contents of the Library, and of the circumstances which enable us still to claim the institution as an undamaged national asset.

There are close upon 70,000 volumes stored on tho shelves, and, as tho total is increasing by 3000 volumes per annum, there will in ton years be 100,000 volumes. Of course, any estimato of tho valuo of a large library containing many quite unreplaceable books can be nothing more than an approximation. It is calculated by the Librarian, however, that £25,000 is a minimum figure. - That sum would not buy tho library, of coufso, but it is tho figure that Commorco would place upon it. ' ■ 'j. • At a mooting of the Rcccss Committee, it is understood, the Librarian, asked that uio insurance might, bo increased, especially as it would he absolutely impossible to replace the sets of early New* Zealand papers. Tho Joint Library Committee, last session recommended the Government to insure the books for £12,000:

Just previous to the session the Librarian, iwlio had been struck. by itlie way in which, during tho Lambton Quay lire,of last year,., the flames had attacked ; the fiaiilt" uf.-jNew South Wales through theiroof windows, sent forward a suggestion that the whole, of the. windows at Bellamy's end of tho Library— in what is called the "stack room" —should either be fitted with iron . shutters or permanently bricked up. The: Government architect and Captain Hcnnah inspected the building, and Mr. Hall-Jones eventually gave orders to have the ." bricking up" carried out. This was only, completed ten days before the' last session began. Tho value of the bricking up was proved to tho hilt yesterday morning. The fire, raging across the Council to Bellamy's, swept through a window witlim. two yards only of the inside top window in tho " stack room." Had the window not been bricked up, it is practically certain that the fire would have swept into that portion of the Library. As it was, a blank stony face kept the flames, at hay. Tho fire was arrested on the Library side of Bollamy's, and, as it did not pass into what is known as the lavatory building,; it did not, with . the exception .noted, piit the bricking to a lull test. It is manifest, however, flint on that side tho. Library is an impregnable fortress. When Mr. Wilson arrived at 3.30 a.m. yesterday, ho was loth to take out the f books, but , later, when tho flames had spread through the roof over the bahistrado in the middle front of the building, die feared that the, Library might bo attacked through the roof. Ho 'then arranged the salvage corps which, as wo reported. yesterday morning,, carried out tho volumes at tho rate of hundreds a minute. Between 6000' and 7000 books wero removed in ! forty-five minutes. Most of those were carried to a cellar in the house of ..Air. Hurley (3 Hill Street), part of which is occu-, pied by the. Crown Law Drafting Department. Tho remaiiidor. were .taken to, ciio /Government Buildings,.wlioro _tho Library staff were engaged yesterday in separating i;.'. ' ' . ■

them from the books removed there from Ministors'. rooms. After tho valuable books in the New Zealand cases at the head of the Library staircasc wero removed, the glass oases in the main reading-room, containing art hooks and rare books, wero stripped, and the whole of the "Sociology" room was cleared out, the idea' being to save t'no collection of foreign statutes and the valuable collection of works relating to parliamentary government. Qf no great extrinsic value, these volumes would bo difficult, and in some instances impossible, to replace, aiur their loss would have caused no end'of iucouveniouce during next session.

Jli'. Wilson looks upon tlio basement storage as absolutely safe. It is as dry as .\ (•hip, and so, too, is the whole library, except for trickles of water that came under the door oil tile main entrance hall and damped the tiles. A woman with a floorcloth can remove all the damage in five minutes. It is notified that recess privileges are suspended until further notice.

PREVIOUS FIRES.

It is interesting to rccall previous instances in which; fires havo occurrod in parlia-

inentary buildings. On October 16, 1834, tho Houses of Parliament, London, were destroyed; and in 1831 a similar fate befel the Japanesa Houses of Parliament. In 1883 tho Parliament House, Brussels, was damaged, and'in 18S6 a small fire occurred in'tho Legislative Assembly, Brisbane. In 1844 a firo broko out in Government House, t Auckland. I

CABINET MEETS,

A CAREFUL INQUIRY

A FUSED ELECTRIC LIGHT AYIRE. • WATCHMEN EXONERATED. . A meeting of tho Cabinet was held yesterday'at 10.30 a.m. in tho Premier's'room in the Government Buildings. . Tho ministers present wero the Hon. J. Carroll (Native Minister), Hon'. Dr. ' Findlay (Attornc.vGenoral), and the Hon. J. M'Gowan (Minister for Public Works). These aro the only Minister in Wellington at present, tho'Premier, tho Hon. 11. Al'Nah, and the Hon. J. A. Millar being in tho South'lsland,'and Hie Hon. G. Fowlds at Auckland.

The Ministers had tho night-watchmen, Messrs.' 'Ware ami Williy,' befor'o' them, and also the caretaker of tho , buildings, Mr. Robinson (who has charge of Bellamy's-dur-ing- session), and made, a close interrogation as to the origin -and the circumstances of'tho" fire. Their conclusions as dictated'to'a' icporter of The' Dominion by Dr. .Findlay ■were: — , • -" Tiio tfollowing seems fairly certain, viz.:—(a) That the-fir-o originated either in the interpreters' room or in tho housekeeper's small,, room adjoining. (b) That tho fire started between 2.5 and 2.30 a.m." The evidcnco was, continued Dr.. Findlay, that no liro was visible ■ when , the night.watchman Wilby visited the locality of theso rooms at five or ten minutes past, two o'clock. There was nothing to show that anyono was in these rooms that evening. The natural conclusion at present open to .Ministers was that the fire originated from tho fusing of tho electric light wire in tho ceiling. Tho Native interpreters' room was papered) and was part of the old building, and, no doubt, very inflammable There was ■a skylight in tho room, which would greatly hasten tho development of the fire. ' The " tell-tale " clocks showed that the night-watchmen on duty from five o'clock 1 the previous evening' onwards were duly going their rounds. Tho Ministers had before them the registers of theso clocks, and they found that, regularly from midnight on,. Nightwatchman Wilby had turned tho key and registered his pttendance. Watchman' Wilby went on diity at midnight, and was thus engaged when, the fire arose. . ■ Both, lie and Ware were amongst tho most reliable watchmen in tho service. Wilby had been ten years parliamentary nighifwatchman, and had an' absolutely clean, record.' Tho same could be said of tho eight years' service of

his companion. ..Both men wero total abstainers. , As soon as possible yestorday morning, a brief telegram was sent to Sir Joseph Ward, and this afterwards was supplemented by a more detailed message as to the inquiry and the findings of Cabinet. (Itcc. Dec. 11, 10.37 p.m.) London, December 11. The. "Morning Post" expresses heartfelt sympathy with' New Zealand in tho destruction of iier Parliamentary Buildings, and is confident that a nobler edifice will arise.

STATEMENT BY SUPERINTENDENT HUGO.

When soon by a Dominion reporter, Superintendent Hugo, of the Wellington' Fire Brigade, said that the first; intelligence of the firo nt Parliamentary Buildings reached the Central Fire Station by means of a call from a street fire alarm at .2.36 a.m. The call was given by a policeman.- A second call from another street alarm was received almost^ simultaneously. The Brigade turned out in full strength and reached, the burning building at 2.40. A telephone messago, stating that the building was. on fire, reached the fire station at 2.40. When the Brigade arrived part of the Sydney Street front ,of the buildings was well alight, . and flames were issuing from two of the. first T fioor windows. Altogether, ten deliveries wore got to work, including the steamer—two from Sydney Street (three during, part of the time), two from Hill Street, four from Molesworth Street, and two inside' the building. Thirty firemen were in attendance. One of

tho firemen was badly burnt about- tile face, hands, and body. He was attended to by Dr. Henry and taken to the hospital. There was the usual number of slight burns, cuts,, and other minor injuries.

NIGHTWATCHMAN'S STATEMENT.

A SOUND LIKE RAIN ON THE ROOF. Mr. Amos Wilby, the night watchman who. was on duty when the fire broke out, told a Dominion reporter that he went- his usual rounds, beginning at 2 a.m.. He stated:— "I went to Nos. 1, 2, and 3 tell-tales and passed by the spot where the. outbreak was afterwards seen. It was then quite quiet, and there was no sign of any fire. That would be about 2.10 a.m. 1 continued my round by way of the Legislative Council,. Bellamy's bedrooms, and other- parts of the building, working the tell-tales on the way, and then outside to the Hi)l- Street side of the building and down into the front cellar, still working the tell-tales. I' then i went into the messenger's lavatory,, and boiled some water to make myself a'cup of cocoa. : Just as I was pouring out; the water iiito' l the cup I heard a sound like rain on the' roof, but as it was a clear, starlight night, I was puzzled by the sound. I went to see what it coula be, and then discovered the fire in the Native Interpreter's (Mr. Barclay's) room. Thero was a' great blaze. I went at once to the centre fire alarm in tho big lobby, and broke the glass, giving the alarm to the fire brigade station. Then, in case that one should miss, I immediately went to the one in the 'Noes' lobby and gave the alarm with it. I then made for the nearest telephone, rang up the Exchange, and told them to tell Mr. Robinson; the custodian of the Buildings, that the Parliamentary Buildings were on fire, and I also told the Exchange to ring up the Fire Brigade. I then ran out- and opened'the front gates so as to let the Fire Brigado in; iThen, •running back, I turned on'what lights I thought would bo necessary for the Brigade. A policeman, then came in, - and 'he', and- I. pulled out-the big hose near the main lobby and unrolled it, but while I w*ont'. back along it to take the kinks out the fire got at the. end, and burnt- the nozzle off.: Just then the Fire ■ Brigade arrived. T should say it was about 2.10 when I passed the place of the outbreak on my round. After that I completed •my round, and made my cup of

cocoa, as I-have said, before 1 heard the sound of the fire."' ■ , •

THE LADIES' GALLERY,

(Reminiscences by. all Old.Haljitue.)

Now that portion of a great historical building-has become-a thing of 'the past, and lies'in ashes, it is with infinite sadness that we loqk back and recall some of tho stirring events we have heard and seen within those walls.

Five anrl thirty years ago our Parliament' consisted of men of education and eloquence. Consequently, the little, old-Ladies' Gallery of the period was the resort 1 of. women of culture who one and all took the' keenest interest, in politics. Under, the dignified Speakership of Sir David Monro (Lady Heotor's father) all was so orderlv' and courteous. It was while he was Sneaker that the great struggle took place which turned ■Sir jLdward Stafford out of tile Eromiership, • and put Sir Julius Vogel in.: It was a time of intense excitemeift. - For three weeks the war. raged in the arena below. ' Many women sat from the opening in the afternoon till all hours in the morning, fearing to lose the keen excitement of this all-im-portant division. Sir Maurice O'Rorke waa at his splendid best at that time, 'and was one of the ninnv eloquent speakers. Sir W\ Fox, Mr. Reader Vood, Mr. Henrv Toncred, Mr. Sefton Moorhouse,' Mr. TVavors, Mr. Seymour, Sir Francis Dillon Bell, Dr. i'eatherston, and Sir . William Fitzherbert, Mr. il'Andrew, and a long list of,orators or note and faiiie, who were statesmen of wide knowledge, eagerly added their quota to, this debate, and their excellent diction and cultivated voices, made it a joy to listen. - One member was curiously missing, and the list was so even that his vote would turn the balance. A very cleverly kept up stonewall spun out for three days, and vigorous search was made' for Mr. Edward Wakefield. At last he was discovered very sound'asleep on

board H.M.S. Challenger, which lay for .nearly two years in our. harbour,'under Commodore Lambert. Tlie missing M.H.R. .was. put under a'hose and proporly wakened up, i and brought ashore as quickly as possible to'record liis'vote, while the water was still dripping from his hair. Sir Julius Vogel won by one vote. ; The excitement in our ( Gallery: was •so great that nearly everyone ' had bets upon the result, and .dozens of, pairs, of gloves and'bottles of ea'u de cologne were lost and won.

Another' time we were keenly interester in the' Piako Swamp, debate.' Sir .George Grey, with his silky eloquence arid perfect oratory, was greatly in earnest 'on"this, subject. ' .' Wo enjoyed : tlie intellectual treat when we disagreed with the burden of i his ■lay. In those days the Ladies' Gallery-was. our club, and'very many tender associations and recollections are connected ..with it. We mounted a narrow, 'steep stairway, ■ and the Gallery, when we reached it, >vas a. remarkable contrast 'to.'the palatial 'accommodation provided-of late years—as different as the woriien who have taken tlie places of the unostentatious .pioneer mothers of tlio. Dominion.

One figure in our beloved old Gallery, Mrs.' Datkinj was 'always in her place, above the clock in the centre. She never- missed ,a day's sitting, and listened intelligently as she sewed with unvarying industry at garment's for the poor. The. members used to remark they would miss'the click cf her thimble as much as the Mace 011 the table.

Those,'and many more memories of the past, float sadly through, one's mind as we stand and miss for ever the structure which has been the scene of the triumphs and the failures of so many of the country's ablest and best statesmen. ...

MESSAGES FROM MINISTERS.

The Hon. R. M'Nab wired as follows "My loss iu connection with : historical research work is very great, but -the publication of the book lias rendered all-that matter safe, and a custom I. had .followed of taking my notes in .duplicate, leaves 'me with a second copy of a great portion, of my unpublished material. My chief loss will be that- the ordered and arranged material is lost. 1 am afraid, too, that, a ■ great, qiian-. tity of material not actually- copied-by myself,, and of which I only held .'single copies, is now 11011 est. 011 the .whole ,it will _ not mean more than a year's work, and it might havo meant very much more. No departmental files were lost."

Superintendent Hugo received yesterday morning the following telegram from 1 Sir Joseph Ward, dating from Invercargill "I desire to warmly thank yourself and staff for the great'services rendered in'connection with the fire at the Parliamentary Buildings this morning. I am , quite sure that your efforts greatly minimised the disastrous effects that must; havo, ensued had the fire gone the brick-portion of the building. Please accept' yourself, and convey to those associated with' you,, iny appreciation of the good work done.

THE DESTROYER—FIRE

A GRAPHIC DESCRIPTION. (By an Eye-Witness-.) Yesterday, before the dawn-light streaked the east, a tiny flicker of lire, born of mystery, reached out its tiny tongue, snake-like and lapped greedily at the old timber lining of the native interpreter's room at the Parliamentary Buildings. The flicker becamo a flame, gathered strength, and grew into a Red Demon. Tiger-like, .it ' frotted at its bonds, burst them in wild fury,. and was looso. The alarm was given; out of tho grey dawn hurried into view a curious public clad beyond all description. Hero in his bedroom slippers, clothed in a'batli-robc, a portly civil servant, who, hours later, blushed to think of early morning attire. Then came n. fashionable dame, her hair a pathetic wreck, her prim society- afternoon gait abandoned for the nonce, hurrying with that peculiar nervous shuffle characteristic of excited fomininity. It takes a , mighty goodlcoking woman to look prepossessing at 3 o'clock in the morning. Hie crowd thickened, gavo way to the fire brigade, closed again, and pressed upon the barrier ropes. Meanwhile the rod demon, maddened by the lust of destruction, raged furiously along . the southern and , western .wings of the Parliamentary Buildings. Day broke upon a scene, of torrib'.n grandeur. The giant flames leaped up into tho air, and cast their lurid glow far and wide. Anon, a fierce gust of wind caught them, bent- thorn like reeds, and ' fanned them towards fresh avenues of destruction. The real earnest battle had now .begun between the man and the demon who would master him. Long inos of■■■ hosc-piping trailed like serpents hero and there. Silhouetted against the sullen red loomed sharply up the goblin-like figures' of the firemen directing the streaming jets : towards tho vulnerable parts of the monster., A lingo mass of timber, glowing and-/ crackling, swayed-to and fro. The firemen'gave ground.

" Bolqw, there I", and stlie mass crashes to the ground, while the ■ sparks fly upward. Within tho building, the scene is a veritable inferno. Falling timbers, pools of blackened water, choking smoke, and tlio hot breath of the red demon itself inspire discretion, not reckless valour.. . Out on the lawn is a motley array of salvage. " Books, tables, chairs, crockery, ink bottles—absurdly unimportant trifles, some of them. In the presence of a cataclysm men lose their sense of proportion. One valiant volunteer rushed heroically into the burning building,' andbrought forth—a water-bottle ! Another seized a jug and threw it. out of tho window. A third was. of a- sudden, seized with tile dosiro to do' something. Ho-rushed ■ forward, trippod ovorit line, bit the dust, and came to his senses and loft. It is a queer thing. Of a crowd such as this, some will stand helpless, their judgment palsied. Others will , absorb the excitement of the situation, and got in the way. A, few. will'keep, their •heads and be useful. '

To return to the fire, it soon became' apparent that the whole-of the wooden structure was, doomed. Crash after crash was heard, anil, finally, there rose from tho steaming ashes andsmouldering piles of'debris, the tall chimneys';'standing, like sentinels, guarding the battlefield. The- new portion of the building had been partly, gutted, water was everywhere, and indoscribable confusion, reigned supreme. Man had won,, but the tiger had had a full-moal. The crowd dispersed, the reporters' shut their notebooks and permitted themselves to think "of • food, r,lid' the, field was given up to the inevitable police, man.. • : ' .

THE HUMOUR OF THE TRAGEDY.

By V Lady Contributor.

Awe-inspiring as. was the . conflagration) there were-still;many touches of-comedy'for those who had the time and inclination to notice them. -Tho ••various costumes were a feature of the crowd. . Here a girl in a leather motor-coat, a\pink fascinator tied over Hinde's curling pins, and bare feet thrust into bath slippers, discussed 'the situation with a man iit.a'.straw hat, a dressinggown, and peops of pyjamas above his canvas shoes. Hvirry seemed the chief reason of the quaint garb, and maidens who usually appear with, every glossy tress in-place, had apparently snatched two hasty- hairpilis, skewered their hair up, and fled-to ■the lire, dropping one hairpin on the way. It was dark when the fire broke out., ■ and .in' tlio •glare could be' seen many . familiar faces. Then bizarre costume did not matter. But tho red . dawn fired the liast^-lovlior,-proto-type of the raging flames—and as the light grow clearer, one looked at oncis'neighbours, and wondered if everyone looked such- scarecrows. A damsel in a pink opera-coat, over an elaborate robWle-nuit, who had formed a brilliant spot in the crowd, slipped home to don .nioro conformable attire, and the mail in tho tartan dressing-gown found the light of common day too strong for him.. , It was the .bost-natured and most orderly of crowds; though there was no tendency to merriment as it watched the "'historic pile ablaze. Every house around' had- its windows crowded with eager faces, and ' from the terraced gardens and high walls. hundreds .watched. The ' policemen > kept excel, lent order,. and their dignity. • and iuipressiveness were quite in '-proportion to. th« extent' of the calamity. Ono white-haired'

moimmi ouo 101150 jo ono Irishman was porhaps just a little excited. HoJoame to my door and said: "Havo ye a telephone?'! in so fierce a tone that I was almost, afraid to admit I had. Ho got tho list;-'an^thonsaid: "Hero, Misthross, yo'vo got 'ibettor oyos than mo. Find tho number,", vHe then put on his spectaoles to ring up, 'and triod again and again,, in' a tono that grew more Milesian' at every repetition. At'last ho gave up. "Thry it yesilf," ho said, .and tell tho carrior to send' two or throe'-tiliphones to the Government Buildings I" .With that he rushed from the house and was lost ,to sight. Fortunately, I know what ;he'wanted, and rovisod his messago. The poor, muddlod man wanted two or three expresses for Parliament Buildings I .When it was decided.that, the books should bo taken out, a hordo of volunteors offered, and , boys and men trotted with arinfuls of various literature botwoon tho library and the first-house in Hill Street, used last session as'jthe law-drafting office. Various means woro :uscd to carry the books. Tin baths, buckets, baskets, trays -—all were pressed into thp service. A touching sight was a hugo.. policeman with a small . library trolly laden-with big books. Tho man was so big and the handles so low that he was almost dpublcd up, and so zealous had. ho beon that his' trolly was over-laden, and, books kept falling off and having to. be put on. Ho could,• have moro easily, carried tho trolly, books, -and all. The procession of bookcanierfl was quaintly varied. Heads of departments hustled lumpers, and tlio man about town'trotted after tho übiquitous small boy.;.- But whether tinkor, tailor, soldier, sailor, each was . tho embodiment •of eager servioo ; and boarty goodwill. Meanwhile, our pretty drawing-room was fast, assuming tho appoaranco of an untidy second-hand shop, and my front garden was decorated with a variety of parliamentary bolongings. I lifted a typewriter from tho top ,01. a favourite plant, and carried it-in-side,.-. : Just outside tho door woro two pictures, both of tho late Premier, one, of large size,'the fine painting by Tennyson Colo. It alniost seemed as if r tho groat statesman should have his face turned to where tho arena of his many triumphs was disappearing ihjia , glory of flame instead of being ignomihiously turned to tho wall. Inside was distinguished coinjxiny, for the .Princess of Wales .'Tubbed' shoulders with Sir Julius a huge, frame containing veteran statesmen—giants .of earlier politics—was t sido'hy. ,&ido with. a . portrait of Sir. Georgo Grey;,'i,-Drawers,. brimming with documents, P'lod oil tho floor, more typewriters Kept company, with m'y first discovery, and leather so,toli<)ls ' ; sTiifFoc|. with papers lay abouti A chequebook and a cash book dcoorated tho piano.' It Was: tho weirdest modley, in tho middlo [of which wo drank our early morning earliest morning tea, and* tho most Wfllcomo,' Wo'had over known. Even tho milkman-was not.abroajd, but a medical man of resource managed to get from somewhere a phial .of. milk, and was allowed two cups for hi 3 ..enterprise. ~ .

' SAVING THE PAPERS,

SHri.JOURNALS OF THE HOUSE,

1 ; ofrccts onf, the. Speakor of tho ■ House rf, Reprbsbiitatives. wero for the most part *P r 6?.;' by his faithful messenger, Mr.. Lucas. His privat papers, clothes, and oven the fullbottomptT wig wore conveyed to a place of Stewart, of tho Pateena, wa:j assisting in one part, of tho building. •11(1. ; Alo3£irs.,. Gillon and Brandon, of Fansiird, and Mr. Malcolm Boss, of the' Press Gallery, ,wero early on tho sccuc. Tho thrno 'last-named gentlomon- made a hasty visit to ■ the, Hansard Supervisors -room, where -they secjui-ed-soino important .'papers, i They then rushed to the Second Clerk Assistants I room. :V ' ' ' ■- • / of .saving tlje Journals of the House; fgr • last'; session, Mr. Low's desk >as br'okeii;opon, .but. tho. Wo,.manuscript .books, w J» c h, M.if.V Low had pn|y, ; ..finislie(l. the . pre r Vious, ..day,• -wore -nobithero!, /'Ho ■*;. had sent• them to ; .anotiher .rboni. tp|:l)q copied,' ami. they wera contained ■ ful made . by and .j . . lWss V:',rcß jdencc'' in. .Hill'. Street. .It is:. believed that . they. now.; .poristitutbVtho : ; sole' rocpr'd.. of Mr.. will have \h<jarly .all- his /tedious work, to'.do over again, Mr, : Malcolm Ross also; infornltf us thatVh'Q, secured', a; full list' ot'.ltho .'and .aU ; the' ( House' of, Ile-' me.nts,,. which Till sa.vc . a great deal, of trouble in some, of the Departmental Amongst other salvage; from this ..desk, was. some £70' worth of stamps • and .all the; original' 'iHpuse of Representative Division: lists for . last session: These lists ars of considerable . value, for, notwithstanding the fact that they are published in Hansard, the originals arfe very ofte'ii-'referred tor All,, the roports for the Journal of the .House in Committee and the original; division, lists in : Committee wero in another room and' have been destroyed. The Journal of the;. Committee proceedings for 1907 will, therefore, suffer, considerably, and niombers, wilf-'have to depond ujion thev meagre account . which t is embalmed in fljnnsard, On siich, items as tho .Tariff .Bill and. the Land Hills, I ', those records would prove of great valiie'lo-'Parliamentarians.

those who wcro very early on the Bcenc .wns tho Hon. J. M'Gowan, who had evidently, made a"'very hurried toilet, and Mr/ ; ':Mattbew£, his .private secretary, who, having 1 the ltoys of . the Cabinet room, was able,; with the assistance of. somo othors, to get protty well everything the Premier had thereto a placo of safety. Mr. Donne, man--Bger>. _'of-- the Tourist Department, Mr. Macaiister (formerly one of. Mr. Seddon's secretaries), and, Dr. Hay, head, of the Department'of Mental Hospitals, were amongst othersfwho worked very hard saving papers and'f:.books. , Messrs. Ileovcs and Grealish, two of the members of the Press Gallery, made a dash for the Press-room just as the flatiids/.wcro bursting into it, and saved neatly,.ill the cherished memories of hygone years in tho shape of tho Gallery pictures that'adorned the walls. STATEMENT BY MR. OTTERSON. The 'Journal 'of the Legislative Council, which is a. record of, tho proceedings of last sesslonj'i was, fortunately, in the hands of the printer,. : and was, therefore, beyond roach of tho fire. - Mr. Otterson, Clerk to tho Houso of Representatives, did not faro so well. All tho'proceedings of the House were" written up .and ready for tho printer, but were left in'the building and destroyed. Fortunately, Mr.; ptfcerson's notes woro saved, and tho pro-' ceiedings can thus bo ro-written. '

,-V.large number Of valuable books and papers; ' early gazettes,' etc., that cannot -be replaced, are lost, states Mr. Ottorson. Tho exact'extent of the loss cannot, of course, bo' yet', declared. ; The destruction Of these papers would not mean any serious handicap beyond that they were records. The bulk of the old. records, dating back to 1854, were in'a cellar under thc N front wing nearest the Governor's residence, and these, Mr. Otter«on • believed, - were untouched, tho fire havmg -failed to ponetrato tho concrete roofing, and, tho water boing only a foot or two doop. Personally, Mr. Ottorson lost his golf outfit and a number of privato papers.

ORIGIN OF THE FIRE,

■ ... a theory. . Ono theory as to the origin of tho fire is shafriil was by the fusing of electric wires in:, the ceiling over the interpreter's room. -: It is stated in support of this tlint no .fire had been lit in tho room for a long time •previously, nnd that nobody had been in,'the"room later than 4 o'clock on the afternoon before the outbreak. The ceiling of the room being of wood, covered with scrim and paper, would catch fire easily, and burn vory" rapidly.

THE HOSE.

Mr. Robinson, officer in charge of tho Parliamentary Hnildings, told a Dominion reporter that tho fire hoso at the buildings was not. undor his care. An official sent by Captain Honnali, the Inspector of Fire Appliances in all tho Government buildings, examined all tho hoso in his (Mr. Robinson s) prisonce on Tuesday, and Mr. Robinson uhdofytood that his report' was to the effect that 'one nozzle wanted renewing, and that another loiigth of hose was damp. This

last one was subsequently usp/1 in fighting tho flames, and was in action throughout tho day. '

About £24 worth of cigars from Bellamy's wore saved by Mr, Robinson, a good deal wotted, but not otherwiso tho worse. It is not supposod that any serious damago has bean clo'no in the cellar under Bellamy's. There wore about two feet of water in it yesterday, hut this will doubtless bo cleared out to-day. The'stock in tho cellar is valued at £500.

This hugo fire and tho great loss of valuable documents and papors, will impress on tho public tho noed of fire-proof safes. Chubb's safes can be reliof on on all occasions. Messrs. Gualter, Dykes and Co., Feathorston Streot, aro Now Zealand managers for tho Chubb's Safos Company.—Advt.