HOSPITAL ABLAZE.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 102, 23 January 1908, Page 7

HOSPITAL ABLAZE.

SAYING THE PATIENTS. , * ' X; i /* • i I -*i '■j v : ' AT CHRISTCHURCH. '' , .WARD ALMOST DESTROYED. ♦ \ J OPERATION IN PROGRESS AT THE l \ TIME. : (BT TELEGEAPH—BVEOIAI. COBHESTONDENT.) Chrlstohurch, January 22 / A disasl rous firo occurred at tho Christy "v •• church* Hospital tlna morning, resulting m'' , [tlio -almost completer destruction* of ■ the new ' ? .Marks ..War>3,.-which- was erectedsofno tima • .ftSQj.,iß.>v.])WlJ.es,t.::.Jia;ing. booni.doft for. tbafci ■-'.v■; vi purpose iby tho late ( Mi;. Hyrpan Marks J, .Tho firo was first observed about 10.15 : a.W.;v ' when smoko was scon'issuing: from ono' of J the ventilators m tbo; roof. At] . alarm wasy 'given ! afr'jtbe iLiebfield 1 and otbor stations,/ "" and .tho brigade's plant, escorted by a nisbJ' mg ■ battalion of cyclists, ' was v;• P°st liasto .The steamers woro planted on budget andconnoctions were , - ' : mado with tho rivor. • Sevoral beads of hosa • wero thou hurriedly taken round? to . tho ' ' Marks Ward (which \is at tho extreme wesfe*:.*'«*. ; ■of • the'ihoipital),- and'tho?- strenuous • fight'," ■ ,>,; with Hio flames begin. I THE OF THE FIRE. "It will work light along tho roof, jusi< as it. did at tho Asylum," was tho verdict( Eivop, by- Supennteadent Smith after the, first inspection; No: flames were visible. A l ' -v; :denpe volume, of recking yellow smoke wag: •>< pouring out of tbo'roof north' omfc> of tho_.ward. A strong wind coming- mi from tho oast fanned tho 'fire into creator! intensity, besides giving' a- slight t inolina-i ■ ■"' tioh towards tho south. ,Tho prediction of : tho -Supciintendont; was amply borno ont.;' - Doggedly.;foughtthough ;they were; ■' thoflainos crept-along,, ancT before tho fire waat ' - ■ ohepkod the., wholo of tho steel tiled - roo£:.;. w■/ had been guttod. \ THE SCENE IN THE WARD. 1 Tho Marks Ward is a two-storied brick'- ■ • J structure, and contains. two ■ distinct ,wards, - that for women and children boing on tho: upper flpo'r, and tbolmen's ward: is' oil' tho ,• - , - grof rid floor. When tho firo was first , - ' I .tieedj-lt. .was dccidod. to ■ romovo the occu-;- ' ipants of tho-; women's ward p,t onco. • Tho" • ] v/ard was invaded by a band of ■ devoted?': nurses and willing workers, and tbo tromb-i ' ! ling' pationts wero gently, but swiftly, i ro--|. ; moved ~" i i tho ward?_.was infsome degreal ' 1 s affecting. Here, amid the noisy bustlp and<f = -ovor-thickeuing Tsmpkep wjero- men pulling J " "long the floor beds on which lay women and* children, whose; sufferings, without being nc-> eentuatcd by' : tho - excitement of the fire,/ ,;?pA!?d .hayo ..pused the pity .of; any person! owned 1 ft., spark bf--humamty. J Tho; patients,; to. /their_ credit be: it said,i - -si biavely rconcealed the -agitation; which must' 4 ' have taken hold on them. There were tears, J'- < 3 but thoyj wejsi.the..tears of physical, weakness < and . nervousness J of unwomanly fear., ; Tho uniformed nurses flitted from bedsido to I j Jvotlside, cheering their'charges and comfort- | i nip; thorn with - assurancos of a speedy and j . .THE, CHILDREN FIRST.\ | " Tho children first," was tho rule'worked ( ' v upon by. tho band of workers. There were ) ' nihb littlo' oneii tbo upper ward, and they ■ ' wero tho first'to be removed from tho burn-V ' 1 ing- buildiuff;, "Their beds woro whoolod{ singly into the lift at.the north end of tho ; • - ward, and woro lowored'.to tho ground floor, ' :.*• .whoroVthey wero movedioff to other wards, i - ..':.Tbe/ cbddren, ; ; their" eyes --sparkling and'» their bodies quivering, with oxeitemeiit, beApvW 'likenitweihorocs.^They.'mado 110 out-' - fcrras; !and g'avo not -tKe slightest 1 trouble. The wpnien ■ patients,• of'whom there.woro •dbaufitcn, wero next attended to.' Sovoral •••• .wore lowerod to tho. ground floor bv means of the;;lift;'ys : iL : v:.,.-'.L-v "i: ; . '■ : '••rAttlftst-there camo 'a warning shout from', a. firoman'-tb ." look out,.".'and a fiorv cataract* 'of' b'tirnirig witli a rush - and. a, roaf,'' blocking the staircaso, and pro- - venting the further uso of tho lift. Thero i woro'. Etilli'soverah ironien in-tho ward, and the Bmoke was getting moro and mora ■ pungent. The remaining beds bad to bo lowered ; slowly, and carefully down an iron, staircasointo the courtyard of tho hospital, | aiid ';tois,r.iroß ~'jdpho._wftnont -.aosident.. Thus -v '°t?ry. f ; taken; " from tho wonion and children's ward. - r N SAVING THE FURNITURE. 1 : Tho voluntary corps of workers, having' cloared tbo ward of pationts, then turnoa l their attention to tbo beds and funiituro, : and in a marvellously short space of timo upper, warcl was baro or everything which could bo moved. Beds "were carried j| .on_to..tho. Jargo..c.oneroto .balcony, and from thore woro lowered to the ground. Mattrossos, blankets;: and ■ pillows ivoro thrown j over.-the railing with-no moro warning to ■ ' pcoplo underneath than a .sharp-." Look out." ' "Iho rooms attached ;to -the wards were* stripped.-'of furniture, and" of all tho lit-tlo, : trivial nieknaoks so dear to the -feininiiia' ' • Jn...much.,.admired, disorder. things were hurriedly bundled together, and; •woro. convoyed downstairs and deposited in j a safe place. -" All clear" was reported,' and a glance along , tbo ward showed that :i it; Was..oven so.. The'room, which but a fewV cjj minutes before had been occupied by the'! i . bctl-ridden patients- and the ministers to) 41 their'comfort- was as guiltless of 'furnittarox' ji! as •'an cmiity barn. • j The task ofr lowering tho heavier articles ■ from the balcony-to :the ground was a longer one,, but it was safely accomplished,! ' the workers using several stout ropes. So ' much had'tho fire spread that tbo last men! to leavo tbo balcony had to slide down a j •rope; as the way to the exit at tho south end •. . was considered dangerous. ; t ; THE FIRE GOES ON. -j '■ In tbo meantime the flames Wore advantv ~ ing remorselessly. Tho noise was like tho ; incessant cracking of broken glass. The firoapparently stnrt-ed in the roof over tho main, corridor,'and from this moro or less central ■ point crept, nprth and south. It was strenu- ) ously fought ill the corridor bythe Brigade,'' but in spitß of all efforts it still beat "them. ■ Half an hour after the alarm had been ~ "given" tho roof was a fierce inferno. Tho •blazing timbbrs fell into the main corridor. ami then, tbo flames spread along tbo ward ' • proper. . Viewed from tho west side tho A Bight was an impressivo but saddening ono. r Flames wore- bursting through tho gaps in ■ i the roof, and thick yellow smoke belchcd forth. i THE MEN'S WARD. ! i At an earlier stage of the firo a nurso 1 in the men's ward, where Micro were some. 21 patients, was asked: " Are you going to ■•*'*>:. got the patients out now?" The.answer 3 .was characteristic of the trained liritisber, I man or woman: "Wo arc waiting for or- a ders." And eventually the orders came, and | the patients were all moved from' tho "acci- *1 dent ward" to others. Out of about twenty- *'] olio in the ward, only three or four could J get out of bed and walk out. vi At. about cloven o'clock tho wind seemod i to freshen,- and tho flames burst out with- 5 greater vigour than over. Tho ornamental >1 turrets oii tho west sido of the-ward, towards >i the northern ond, were surrounded by flames .and-.were.almost..Qbscured. by smoke. From tho insido thero came renewed crashing* of' ■! falling timber, and bursts of flames and ' i sparks followed;every fresh collapse. .-.4 It was confidently predicted at this timo •-I that tho j-ward'would bo left a mere shell, ' ! so great" Was tli'6 ' fury of the fire on tbo ■ j west sido,. though on tho east tbo Brigade >-3 seemed to have tho flames moro or loss sub- 5 ducd. Tho northern facado was practically untouched, hut on tho east side the flames . 'rl wore'bursting through tho windows. Every vij now and again there wero falls of steel tiles, f which slipped off the roof and jangled on ] tbo asphalt court. |