IN HIGH AND CASHEL STREETS.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 116, 8 February 1908, Page 6

IN HIGH AND CASHEL STREETS.

POWDER AND CARTRIDGES:EXPLODED * Very soon- after tho .alann : was -given ' the' Jiro; " which appeared-to . havo been burning , for. ra-long,-•while -before ■ beitig > discovered, .:. begin to-work from:Lichfield Street through' ; ; oftife -block,•; commencing at- Ashby,ißergh and/Co.'s,' and extending .to .- Walker's tobacconist shop- and ■ Parker's "in' -,the' White Hart ?block.! 'Tho flames - gradually grew, in'. strength; fanned f by the strong easterly windi which, was ■blow- ; - mg,: and v.ory. soon l Ashljy, Bcrgh ■ and; Co.?swas. on fire 1 ; -Tho'flames came with' irresistible' ; -.force"!through-the :back of' the; shop; and' ' ■; speedily, tho,,whole of the/ground floor was -a :mass :of r flamo. ,■-.-It/ivas a. most, hazardous• job- . ; for. the firemen to get thehose into the shop, 1 ay the powder and cartridges continued to explode • with; great viol'ence.-,,.This allowed a consider- , ablo :t>ody of firo \to ■ accumulate, and tho ilames'ishot upwards ■ tlirough the. Tvaribus ■ floors with ' much rapidity. :'At. this time it- - appeared as if there :was' ho danger 'of the' • fire,extending.eastward into the drapery por-'-tion-:of Messrs: -.StrangOi and' .Co;, 'the brick ■ walls preventing it. .Still, coming mv from the back in Lichfield Street,. the firo worked its way into the .men's .mercery .establish-' ment formerly occupied ;by' Slaymaker' andCo.v.v For quite a whilo Tribe arid Co.s building, next to the burning building of Asbby, Bergh and, Co., seemed to, have a charmed Jife..„Thongh on both-sidcs;-of. it: tho buildings were'burning fiercely,' it 'still seemed-to . hold out-. 1•■- ■ ■■ :• . '

A REAR ATTACK. ■ Meanwhile tho-great'.body of • fire-m Lichfield -Street on tlio- scene of tlio original outbreak was being driven by tho wind through ,- on to tho, back part of, Freeman's, tlie-Whito 1 jewellers, and "Williamson's, ohemists, whilst Ashby, Bergh and' Go's building, wasyin: a•; short vtime a ■■ perfcct -■ roarings furnace,; being on fire froin-top to bottom';! ,The.windowsof.;thoupper,- and/second stories: of the White. Hart began, to .-light up ominously, ~j and -, soon .the ; .fire > showed , .all- too! plainly;' the., second; story rooms being-all aliglit,>iand;the fire,bursting out of'the front •, windows.. ,-Timo.anoivcd'of'all being got-out -Bsfply, -though,none.t<?o soon, for'm;a' short- . - tirriov afocr-the- first" indica tionsof -firo the whole, of:;the top portion of.- the: WliiteJ'HaVt; - " flamesi from, tlio -first .iloor upwards,. Oii-tho eastern• side the firo steadily.' burned through tho .back part of Freeman's, Yvil- : hamson's;'. Tinker's,- and Slaymaker's! ijvith' ' the result .that :|all - the ■ block' fronting 'HighStreet was one mass of flames- / SALVACE OPERATIONS. ' As.soon as it \was seen, .that there was y': httl&hopii'. of : saving this ■'■block';' the' AngloNew. Zealand Cycle Shop, and Maine's boot' , shop,,ttliicli formed parfc of,tho Hart / shop; property, wcro broken,-open, :and, the contents removed. .Willing' hands were; also engaged in. removing -the..stock from Slaymaker's, but this was a work .of the greatest, ■.possible difficulty, ; as the, burning -window' .- frames' crashed through..the gtess. verandahs,' ...rendering-approach»dangerous.-. However," a • considerable amount -of' stock; was got-,-out, And somo -adventurous- spirits got up on the l first, floor and pitched out boxes,' 'etc. >■> . The 1 lire meanwlule-had gained l great body. i in .the back, portion of. the-High',Street -. rings, and/Very-soon Freemari's was one/mass' of.. flame. -. 'The.- shops ■■•of tiMessrs. . Tucker (jo, Teller) and Wjlhamson;;., (chemist) . fol-. lowed, and in ia short time, the'brigade .'had to contend with a: body of fire covering 'tho .. whole of -the High Street block,'.' bounded on ; . pi:o side by Strango's and on the other byWalker's; tobacconist, and Parkfir's. drapery esV tablishment.. .Ashby,' Bergh 'aiid Co.'s was at /. this timo. a mais of fire, and i Slaymaker's also. : A little, after twelve o'clock,''-when the fights with- the fire was the most-desperate, fchs-water .at the-High .Street tank; gave out: ' Superintendent Smith at once ordered- the , . steamer-to the, Cathedral Square tank.;, Mean-, while- the engines., on' the:'Lichfield;-Street- , side were; pouring .-a;good stream of water on , thc High Street block from the back.' but-ap-parently. .without. doing : much'm- tho Wayi of ■■• : -'cjieqking;;tKo^rbgress , ,of 'the : flames; ' '• ; t: ' WHiTE HART HOTEL DESTROYED: M this period the . western, side, of ' the. . • Hart towards Warden's broke out in a seething-mass of.-flame,'and ,the-'fire . ' alao showed* out-from the shops in <the"•'White Hart block on tho ground flpor; ;iThe-fireinenj~' having got water from tho Cathedral tank,, jr.ade a • gallant' attempt to'Extinguish',tho ■ fire'l9.'.the .top.part'.of.- the "White .Hart ■> --.to-.tho balcony by means.'.of;t.he fire.oscape ladder,,taking the hose' with thorn.' For a-while it. seemed as though they .would be able to-check tho fire'and;-hold it thero, but the/great body, of flaniis which had got through on the ground ■; floor a of. the; White , Hart-from the back maclo them bpatare-. ' luctant retreat, and they ,-ljad ,to descend. At-this :timo the portion, of WaiyelVs. siore' lacing- on the-right-of-way; by- .t-he, Bank.of Australasia wa's.-strongly, on : ' fire, and 'the flames' were working' steadily-and .irreystibli

[ towards the front. Tho tenants began to removo their. effects as. speedily as possible. Oa. the-far "sido towards tlio eastward tho i shop of Slaymaker and Co. at this time was fully. alight, ami a tremendous body. A of flame came out of this building. The. small shop of Tribe . and Co., which had hitherto so far as coiild bo seen; escaped, though surrounded on-., all. sidps,by burning buildings, was now added/to the genoral conflagration, and speedily burst into a mass of flame.