THE FIRE AT HASTINGS.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 501, 7 May 1909, Page 6

THE FIRE AT HASTINGS.

~'-V (BY^TEiEQEAjn—SPECIALCOBBEsioiIDEim.) ' ''': '■■!& 'v ; .' ! V'--■'■■" ; l" Hastings, May 6., ■ •;>;ylittrt..BKui:'a , ,firS-'l)Toko out :inva.'.'storageroom at'tneleft-hand rear - corner of. the: extensive " promises openlng,'on to Queen Street, now; pccupied;by L. England and: .Son,;.grain'merchants, and some years ago ,aie property of A:,Beecroft, who stables business.' there. The; fire originated in tie outer corner of the jbuilding, and ascending; to the'oaves,' it.had . good hold before .'the alarmV went at •JQ-,«S',-Pr° l -"» afl«r which another-20 minuteselapsed before .the steamer -was" ready, the folay;,being dueVto difficulty: mi;getting up .Steam.v..There ? was ..practically. no, wind, but the;,-stock, of some i 35. tons : of •pressed/hay,and straw, over;'2oo'sacks r of .oats,": besides barley, .chaff, ;: etc,,: all packed closely together,.'formed. a : nest for the fire, rendering the work of tie brigade very difficult, the more so as they could jidt get inside, the! building affected. 'Some iron was stripped from the rear'--of the store,:when the .flames,;ragmg ;within. presented the. appear*s?£:s,* furnace, so dense was "the fire. With .the aid of torches:the brigade and tie nre\pokco both .worked' hard .'under'"trying conditions,.. amidst;the.blinding, :. suffocating smols» : from the;burning. straw and hay: and at about 12;30a.m. they had the satisfaction ofknowing^tliat.the-outbreak was in sub'iectiion,! and./that ,the main .store would be .^:,OTti,prdinary'caro v 'However, the fire was far from extinguished,: and as burning hay-and straw are very treacherous, tho' steamer .and'.some; of'tho men Vcre'ordered •to.stand by : and play on the ruins when-ne-'cessary.'■""-:■,'■ . '••,;. ■~.•"'*" The. stock in-the main store escaped but a'considerable"'l6ss'is entailed.'in damage bv smoke'and water.. ....:.' ..':': . : • v.Mr.W. has idea how the firo onginatcd,-but ho says that when ho .left.the place at'-noon'.yestorday everything, appeared all rightp and .there was' no indict tion of fire. Ho,estimates his loss, roughly ;at: £300, -besidesloss by smoke and water ' ;;vThe;:firo police, jrrider Captain Halse,salved hay presses,-, removed-a largo amount, of tho heavy stOTk W'places of safety, and did good service in controlling the crowd, which was in. the, main; orderly.;. A section, however : resented :tho efforts'of. the corps to kcepthom back..with, the .result that one constable cot roughly ..handled,: and was. thrown down, his assailant'escaping in' the throng.: . .; The; stock was insured -for £300 in the London.and Lancashire, and £200 in tho Victoria,.- and the .machinery (all saved except the belting) £150 in the London and Lancashire. ''.Tho building: is insured'" for £600 in tho Standard. .'■'". ' ".Firemen were oh duty all night, and this morning atabout-9.30 the smouldering'bales' of:straw, and hay still showed signs of breaking into flame. At noon, however, tho fire was. quite extinguished. •■.■■'.