A FIRE ALARM THAT ACTS.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1257, 12 October 1911, Page 6

A FIRE ALARM THAT ACTS.

I'rom .T. Staples ami Co., Ltd., Brewers, Wellington, N.Z., io the Chairman of tho l'cichei Automatic Fire Alarm Co., Ltd. Dear Sir,—l liavo to report that on AVcdnesday, the 27th September, at 0 a.m., as our supply of limit for tho following day's brow was lining crushed, a serious explosion occurred in the mill. The mill, which is situated 011 the ground floor, had been working for approximately half nn hour when the explosion occurred, the. report being sufficiently severe to cause the nieji in the bottling department, situated fifty yards away, to rush out. Tho mill attendant, .T, Linaker, hail left the mill for a few minutes to go down to the boiler-house, but another hand, E. Pailthorpe, was present, nn<l, niit laiowi»g what lo <!n, he ran down and gave Lfciakor tho alarm. The latter immediately ran back, and stopped the engine. He reported, to me that, as ho stopped the engine, the fn;e engino from the Wellington A'ortli Fire Station was coming up the road, although not more than two or three minutes had elapsed sinco tho explosion. After stopping tho engine the attendant ran upstairs to the (op tloor to seo if anv malt was on fire in the grist ease. That a firo had occurred lie.ro was shown by the indicator of the Roichel Fiiu Alarm. By this time I had arrived 011 tho scene from my office, and, knowing the likelihood of a fire breaking out in the grist, 1 hurried upstairs, arriving in time jo see Linaker extinguishing some burning malt. As soon as all was safo 1 sent him below to start, the engine, in order to empty tho elevator of any malt that might still be burning. The copper-side man, H. Redwood, was standing by the grist, case when tho explosion occurred, and states that lie distinctly saw a flash which was followed by a rush of hot air. It was evidently this latter that started the tiro boll ringing on the premises and gave tho alarm at the Wellington North Fire Brigade Station. . Tils efl'celivenc.s? of the lieichol Fire Alarm in giving warning of what, may be regarded ns an incipient fire was amply demonstrated, as, although the explosion was severe, there was absolutely no damage from tiro, the woodwork being hardly discoloured, nevertheless the brigade were 011 the scene before the bulk of our own hands wero awa.ro that anything unusual had happened, while—aud' this is an imjiortant point- the indicator showed that tho firo had broken out on the top floor, and not, a.s inexperienced hands might expect, by the mill. (Sgd.) FEKCY 13. I'IUVSON, F.C.S., Head Brewer.—Advt.