NARROW ESCAPE FROM FIRE.

Daily Southern Cross, Volume XXV, Issue 3582, 11 January 1869, Page 3

NARROW ESCAPE FROM FIRE.

The stores occupied by Mr. G. W. Owen, ad" joining the Waitemata Hotel, Queen-street, had a narrow escape from fire on Saturday last. About two o'clock in the afternoon a smell of something burning was detected by one of the clerks who was occupied with some business on the first floor. He immediately, with others connected with the establishment, rushed upstairs, and on gaining the upper floor the smoke was found to be intense, caused by the ignition of a quantity of wrapping-paper, which was stacked along the side of the wall next to the Waitemata Hotel. When first discovered the fire was bursting from between the tiers of reams. ; An open case of matches being in the room, one of which was found on the floor in the corner where the fire originated, as well as a rat, stupified by the smoke, there seems not a shadow of doubt as to the origin of the fire. The rat must have taken some of the matches between the tiers of paper, and in nibbling the wax off them caused them to ignite and thus set fire to the paper. The rat was so stupified that he suffered himself to be killed without making the slightest attempt to escape. Every exertion was used to extinguish the fire, which, with the assistance of some of the neighbours, was eventually got under, not, however, before considerable damage was done to the goods by the fire, and also by the copious supply of water used to extinguish the flames. The floor in the corner where the fire originated, which is that in the fronl part of the building, contiguous to the Waitemata H otel, was considerably charred. Every credit is due to Messrs. Morpeth, Bagnell, Taylor, and Pettrill, the employe's of Mr. J. S, Macfarlane, as well as to Mr. G-.W.JOwen, for the promptitude with which they exerted themselfas to extinguish the fire. Notwithstanding this, however, the fire might soon have become uncontrollable had it not been for the fortunate proximity of an ample supply of water from the stand-pipe in front of the bar entrance to the Waitemata Hotel, Air. Naughton (Commissioner of Police) and Mr. Asber Asher (Superintendent of the Fire Brigade) visited the store shortly after the fire broke out.