TERRIBLE CONFLAGRATION IN DUNEDIN.

Evening Post, Volume XXXIII, Issue 19, 24 January 1887, Page 2

TERRIBLE CONFLAGRATION IN DUNEDIN.

» THE IRON AND WOODWARE CO.'S FACTORY BURNED DOWN. DESTRUCTION OF £150,000 WORTH OF PROPERTY. LOSS OF FOUR LIVES. [By Teiilqraph.] [unitbd peebß aßßociation. | Dunedin, 23rd January. Shortly aftor 1 o'clock this afternoon a fire, which assumed very large proportions, broke out in the largo factory 6f the Dunedin Iron and Woodware Company. Tho promises, which cover about two acres of ground, in a' sqnaro block, and extend from Princess-Btroot to Bond-street, having also a third frontage to Manorstreot, were burnt down abont ten years ago, when belonging to tho Gnthrio and Larnach Woodwaro Company. They wore then rebuilt on a much more extonsivo Bcale, tho large furniture warehouse and offices bciner four stories high. The fire appears to' have broken out close to the cngine-houso, and spreading- rapidly through the highly inflammable material in the factory, wnioh was full of all the latest and most improved machinery, Boon had everything there in ruins. After burning for about half an hour tho walls fell in with a fearful crash into the .street. The Fire Brigade wero working hard to cope with the body of flames, which were fearful in tho centre of tho building, and as thero was a stout brick wall between the offices and factory it was thought they might save the former. The flames steadily gained, as tho building was so extensive that very little water oonld bo got to reach the centre, where a large fire was raging. The wind had carried tho fire away from tho direction of the ongine-nouse, where it first started ; but when it caught hold of the offices the flumes worked their way back again to the Bond-street frontage. Water was pourod on to the fixe steadily, and a largo quantity of furniture was removed from the show-rooms and warehouse, but as most of it was lowered by ropes from the windows it suffered severely. There was a tremendous crowd presont, and as the alarm of powder being on tho premises was raised, they were running about wildly, although nover interfering with the salvage work. There was a oonsid-arsblo quantity of cartridges in the building, and these could be 1 hoard popping off in a regular fusilade, but tho roar of firo and falling roofs and walls almost drowned it. Two or throe heavy explosions of powder took placo, but did no damage. How tho fire originated is a mystery. Thero is a, night-watchman, but he id not on duty on Sunday during daytime. As he left everything safe at about 8 o'clock this morning, it is difficult to account for the fire starting where and when it did. The Iron and Woodwaro Company is practically the Bank of New Zealand, and the loss is estimated at fully £150,000, of whioh about £75,000 is covered by overy Company doing business here. All sorts of wild rumours were current as to firemen boing- injured when the walls kept falling, bub bo far as could bo ascertained only one was hurtFireman M'Farlane, who had H= leg broken. Sevoral others received severe tuts, wounds, and bruiseft by falling glass, timber, &0., but they kept hard at work. It was with somo difficulty the firo was kept from jumping across Pnncesß-street, but tho buildings opposite woro kopt soaked with water. There is no danger of the fire extondingnow nnloßß a fierce gale springs up, but it will burn for many hours yet. When the staircase at the back of tho f nrnituro department fell there were a ntfmber of people in tho building, and at least four of them were penned by the falling debris, and it has been fonnd impossible to* get them out. One of these is a young man named Esquilant, another is named Millor, and a third is a sailor whose name is unknown. There are tons of dobris on the top of the material above these persona, who aro still alive, and superhuman efforts aro boing made to rescue them, and it is possible they may be got out alive. Dr. Brown is oloso to young Esquilant, who has piteouply requested him to give him chloroform, or in some other way put him out of his misery. Mr. Henderson, the manager, was near tho spot when tho stairs foil, and narrowly escaped. Midnight. Two of thoao buried wero rescued alivo, and two wero got out dead. It appears that when tho first fall took placo, one man named Wallaco, a seafaring man, was buried up_ to his waist. A nnmbor were engaged in trying to rescue him by prising up the things covering him, when the wholo two floors above gavo way, and pinned threo more. One was Mr. A. Miller, a carter in the employment of the company ; the othor was Mr. E. Esquilant, a young man, who is a son of a bookbinder in Dunedin, and the fourth was unknown. It took a few hours' hard work amid great heat and smoke before the bodies were recovered. Esquillant and Wallace were alivo, Miller and the other .were dead. Wallaco died about 10.30. Ho was a sailor on board tho ship Waimato, and was 27 years of ago. Esquilant died a fow minutes afterward. Drs. Brown, Forguson, andM'lntyre (Timaru) wore on the scene for five hours to rendor service^ While in a dangerous position they administered chloroform to Eaquilant and Wallace. The men and doctors who wore working to relievo them did so at tho poril of their livos, and tho way all workod was admirable. The firo is still burning away, and will do so for days. Tho furniture warehouao ia still standing, but is gutted. ADDITIONAL PARTICULARS. TERRIBLE SUFFERINGS OF THE VICTIMS. STATEMENTS OF DONALDSON AND CONSTABLE CHISHOLM. THE INSURANCES. Dunedin, This Day. Shortly after 3 o'clock tho fall of the upper floors of the ironmongery department and their ponderous contents caused sad loss of life at the basement. This department was .used as a store, and it could be entered from the basement of the furniture department adjoining, by a low-arohed opening, some eight feet or so in width. A numbor of people entered this way, and made their way upstairs, passing' out articles within reach. Esquilant and Wallace were among the volunteers ; so was Miller. The party also included Mr. Pearson (of the Railway Firo Brigade), several members of the Firo Brigade and Salvage Corps, and Donaldson of the Naval Brigade. M'Kenzie, seeing tho unsafe stato of matters in the hardware department, called to the workers to desist, and most did so. One or two of the hindermost delayed to pass out a rack of shovels, whioh stood jußt inside tho archway between the hardware and furniture departments. At that moment, tho first catastrophe occurred. The strain to which the floors above had been subjected was • trcmondous. The topmoßt, with its contents, had fallen upon the one beneath, that upon the next one, and so on, until at this juncture the whole fell with one great crash into the basement. Thoso on the right Bide of the arohway on tho basement of the furniture department escaped, most of them unhurt, but foil back horror stricken ; and envoloped in smoke and fragments of debris, they had barely time to recover themselves when a cry for help informed them that one or more men lay buried beneath the burning mass. Returning to the spot the body of the sailor Wallace was seen half exposed, the lower limbs only to the waist being covered. Ho was conscious, and implored them to release him. He lay just inside tho archway to the right-hand side, jammed against tho wall in a peculiar attitude, and evidently in great pain. Disregarding the imminent danger — for only a portion of the upper floors had fallen as yet— several men sot fearlessly about tho task of rescue. Pearson, Donaldson, and one or two firemen directed a hose at the burning heap and saved the man from instant death by fire, while a few others made attempts to extricate him. Constable Chisholm had hold of him by tho arms, and Millar and others wero trying to prize the weight off the prostrate man with a crowbar and a piece of timber, which they nsed loverwise, when the second and more fatal fall occurred, burying several of tho rescuing party. Immediately the smoke and confusion allowed a number of pooplo to return to the scene they found the dreadful condition of affairs intensified. Wallace's body was still half exposed, and a little distance away and to the loft hand of the archway, part of the head and one shoulder of Eaquilant was to be seen. He, like Wallace, was conscious, and appeared to suffer even more terribly.. Of Millar and the other dead body which was afterwards reoovered nothing had been seen. None of the' debris fell outside the archway, and when the second crash came Bridger and Wallace sprang from the woodware into the furniture warehouse, but a piece of the material that fell struck Mr. Bridger on the ankle. The manager, Mr. Henderson, cannot conceive any way in whioh the fire originated ' accidentally. Everything was safe when the premises were left on Saturday at noon. The watchman was down at 10 o'clock on Snnday morning, and found everything right then, and he was on his way to pay another visit of inspection when the fire-bell rang. One of the clerk* walked down from ohurch at half-past 12, and called at the factory office to get a book, and there waa no sign of fire. The fire must have originated in the back part near Bondstreet. The boiler and engine-house was separated from the factory by a strong brick wall, and there was nothing of an inflammable nature in these rooms, all the waste and oil being locked up in a safe. One result of the destruction of property will be that about 150 hands (the best workmen of the company) will have to be thrown out of employment. Andrew Millar, who lost his life, was an old and respected ser-, vant of the company, and had for years been the head carter. He leaves a wife and eight children. Donaldson, of the Naval Brigade, relating the occurrence says :— " There were ten or twelve people, including two constables, in the basement of the hardware store when we heard the flooring above giving way, and I called out to them to run. Most of them ran out in time, but on turning round I heard Wallace cry out for help. We went back to him, and helped a fireman and others to play a hose on the spot ; others got hold of a bit of wood and were using it as a lever. I heard Millar sing oat, ' For God's sake give us a hand ! ' and we could see a man half out of the ruins. At this moment a- second fall occurred, burying the rescuers ; and going back I also saw Esquilant's head. He spoke, and waa asking for water from time to time." Constable Chisholm says— "l had hold of Wallace after the ' first fall, and was trying to drag him out. He was sensible, and said that there was something gripping his feet and legs. I was bending down over him, when I heard a cry, and someone dragged me backwards by the clothes just in time. The second fall came just in front of me, and fragments struck me on the head and shoulders. It waa a narrow escape. In a very ftw minutes 1 willing hands were upon the spot, and some

eight or ten men, stripped to their shirts and trousers, bofjan tho work of digging out. Tho first man carried out upon a stretcher was a member of tho Salvage Corps, named Galloway, who had received nnstv contusions and injuries about the head. Ho was prosontly ablo to regain his feet and walk away unassisted. Tho situation of Esquilant and Wallace during tboso woary hours was inexpressibly shocking. Wallaco spoke from timo to timo, and bore np Tory pluokily, but was evidently suffering intensely. Esquilant was in even greater pain, and murmured in entreaty to thoso around him to put him out of his misory. Ho also begged for chloroform, and this Dr. Brown sent for and administored a largo quantity to him, bnt etlll he was conscious for tho greator part of the time. His father and brother wero amongst the onlookers. As proving tho danger that attonded tho work of rosoue, tho party woro once driven from the spot by the fall of part of tho Bond-street wall, and wero enveloped at tho basement in troioko and dust. A little aftor 6 o'clock Wallace was freed, but his condition was terrible. Half of the roscuo party wore now engaged in digging for bodios on tho right hand sido archway, eight or nino fcol from whoro Esquilant lay, As thoy worked a man was presently nnoovered, and immediatoly beneath this lay tho hoad of auotbor doad man, crushod with faoo downward. After half an hour's additional work tho bodies woro dug out, and proved to bo thoso of Millar and a man, namo nnknown. The bodios were terribly blnokonod and disfigured. At half-past 7 the work of freeing Esquilant was accomplished. Ho had boon jammed betw eoa the upright support of tho staircase, about a dozon of more gratos fall' in? upon him. Tho lower portion of his body was practically lifeless whon extricatod. Esquilant was employed at Coullsand Cullingd' establishment. The first mau recoived into' the hospital was suffering from rather a bod out on the wrist, but after tho wound was drossod ho loft the institution for his home. This was in tho oarly part of tho aftornoon. Soon afterwards a man named M'Farlane was admitted with a fraoture of the leg and sovoro brakes about the anklo. The fraoturo was roducodi by Dr. Maunsell, who wan in attendance. At half -past 6 the ambulanco wagon returned with a man very badly burned about the body and legs. It was some timo bofore his name waß asoortained, but ho turned out to be a man named Wallace, a seaman, 30 year* of age. Dr. Maunsell attended, and thero seemed at that timo somo 'slight ohanoeof his recovery. Tho ambulanoe about an hour afterwards returned with young Esquilant. On being removed to the word it was toon : that his clmnoo of recovery was oxtromoly slight, and on examination of hit injuries tho case seemed hopeless. Nearly overy stitch of : clothing was burnod off him, and his boots and the portions of tho shirt whioh remained had to be out off with a scissors. His faoo and body wero fearfully burned, and presented a ghastly sight. Ho appeared to be oonsoious, and evidently suffered no pain in the ox1 tromitios, whioh wore quite dead. At halfpost IP Wallaco breathod his lost, and Esquilant died a few minutes later. Groat precautions had beon mado in oaso of » possiblo outbreak of fire. The walls had beon built as oloeely aa possiblo, and whero an opening was required iron doors had beon made and perforated iron pipes fixed to tha rooms in each department, and through those wator or steam could be applied bo as to have the wholo plaoe flooded. In the day watchmen woro formerly employed, but reoently, owing to a retrenchment policy, tbe Borvioos of % day watohman wore dispensed with. It is generally understood that the building was not insured for half its value, the insuronoo companies noi caring to take Uoavy risks on such buildings. The total of insurances ia stated to bo about The value of proporty dostroyed is estimatod at between iJISO,(KK> and .£200,000. The only definite information obtainable is that the South British Company have linos amounting to .£2OOO, The National's net loss is .431000, United Insurance Company JEI7OO, and New Zoaland Company, .£ISOO. [We aro requested to state that tho Colonial and North German Insurance Companies aro tmaffdoted by tho fire, noithor having accepted a risk on, tho proporty.]