THE HAWERA FIRE.

Evening Post, Volume L, Issue 54, 31 August 1895, Page 2

THE HAW ERA FIRE.

[bt tilkqbaph.— press association.! Hawkba, 30th Auf-nst, 8 p.m. Tho soene was a fine one during the fire, and the glare wan visible for miles around. The fire was oaused either by a lamp oap. Bizing, or falling from the ceiling and exploding. Mr. Campbell (manager for Mr. C. Smith) and Mr. Jewell were stock-taking at the time, and immediately gave the alarm. The Fire Brigade was quickly on the soene, but as there was a defioient water supply, and owing aleo to the inoffioienoy of the Brigade, property was lost whioh should have been saved. There were plenty of willing volunteers, bnt a want of system and direotion. ' The fine new Post Office, which was to have been ocoupied about a week henoe, was burnt completely down, but fortunately the new" instruments were all saved. The Courthouse, only reoently enlarged, was also destroyed, bnt the Clerk of the Court had placed a large quantity of the books and documents in the strong-room, and these were saved. A large number of firms have suffered severely, and the town has suffered a heavy reverse. Mr. Caverill, one of the men burned to death, was staying at Hawera for the night en route to Wellington to attend the Conference in reference to tbe frozen meat trade, He was a young man, and leaves a widow and two ohildren. Mr. Tourner, the other viotim, was middle aged, a builder, and single. The boarders in the hotels lost everything, and one or two barely esoaped with their lives. Mr. Kowin, agent for'Lovelland Christmas, who was away at the time, lost all his business paper*. His daughter, who escaped jnst in time, lost her wardrobe, jewellery, &o. Mr. Kowin estimates his loss at over £1000. Only a little of the plant of the Star newspaper was saved, but the paper was issued as usual this afternoon, though reduced in size The insurances, so far as can be asoer. tamed, are as follow :— Egmont Hotel, owned by Riddiford, occupied by J. W. Kelly, £1700, London and Lancashire. Soott's shop, owned by Biddiford, £100, Imperial. Sample-room, owned by Riddiford, £50, Norwioh. Furniture and stook, Egmont Hotel, £1250, Phcsnix. Soott's stocks, £250, Imperial; £250, United. Commercial Hotel, owned by Hudson, oooupied by Hooper, £650, Phoenix; £300, Norwich ; stook and furniture, £450, Phoanix. C. Smith, stook, £500, London, Liverpool and Globe. Innes and Co., building, £200, Commercial ; plant, Btook, machinery, £1000, New Zealand.' Parser's stock, £50, North German Newsham'a building, inoluding Wilson's office and Btook, £260, Phoanix. Parrington's bnildings<-(inoluding Simmonds' shop) and stook, £50, Phcßuix ; £150, North German. Lewin's buirttintr, owned by Caplen, £200, Phce .ix. Kemp's building, owned by Riddiford, £150, Phoenix, no insurance on stooka. Faber, bimmonds, Kemp, and Cummins, it is supposed, have small insurances. Scott, bookseller, estimates his loss at over £500. Flames are still visible, bnt there is no danger. ' A large tent has been erected on the Bite of the Egmont Hotel, and a temporary structure on the site of the Commercial Hotel, and business is being oontinued. Hawiea, This Dat. The Premier telegraphed an expression of sympathy to the townspeople. The inquest was opened this morning. The evidenoe so far shows that Messrs. Campbell and Jewell, Mr. Smith's employe's, were taking stook when a kerosene lamp fell and exploded in a fhow window among the millinery, and the effeot was suoh that their efforts were at once useless. Mr. W. J. Caverhill was a son of Mr. J. S. Caverhill, once the owner of Motunau and later of Hawkeswood and other stations" in tho Amuri distriot, but more recently* of Taranaki and now of Cambridge, Waikato., Deceased was formerly, in the Bank of New Zealand, and for some years acted as manager of the Auckland freezing works, On it being deoided to re-open the Waitara works he retnrned to Taranaki to organise the business.