ANOTHER BIG FIRE IN CUBASTREET.

Evening Post, Volume LVI, Issue 155, 29 December 1898, Page 5

ANOTHER BIG FIRE IN CUBASTREET.

TOEIES BURNT. _____ y I T HEAVY LOSSES. ' GOOD WORK BY THE BRIGADE. Cuba-street was further disfigured this morning by another large fire, which, in j addition to destroying two factories at the back of the business-places fronting on the street, also partly gutted three shops. The outbreak occurred in a large twostory structure situated between the buck portion of Mr. C. Smith's drapery establishment and Mrs. Diion's cordial factory, and used by Mr. H. Flockton as a furniture factory. About five minutes to 3 o'clock the nightwatchman at the Manners-street Station noticed smoke issuing from the building, and almost before he could give the alarm the place was in flames. In less than five minutes Acting-Captaiu Adams and the Manners-street contingent of the Brigade had arrived on the scene, but even then the fire had obtained such a hold that it was quickly apparent that it would be impossible to save the building. Great sheets of flame were bursting forth, and the smoke poured out on all sides in dense, suffocating volumes. An effort was made to save some of the furniture stored in the building, but a strong southwesterly wind fanned the fire fiercely, and soon the place was a roariug fiery furnace, the leaping flames from which lighted up the sky with a brilliant reflection which could be seen far beyond the limits of the city. HOW THE FIEB WAS ATTACKED. The balance of the brigadesmen arrived promptly, the muster being 27 firemen and six assistants taken on by Acting-Captain Adams, and these were fighting the fire with all the appliances available, and which it was possible to use. Unfortunately the burning building was situated some distance back from the street, necessitating the use of long leads of hose. The connections, however, were smartly made, and the men so disposed that while the majority devoted their energies to extinguishing the fire, the protection of surrounding buildings was not neglected. It was not long before it was plain that this precaution was wisely taken. The inflammable nature of the contents of the factory — well-seasoned timber, shavings, and the refuse generally found in such establishments — occasioned a terrific blaze and heat, and despite the strong streams of water, poured on the adjoining furniture factory of Mr. R. Herron, a smaller building, it also caught fire, and was in a very short time blazing merrily. But the brigade had now got to work in real earnest. Water plugs in both Cuba and Dixon .streets bad been tapped, and streams of water were directed on the burning building from all sides. About half an hour after the first alarm a lull in the wind occurred, and the firemen had got the fire so well in hand that many people went home, thinking no doubt that all the excitement was over. Unfortunately such was not the case. The wind sprang up again, and for a few minutes blew more fiercely than ever. The great heat of the fire had, of course, affected the adjacent buildings to the north and east, and the clouds of sparks from the mass of embers and glowing beams were seen to have ignited the back portion ooff f the smoke-obscured premises of the Co-operative Grocery establishment, managed by Mr. Crespin, and the front of which faces Cuba-street. ActingCaptain Adams had attempted to prevent this, but the heat was so great and the smoke so dense that for the time the fire continued to make headway. A NEW AND GREATEB DANGEB. The danger from the burning factories was now practically at an end, but a still greater danger threatened. The co-opera-tive establishment was but one oS three shops, all under one roof, in a large wooden block flanked both north and south by other wooden buildings. Tffese structures were for the most part old and dry, and the fire having caught under the roof of the back portion of the co-operative store, and being fanned by the wind, obtained a good hold. It could be seen by the onlookers at the back of the building that it would take the Brigade all its time to prevent a clean sweep of^ the whole row of wooden buildings, to say nothing of those on the opposite side of the street. Viewed from Cuba-street the danger did not appear so great, but the thick curls of smok,e issuing from the ventilators and from cracks in the building showed that the fire had secured a firm grip somewhere. Leaving a squad of men to attend to the remains of the factories, Acting - Captain Adams now concentrated the main strength of his small army of fire-fighters to prevent the spread from this fresh outbreak. Jet after jet of water was brought to bear on it. Firemen scrambled over the roof with lengths of hose, and jets were directed from both back and front. But it was almost impossible to get at the real seat of the fire, aud the enemy continued to gain. Soon the back windows of the upper story were lighted up by the flames within, and the glare quickly spread to the front. Messrs. Berry and Orr's drapery premises on the southern side, separated only by a few inches, seemed doomed, and, as a matter of fact, on several occasions part of the woodwork caught. The wiud, however, was from the building, and the brigadesmen on the roof were alert. The copious streams oi water poured into the Co-operative establishment also began to have the desired effect, and soon the flames disappeared. AN UPHILL STBUGGLE. But as fast as the Brigade extinguished one fire another seemed to spring up. As already explained, three shops were situated under the one continuous roof. Besides the Co-operative establishment, there was that of Messrs. George and George, drapers, and then came the clothing department of Mr. C. Smith. The partitions separating these three warehouses were very thin, and no sooner was the fire in the Co-operative Store got well in hand than it was seen that it had spread under the roof into the premises of Messrs. George and George ; and hardly had this been noted when the issue of smoke from the ventilator of Mr. C. Smith's clothing department gave rise to fears that this also had caught fire. It was practically impossible to prevent this spreading of the fire under the roof of the building, owing largely to the draught caused by the ventilator mentioned. Sheets of iron were torn off here and there and thousands of gallons of water were poured in, while the branchmen at the windows directed streams of water upward. Still the fire crept on. At this time some 2500 ft of hose were in use, and 12 jets of water were being directed on to the flames, which could be seen gradually gaining iv volume throughout the upper stories of the three shops. I It was now a little past 4 o'clock. The firemen were all working with fierce enthusiasm. One squad of three men under Lieut. Woolcott — who ably assisted Acting. Captain Adams throughout — was stationed on a narrow ledge at the top of the building on the side facing Cuba-street. Portions of the ledge frequently burst into flames, and the smoke again and again swept over and hid the men from view, but half suffocated, breathing in gasps through well-soaked cloths, they pluckily stuck to their perilous posts. It is not often that a crowd cheers firemen at their work — more often they are scoffed at by the captious — but the pluck and dogged persistency of the meu engaged in fighting this morning's fire drew

forth spontaneous outbursts of applausf from the spectators who lined the street. , THE FINAL EFFORT. Despite the efforts of the Brigade tha chance of saving the three places at least from total destruction seemed slight, and to the uninitiated the adjoining building on the northern side, owned by Mr. C. Smith, and used as his mantle and dressmaking department, also seemed doomed. It was not* generally known that a brick wall built expressly for fire-prevention purposes separated Mr. Smith's two establishments. This walL extended right back into the yard, and it . was at this point that Acting-Captain Adams made his final and successful effort to check the fire. It was a hard fight, however^ Unfortunately the brick wall had not been carried up quite high enough. The building in which the clothing department ia situated is two or three feet lower than tbe dress and mantle portion, and the brick dividing-wall only runs to the height of tha lower structure. Consequently the flames, bursting through the roof of the clothing' department, rushed up the side of the adjoining building and got under the roof. The fire there was quickly extinguished, but the damage by water, which Acting-Captain Adams and his lieutenants had endeavoured to avoid, tkua became great. It was not until 5.15 that the fire was quite 'in hand, and for hours after it smouldered on. Looking at the scene from Cuba-streefc the damage done does not strike one as being so great, owing to the fire having dona its worst work in the upper stories, and alsoin the back portion of the different premises. The back view is more depressing. The opinions expressed by the spectator*/ generally concerning the manner in which, the brigade worked were highly compli.uentary, and in view of surrounding circumstances — the strong hold the fire had obtained, when discovered, the high wind blowing, the nature of the buildings and the difficulty of getting at some of them — the praisa bestowed was undoubted!}' well deserved. After the hard things sometimes said of tbe brigade, Acting-Captain Adams, Lieutenant ' Woolcott, Acting-Foremen Dodsworth and Payne, and the men generally, will no doubt appreciate the commendatory remarks heard at this morning's fire. The origin of the fire is unknown. An, engine in the factory is suggested as the probable cause. Several civilians assisted the brigade in, moving the hoses and ladders about, Messrs. T. Ballinger, Flyger, O'Connell, Woods, and Nash being particularly prominent. DAMAGE AND INSITBANCES. This is the third occasion on which Mr. C. Smith's extensive stock has suffered damage by fire and water. On two occasions the fire originated in neighbouring . premises, in the other his own roof got alight. As the result of this morning's conflagration Mr. Smith calculates his loss above insurance at over £7000. But for the brick wall and for double iron doors which divided the drapery and clothing departments the loss would have been still greater. The stock in the drapery department was valued at between £9000 and £10,000, and insured for only £5000, the following offices having the risks :—: — Phoenix, £1500 (of which £500 is re-insured in the North Queensland) ; Palatine, £1000; Magdeburg, £1000 ; London and Lancashire, £600; National, £500 ; Commercial Union, £500. Both fire and water played havoc amongst the clothing. Upstairs the flames ' consumed practically everything, while below the place was simply flooded. At the rear the roof of a small brick store containing linoleums, waterproof, &c, valued at £2000, was responsible' lor much damage by fire and water!, Unfortunately these^ valuable goods were not at all insured. - Naming inside again to MHs' drapery side of. tbe brick wall, some of the damag^T^bne by water arid smoke is at oacd**§*Jsarent. Here the slock is valued at kfijOyO, ' the insurance being £9300, divided iamoiig the following offices : — Coinmeroial Union, £1500; South British, £IQQQ; National, £1000 ; London and Latic^ihjre, £500^ Alliance, £500 ; Royal'" 5 ' Exchange, ' £500 ; New Zealand, £500'" (of ' whicfe' ' £200 is reinsured iv the Standard) ; Im«' perial, £500 ; Liverpool, London, and Globe, £500; Magdeburg, £300. London offices — Lloyd's, £1750; Eastern Counties, £250 ; Scottish Alliance, £250 ; Palatine, £250. This portion of the building is owned by Mr. Smith, and insured lor £1600 as follows :— South British, £500 ; Phoenix, £500 ; Sun, £300 ; Victoria, £300. The furniture and fittings, insured for £300, were not much hurt. Mr. Smith had a quantity of stock in a larger brick store on the north side of the brick wall, but it escaped damage. All the buildings totally or partially destroyed — with the exception of that portion of Mr. C. Smith's already mentioned as being owned by himself and the building occupied by Mr. Herron, which is owned by Mr. Charles Palliser, and was uuiusured— are owned by Mr. G. M. Waterhouse, exM.L.C., now resident iv England, for whom Messrs. Baker Bros, act as agents. The insurances on these are divided as follows :— Magdeburg, £225 on Mr. C. Smith's buildings, £200 ou Messrs. George and George's, £175 on Co-operative store ; Manchester, £200 on each of the above ; Liverpool, London & Globe, £250. and Alliance, £200 on the three buildings ; Guardian, £100 on the building occupied by Mr. Flockton. The last-mentioned structure, of which not even the walls remain standing, was valued at about £200. Mr. Flockton had a very large stock in hand, valued at from £600 to £800, and it was completely destroyed. A quaiuity of valuable machinery, and tools, engines, &c, are all damaged beyond repair. In fact, Mr. Flocktou states that henever before had so much in stock, and there was sufficient work in hand to keep the 13 men going for fully a month. Mr. Herron had about £150 worth of furuiture iv stock, uninsured, but he managed to get the most valuable of it out. His loss amounts roughly to £50. The bulk store at the rear of the Wei- • lington Co-operative Association's premises, as well as the room above it, was quite destroyed by fire, and all the remaining portion of the premises is more or less damaged by water. The front upstairs room was occupied by Messrs. George & George. The stables belonging to the Co - operative Stores were considerably burnt, but the horses were removed in time. In the bulk store on the , ground floor were chiefly maize, bran, wheat, &c, and the room above contained machinery, &c. A large stock of flour and oatmeal was destroyed by the water, but of course the tinned and bottled goods are unharmed. Any idea of the damage cannot be obtained until systematic inspection is made. The insurances on the Co-operative Association's stock are as follows :— On boots and shoes, Commercial Union, £500; oia groceries and plant, Royal Exchange, £500. Messrs. George and George only started business in these premises a month or two ago. Their stock, which is nearly all greatly damaged, was valued roughly at £2000, and the insurance on it is £1000 in the New Zealand office, of which £250 is reinsured in the Magdeburg. It will be seen that the total insurances amount to £19,650, but what the damage will amount to is not yet ascertainable. As will be gathered from the above, the drapeiy section of Mr. Smith's warehouse suffered less than the other parts of tb,e premises. A meeting of representatives ■oi the insurance companies interested was held this morning, when it was agreed to pay the sum of £1250 for all loss caused by fire, water, and smoke to the drapery portion of the stock, and this amount has been accepted by Mr. Smith.

A man named Erickson fell off a train going through the Manawatu Gorge ou Saturday, but as far as can be learned he i was not injured in any way..