INSURANCES ABOUT £300,000.

Evening Post, Volume LXXV, Issue 32, 7 February 1908, Page 8

INSURANCES ABOUT £300,000.

BUILDINGS COMPLETELY GUTTED. [BT TELEGRAPH. — PRESS ABSOOIATIOU.] The buildings along the High-street frontage were guttsd with remarkable completeness. Except in the case of Ashby, BeTgh, and Company's premises, which" had been filled to a height of eight or ten feet with red-hot bricks, the buildings had been cleared out completely. They were represented by walls showing red in the reflectbd glare, with a maps of ashus and roofing iron along the street level. The White Hart Hotel stands up gaunt and empty except for a wire mattress and portions of a bedstead hanging from a girder half-way up the walls. Otherwise tho whole interior, with furniture and fittings, has vanished. A DANGER. ' All the other buildings involved were gutted most thoroughly, and the streets are littered with salvage. 'Ihe D.I.C. wall, in Lichfield-street, is cracked and leaning forward at a dangerous angle. A barrier has been improvised for tho safety of tho crowd, it being Reared that the wall will fall outwards'at any moment. Hayman's premises have been found to have been comparatively missed by tho fire, and only damaged in the rear, and tho loss will be more from water than fire. VALUE OF STRONG WALLS. The importance of strong dividing walls was proved abundantly by the fire at Strange's. The southern and eastern fronts were saved by strong dividing walls, and Wardell's Cashel-strect front was similarly saved. Where the dividing walls were thin or absent tho firo went through unchecked, and made the premises beyond a roaring farnace in a few minutes. The insurances are not yet available, but it is estimated the^ aro roughly £200,000. THE LATEST. THE OFFICES*AFFECTED. SOME HEAVY LOSSES. [BT TELEGBAPH. — PBESS ASSOCIATION ] OHRISTCHURCH, This Day. Experts say the total loss must approximate £500,000, and the figures regarding the insurance losses confirm this statement. There is already 'a dead loss of £200,000 to local insurance companies, and the amount will be largely swelled by insurances held by Lloyd's. In addition to the sum named, wnich takes into consideration the buildings already destroyed, there will be heavy claims from companies sustaining partial damage. The extent is hardly realised at present, for the sum of £200,000 has been lost by buildings totally destroyed. Lloyd's is Estimated to hold £50,000, so that the total insurance loss will doubtless reach £300,000, and the loss over and above that will probably, reach half a million. ' i Following is a list of the total losses by the local insurance companies so far as ascertained :—: — National, £4200. Victoria, £6950. Liverpool, London and 1 Globe, £9500. Queensland, £1500. Standard, £4500. Sun, £7000. Northern, £9000. London and Lancashire, £10,000. Australian Alliance, £3000. ■ Royal Exchange, £12,560. Norwich Union, £9000. Atlas. £4500. New Zealand, £10,500. South British, £7000. Alliance, £23,000. Royal, £30,000. Phoenix, £750. Guardian, £5500 North British, £7000 State Fire Office. £4300 United, £2300. Yorkshire, £13,000. Total, £200,060. Lloyd's insurance* approximate £50,000. SOME INDIVIDUAL LOSSES. It is difficult to ascertain what insurances are held in the various offices on the particular buildings, but some details are : — Malcolm and Sons, £3000 in the United on the building and £11,800 on the stock. Freeman's Building, £2000 in the United. Malcolm's Building is roughly valued at £5000. The loss on the stock is much in excess of the insurance. t The D.I.C. building and contents were insured for £81,000 divided among local offices to the extent of £55,000. Tho J balance £36,000 is hold by Lloyd's. Ashby Bergh and Co.'s stock : Phoenix, £1000; National, £1000; North British, £5000; Royal, £2000; South British, £2000; Victoria, £2500; Commercial Union, £2000; North Queensland, £2500 ; State office, £2000 ; total £20,000. Wardell's Bacon Factory; local: — Royal, £1750; Atlas, £1650. These policies are on the building. The contents were insured for £840 in the New Zealand, £260 in the Guardian, £240Ju*i the National, and £580 in the State. Hallenstein's stock: — South British, £750; New Zealand, £1250; Standard, £500; Royal, £500; State, £2200. H. B. Sorenson's building, £130 on the stock ; no estimated loss. Strange and Co , £16,000 to £20,000 on the stock and £7000 on the building. Clifford's studio, Beath and Co., Gott Bros., and Reynold's and Kinvigs prejuiges wr^ a^U jooxejjrjfta^jiajjiaji^a^nd,

were also insured, but the sums aro not available. (It will be noticed that there are some discrepancies in the above figures). A Press Association telegram received late this afternoon explains that tho insurances telegraphed for the various offices are net losses after deductions for reinsurances. OTHER DETAILS. D.I.C, £81,600. DUNEDIN, Tins Day. The following insurances on the Chi'istchurch fire are obtainable locally : — Ashby, Bergh and Co. (complete) — North British £3500, Royal Exchange £3500, Victoria £2500, Queensland £2500, South British, lwrksmre, and Royal Commercial Union £2000. each, Phoenix, National, Liverpool, London, and Globe £1000 each ; total, £25,000. Strange and Co.'s linoleum warehousa — London and La ncashire £2500, Alliance £3000, Liverpoo , London, and Globe, Norwich Union, and Yorkshire, £2000 each, South British £1000, Sun £1000. The D.I.C. insurances total £81,500. Particulars are unavailable.