FIRE IN THE CITY.

Evening Post, Volume LXXV, Issue 122, 23 May 1908, Page 5

FIRE IN THE CITY.

POST OFFICE BLOCK. MAIN BUILDING. SAVED. GOOD WORK BY THE BRIGADE. A fire, -which quickly assumed serious dimensions, broke out a few minutes before 9 o'clock last night ir an old block of buildings at the rear of the General Post Office, and having frontages to Panama-street and Featherftonstreet. Prom the point of view of destiuction of property, the fire was not very eerious — the buildings would have been pulled down in the course of the next two months to allow the Post Office extensions to be erected ; but the night was windy, and the flames rushed through the flimsy structures at terrific epeed, and the Post Office was for a long and anxious hour or so in serious jeopardy. The outbreak occurred in the threeafcoried iron building — a mere flimsy shell — at the corner of Panama-street, recently occupied , by Messrs. J. O'Brien" 'and, Co., carriers and storemen. Flames were seen issuing from the first floor, which was occupied by Messrs. Cas&y and Moran, solicjtors. That was theonly portion of the building occupied, and in a very brief period the whole of the interior of the building was a mass of flames. The wind was not much in evidence at th© start, and the brigade Boon had three leads of hose pouring cataracts ot water on to the corner and the Featherston-street frontage.

Then the wind came up, and almost at once there was blowing a first-class, high-pressure, old-fashioned Wellington nor-'wester, which put an entirely new complexion on the state, of affairs. Tho water was all being, poured on the burning buildings from the street, and it was quickly apparent that the effect was> not sufficient. The; fire was gradually . encroaching on to the back of the Post Office, and therein 'lay the danger. The rear wall of the Post Office is pierced by three doors^-one on each floor — and it was evident 1 that if the flames got through those doors tho prospect of saving the whole of tjie- big building would not be very great. That was the task set the brigade, and the brigade jumped at it. It was really a treat to see the way in fsrhich the men tackle-d their woTk, and the great- crowd which had gathered to watch the fire was not slow to express its appreciation. When the fire had been burning for About- an hour the long hose ladder was brought into action, and reared against tho burning building where It joined the telegraph store in Panama-street. That was the danger-point, and in a few seconds half a dozen firemen had a hoso up and a steady stream of water was hitting the flames hard- They bad a trying time of it, but not one of them gave in. For seconds at a timb they would be quite obscured by clouds of smoke fantastically shot with myriads of sparks. When that cleared away they could be seen still ; with bent heads,. fighting the fire and, it was apparent, making some impression. Once they were in very real danger. As • they directed the hose from the parapet, tho front windows fell in, a solid mass, of flame leaped through the aperture, and the' men wereL sitting/ on & narrow ledgesome forty feet above the street, arid their means ojf ' retreat practically cut off. " TJiey soon, however^ made an improvement. The- hose was turned on the flames beneath them, another hose played on the flames from the Btreet, and io a few seconds the riskiness of their position was considerably lessened. Meanwhile tlie fire hadl been working round the inside of the block to the old parcels building, next the General Post Office, 6nd it yras necessary to somewhat alter the plan of attack. The big hose ladder was put into position, but onlyjtfter the. most strenuous efforts on the part of the fire-men, who were repeatedly driven back by the flames and smoke. However, they pluckily persevered, and, aided l by the cheers of the crowd, they got the ladder tjp, and Bet to work to subdue the flames from a more advantageous position. Soon the fire in the parcels store began to show the effect of the treatment, ' but the building at the corner of Pananja-street and Feathersfon-street was still a mass of flame, and every now and then the ■wind would send whirling into the darkness of the night millions iof sparks, which formed a, striking pyrotechnic display. '

A BIG TASK