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Evening Star, Volume VII, Issue 1936, 20 July 1869, Page 3

Incendiarism at Greymouth. —The West Coast Times of July 13, has the following, which is dated Greymouth, July 12 A felonious attempt was made last night to set lire to the premises of Messrs Sampson and ('ook, furniture dealers, in Tanner a; reel, and which, but for the prompt measures taken by tlm members of the Fire Brigade, would have destroyed a whole block of buildings, and p.rhaps the whole of the town. About two o’c ock this morning, the people of the house adjoining were roused from their sleep by the cracklb g noise and the smoke issuing from the house of Sampson and Cook, and at once gave the alarm. The Fire Brigade turned out, and the engine was brought to the scene of action in a few minutes. That this has been a premeditated, carefully-laid plot, there can be no doubt, as a whole heap of shavings and palings, with other combustibles, were found under the house j"and’ the lire must have been burning for some time before the discovery was made, as the flooring boards under the house were smouldering away in different places. Fortunately the building was a new one, and the witness of the timber prevented the flames fiom striking through, llgd it been otherwise, the house would have been in a blase before any notice could lie taken of it. The inhabitants of Greymouth are greatly alarmed, and it is supposed by many that the late disastrous lire which destroyed the blocks oidy a short time ago, originated in the same manner, the lire having been kindled under the house, and burned through the floor of the billiard room in the Melbourne Hotel, which was the place where the fire was seen first.