FIRE IN RATTRAY STREET

Evening Star, Issue 12765, 19 March 1906, Page 7

FIRE IN RATTRAY STREET

There were serious possibilities attached to the fire at Messrs Scouilar and Chisholm'fl manufacturing warehouse, in Rattray street, on Saturday night. Had the' wind been at all high, tho safety of the adjoining buildings would have been more than imperilled, aid almost for a certainty the Warehouse would have been entirely demolished. But the evening was calm, and, this aided to a very great extent tho combative force brought to bear on the fire by the brigade. From some points of vantage the scene Was quite spectacular. The view obtained from the back of the building was perhaps the most, impressive. Here tho interior of the building appeared to be a solid, seething mass of' flame. Great tongues of fire ran along beneath the top floor in lurid horizontal rollers. The breaking in of a door, or the smashing of a 4 window disclosed within sheets of devouring flame, rising higher and higher in their ferocious endeavor for supremacy. Attunes a murmur of nervous apprehension would run through the crowd as an intrepid fireman, throwing discretion to the winds, made defiance of the flames and stepped across tho barrier which divided comparative safety from almost certain destruction. One member of the brigade, with excessive daring, got on to the roof at the lower end of the building, and broke rn a skylight erection in order to allow a play of water on to the top storey. His position was most precarious, and his successful were recognised bv the vast crowd oy an enthusiastic cheer, "it was an earnest recognition of the work of courage and duty. At about this time the fire had been pretty well got under on the lower floors of tho warehouse, and tho enemy was compelled to find food for its appetite on the extreme top story. Spits of flame of varied colors shot themselves through crevasses in the roofing, but were promptly checkmated by a perfect deluge of water. After nearly a couple of hours' hard fighting the fire was completely mastered, and the fire brigade were enabled to seek some well-earned and thoroughly deserved rest. It seemed a coincidence that Mr Thos. Chisholm ahould be a traveller on the Roslyn tram some time after eight o'clock. His attention was directed to smoke issuing from the warehouse. He immediately & ot off the tram, and, assisted by Mr 0. Speight, admission was gained to the building. Hero it was found that the fire had apparently started in the cabinetmakers' shop. The two gentlemen immediately got to work, and connected the fire apparatus, which is always in readiness on the ground floor of the warehouse, were able to make but little impression on the flames, and it was with consider&hie relief they heard the arrival of the fire brigade, and were able to hand over their onerous task to Captain Mitchell and his gallant band of fire fighters. The brigade quickly" got three leads of l|in hose to work on the front of the building, and these were afterwards taken inside, the two small hoses previously utilised by Messrs Chisholm and Speight also being brought into requisition. The details of the brigade's labors have already been noted. In conversation with Captain Mitchell after the fire had been subdued, he stated that he-had been able to effect a big salvago on the top floor. Where the greatest damage had been done was on the second floor. The machinery on the ground floor was all right—the brigade had saved that. The fire had been most stubborn under the monkey roof, where a large quantity of flock and kapok had been stored. It was 1 impossible for a time to get a lead into it with the hose, and it was only after some sheets of roofing had been taken off that a flow of water could be brought to bear on the flames. He had had at his command a really fine pressure of water, and that, combined with the earnestness and enthusiasm of his men, had assisted him in practically geting the firo within limited bounds in the space of three-quarters of an hour. Captain Mitchel spoke warmly of the loyalty of those under his command. Seventeen men turned up to the call of duty, and some of these had only just returned from a picnic party, and were naturally more disposed for tie repose of home than indulgence in arduous arid dangerous work. But they had responded willingly and cheerfully to tho duty call, a,«id had labored with willing hearts and ready hands. To this statement the enormous crowd at Saturday night's fire will add hearty acquiescence, wo are sure. An anxious spectator of Saturday evening's event was Mr R. Chishoun, He

could give no ■ idea at till as to how the fire could possibly have onginated. Every precaution was (systematically'taken to pre- , vent an outbreak, and on each floor of the building care was daily 'observed so that everything should be left "in proper order and condition. The workshops were kept in a state of perfect cleanliness. Only that ' day a dance could have been held on the ground floor at the time of the final closing 1 of the warehouse. About forty hands were i "employed in that portion of the business, • and ho was glad to say that he thought he would be able to make such arrangements as Would enable them to continue their employment without a break. The work- ' ing machinery had not been damaged by the fire,~'but a good deal of subsidiary, machinery, patterns, etc., had been rendered I practically useless. Roughly estimating it ■. on the spur and in the anxiety of the mo- , ment, he believed the carnage dono'wouM > amount to between £ljsoo and £2,000. The insurances were as follows: '■ On the building: Norwich Union, £250; ' Royal Exchange, £150; Standard, £250; ■ Liverpool and London and Globe, £250; I, total, £9OO. On the machinery: Norwich Union, • £250; Livorpool and London and Globe, j £250; Alliance, £175; total, £675. •■ On the stock: Alliance, £75; Royal Ex- ; change, £150; Phcenix, £250; total, £475; ! grand total, £2,050. During the progress of the fire traffic oh , the Roslyn tram line was suspended. 1 Revisiting this morning the scene of the fire one feels more surprised than eVer that the Brigade were able to save anything. As a matter of fact, the old wooden building ! (the original portions were put up i five years ago) shows very little damage i from the outside. The fire evidently started ! clos>e to the telephone, on the second floor, I i near the foreman's bench, and it consumed ' everything close by, also making a devastat- . ■ ing lick in an upward direction, and spoil- I ing the roof and upper parts of the walls. "When Mr M'Peak, foreman of the fac- I tory, arrived at the fire, he at Once drenched ' the machinery in oil and covered it with wet sacking, or whatever he could find handv, so as to save tho appliances, if possible, from damage by water. Thanks to this precaution, several of the machines were all right after cleaning this morning. The machines most damaged are the ■ fretsaw, with which puzzles were cut at the 1889 Exliibition, a chairmaker'6 saw, an iron crosscut saw bench, two lathes, a I rounding machine, and a borer. The rest j of the machinery is practically all right, ! thanks to the special exertions of the firemen. The good 1 work done with the three factory hydrants before the Brigade arrived also had much to do with keeping the fire in check. Following the usual practice where an inflammable stock is beinp dealt with, Captain Mitchell detailed one of the firemen to remain on the premises for the night Fireman J. Tonkinson, the man chosen, kept watch with Mr MTeak and two of the factory hands, and it was a good job they , were there, for at 2 a.m. on Sunday tho , kapok on the roof floor broke into a" blaze [ again. It was soon put out, but whilst engaged in .this task Mr MTeak fell through the hatchway on to the upper ( floor and twisted his knee. There were two { tons of flock stored in the mansard roof , and fifty-four bales kapok. All this is spoilt. • A more leisurely examination confirms Mr Chisbolm's estimate of nearly £2,000 loss. ' Amongst the stock" were quantities of fut'nrturc waiting to bei carted to the showJv rooms, and the total loss on stock must exceed the £475 insurance by nearly three 1 times. The shop 'where the fire originated is f subjected to a weekly cleaning, and once in 1 three montlis the benches and everything else are taken right out. This periodic cleaning took place on the day of the fire, 1 the men finishing it at noon. There was | absolutely no fire used in the building. ■ The only fireplace about the place is out- | side, at the boiler. The men go there for | all the fire- they want, even to heat the ■ glue. Tho caretaker locked up the place at 1 a few ..minutes past twelve on the Saturdav. • It may ba added that smoking is not al- ' lowed in or about the factory. The handy resumed work this morning.

and Mx MTeak - expects to haro the fao-':'.-tory in full swing at its regular work "by SaturdaySeveral offers of the us© of maehmfiry and . floor space/have been made to tie firm.