FIRES

Evening Star, Issue 15778, 15 April 1915, Page 5

FIRES

BLAZE IN PRINCES STREET. FACTORY BADLY DAMAGED. Messrs A. and J. Watt’s furniture factory, in’ Princes street south, came near to being completely destroyed by fire t’ is morning; in fact, had it not been for the effective work of the City Brigade in attacking an awkward situation there ■would have been little left standing inside the four walls of the factory. As it :s, the term “gutted” might easily be applied to the upstairs portion, in which a considerable quantity,of valuable furniture and plant has been* either completely burned or rendered quite useless. The outbreak was lirst noticed at 2.45 by Constable Saunders, who broke the Duplex alarm at the Imperial Hotel corner, and bv the time the brigade motors arrived flames wcrc_ already leaping through the skylights, indicating that the place was well alight. Tho factory is situated at the back of tho shop, and from the fireman's point of view its location rendered a speedy attack somewhat difficult ; but once the brigade, having a really good pressure of water available, poured in two streams of water from the Princes and Bond street mains it was only a matter of a few minutes until the tire was under control, and there was no danger to anv neighboring buildings. The cause of the outbreak is onl\' a matter for speculation, for when Mr \\ att, sen., left the factory at 7.50, after going his usual round of inspection, everything appeared quite sate. Possibly* a heated bearing in some of tho machinery on the ground floor caused some shavings to catch fire. At any rate, it would appear that the blaze started on the ground floor near the back of the factory, and the flames leaped to the floor above, where they swept from end to end of the building. Hardly anything in the upstairs portion of the factory was left untouched, white downstairs most of the machinery was more or less damaged, some of it being rendered useless. The building was insured in the Yew Zealand Office for £2OO, and the stocn and plant in the factory in the North Queensland 'Office for £4OO. The factory was previously damaged by fire some three years ago.