THEATRICAL STUDIO FIRE

Evening Star, Issue 19773, 25 January 1928, Page 3

THEATRICAL STUDIO FIRE

MR DE SPONG'S HEAVY LOSS MANY COSTUME SETS DESTROYED Insured for £I,OOO, the theatrical costumes and equipment destroyed in the fire in Jamieson’s Building, Lower Stuart street, last evening, were worth many times that amount. It was a disastrous fire for Mr T. De Spong, whose collection of theatrical costumes, reputed to be the most valuable in Australia and New Zealand, was irreplaceable. The cause of the fire is unknown. Mr De Spong, whose studio is on the second floor, did not leave the building until 5.30 p.m. Ho had been busy unpacking costumes returned by various amateur societies throughout the dominion, and had carefully gone through the costumes to find dangerous articles, such as matches at pieces of film, left in the pockets. There was not a sign of fire at chat time. At about 5.55 o’clock an employee of Turnbull and Jones, on the ground floor, left the building and there were no visible signs of tire. Yet within three minutes ho heard the automatic alarm ringing loudly.

The brigade was quickly on the spot, and made a splendid save. Yet within a short time thousands of pounds’ worth of valuable costumes were ruined. Complete sets were destroyed, one being of the original costumes purchased by the late Air Tom Pollard for the production of the ‘ Forty Thieves.’ One beautiful Queen Elizabeth silk brocade costume alone was worth £4U. All the Shakespearean costumes were destroyed, also. According to the terms of the policies held in two offices, the Ocean and the New Zealand Companies, not more than £TO is payable on any one article, save for one or two exceptions covered by special clauses. The insurances totalled only £I,OOU, and Mr De Spong is a heavy loser. His stock had a dominion and, Australian reputation, and to replace it—though not to the same satisfaction—with new costumes a special trip to London will be necessarv.

structurally, little damage was done, tor the automatic alarm called the brigade quickly. A tierce tire was burning when the brigade arrived, and the men were hampered by the dense clouds of brown smoke which rolled from Mr De Spong’s studio. Mr R. Patterson’s in-

dent rooms immediately below the studio, and Turnbull and Jones’s showroom and offices, oil the ground floor, suffered from water. The tenants pay a tribute to the efficiency of the brigade. Bags of sawdust were spread on th« floors to soak up the water, while tarpaulins wer; spread over the damageable goods. The only other tenant to suffer damage was the Otago Women’s Club, whose furnishings and fittings were damaged by smoke only 7. The tire had a dangerous aspect at first, and if the alarm had not been sounded so promptly the brigade would have had difficulty in fighting the fire, as the partitions were of wood.

The Brigade was called tn the above Outbreak by the VIGILANT AUTOMATIC F.IBE ALARM, Installed by TU BN BULL AND JONES, LTD., 7S-80 Stuart street. INQUIRIES INVITED. —[Advt.J