BIG BLAZE

Evening Star, Issue 21709, 2 May 1934, Page 8

BIG BLAZE

HOGG'S JOINERY FACTORY DAMAGED MACHINES AND STOCK ALSO AFFECTED Extensive damage to Messrs Hogg and Co.’s main joinery factory, stock,and machinery was caused by fire yesterday afternoon. It started in the motor well directly underneath the breaking-down saw bench, where the slipping of a belt allowed the. - motor to race, thereby setting up sparking,which is believed to have • set alight a quantity of fine sawdust that had accumulated in the pit: The' draught caused by the huge revolving wheels quicklv fanned the fire into a fierce blaze, ‘ which spread by penetrating through a narrow belt shaft into the main factory above. . At first dense clouds of smoko warned the . employees who were at work breaking down logs of wood into timber, and they rushed to obtain water. But before they could act the blaze burst out from the motor well, and in a moment the place where they had been working was a threatening mass of flame. Greasy belts and tins of oil hanging under . the shaft bearings in the concrete floor of the factory overhead added to the ferocity of the blaze, which pierced through to the factory, where shavings gave further assistance to the fire. Bv this time two engines had arrived from the Central Fire Station, where the call was registered at /3,.3. - A lead of hose was rushed into; action from Buller street, at the rear of the mill, where the fire originated. Poor pressure of water was obtained, and the brigadesmen could only hang_ off till the water pump was brought intocommission. Then, with ample pressure of water, they smartly dealt with, the fire at the saw bench, but were slow in entering the factory, which was at that stage suffering severely. From outward appearances the fire did not seem to be very extensive. The burning of two ventilators in the roof was practically all that the many onlookers could see, so it bo said that from their point of view the blaze was a spectacular one. _ „ Three leads of hose from Buller street were eventually played, on tho flames, whilst at the front of tho building, in Roberts street, two other leads were taken from the second city pump. When the South Dunedin Bngade arrived two more hoses were supplied. Even with so many leads tho firemen had a long battle with the. blaze, which'took over , an hour to control—not before much that had escaped being touched by fire had been soiled , by smoke and water, lying inches deep on the factory floor. . Much belting was destroyed, and twelve of the sixteen machines in tho factory were seriously damaged by fire.Water affected tho others. In tho mill shop all the machines suffered through water. • Whilst very little general stock was burned, most of it was damaged by water. Severs damage was also caused to the re-cently-installed dust exhaust system.It costs thousands, of pounds, being ( the most up-to-date machine of iti type. Very few of the large steelframe windows, extending the full length of the factory, abqut 100 ft, remained instant, and the iron roof waji also ruthlessly torn about.--. ' ■. Particulars of the insurances, which are held by the Alliance Company* are not available.