MIDNIGHT BLAZE

Gisborne Times, Volume LXIV, Issue 11011, 25 January 1926, Page 5

MIDNIGHT BLAZE

GROSVENOR TEA ROOMS PARTLY GUTTED. FIRE SPREADS WITH AMAZING RAPIDITY, , U BY WATER TO MR ROSIE’S DRAPERY STOCK BRIGADE’S SPLENDID SAVE. What at first threatened to be a .serious, 'conflagration occurred in town shortly after midnight on Saturday night in the Grosvenor Tea Rooms conducted by Mrs Anderson in the top storey above the drapery establishment of Mr C. Rosie at the corner of Gladstone Road and Bright Street, who owns the property. It seenis that a party given by Miss Napier had been in progress in the tea rooms during the evening, dancing concluding shortly after midnight. At 12.10 a.m. Mrs Anderson, Mr McConnell and a youth Ivan Noel Charles, were the last to leave the building. Hardly had the door been closed when Charles smelt smoke and, on looking up, observed flames leaping towards a window, in Bright Street just on the Gladstone street side of the entrance to the tearooms. He ran across the street and gave the alarm from the box. Hust afterwards Mr Barnard, who was driving a gig, and had reached the intersection of Bright Street with Gladstone Road, noted the oiitbreak and hurried off to the fire station but before he got there the bell was ringing. The adjacent streets were quickly enveloped in thick, black smoke. With great promptitude, Superintendent Kane and his fire-fighters hastened to th© scene and made what one and all of the on-lookers rightly regarded as a wonderful “save”. It was surprising how . speedily the flames were spreading. To enable dancing to be indulged in the chairs and tables had been arranged around the sides of the tea room so that most of the room was empty. But within a minute or two, flames were emerging from all the windows along tile Bright Street frontage and not much further time elapsed before they were breaking out of the windows on the main street.

It is presumed that the outbreak occurred in or near a cloak room and that at that point they reached the ceiling. In addition to travelling to wards the front of the building, hardly a nook or-corner escaping, the flames gutted the office, pantry, kitchen and other apartments at the back of the main tea room. No serious constructional damage appears to have been done to the main walls, but a very large portion of the ceiling will require to be renewed, whilst the back apartments will have to be completely renovated. As for the furniture and piano the damage consists mostly of a severe scorching. The brigade’s task was made harder by the fact that it was necessary in addition to speedily suppressing the outbreak to restrict, as far as possible, damage by water to Air Rosie’s drapery stock. Mr Pitcher, the nightwatchman, caused a phone message to be conveyed to Air Rosie, v'ho lost no time in reaching the premises. It was now that the brigadesmen. under Superintendent Kane, and with the help of Mr Rosie and members of his staff, did equally valuable work. A great deal of water was finding its way into Mr Rosie’s shop, especially about the, centre of the building, and all the stock that could be moved was taken towards the front which remained comparatively dry. Coverings were placed over as much of the rest as possible. The fact remains that a large proportion of the stock must be found on the re-open-ing of the premises this morning to have been badly damaged by smoke and water.

The insurances are as follows: Building and fittinns, Standard Office £2500, Royal Office £-500. Rosie and Co.’s stock, fixtures and fittings, Alliance Office £3600; South British Office £1000; Mercantile and General Office £2000; New Zealand Office £-500. Airs Anderson’s contents : Eagle Star and British Dominions Office, £612 10 s.

£20 ; 000 DAMAGE AT DORRIGO. United Press Assn.—Copvright.l SYDNEY, Jan. 23. A ; Sre at Dorrigo destroyed a block of business premises. The damage was £20,000. —U.P-A. HOTEL REDUCED TO RUIN'S. 8 DEAD; 20 INJURED. (Received Jan. 24, 5.5 p.m.) VANCOUVER, Jan. 24. At least eight persons are dead and a score injured, with the possibility of other bodies being in the ruins of the La Fayette Hotel at Allentown (Pennsylvania), which was burned this morning.—AN. Z.C. A. Protect yourself against losses by fire by insuring with the Norwich Union Fire Insurance Society, Ltd.— IV. Lissant Clayton.