SPIT FIRE BRIGADE.

Hawke's Bay Herald, Volume XXII, Issue 7625, 24 December 1886, Page 3

SPIT FIRE BRIGADE.

Sm,— ln your report of the fire in yonr issue of the 20th, you comment very strongly on the Spit Fire Brigade not obeyingorders, which you state were given by Superintendent Water-worth re the placing of the Spit engine. No orders were ' received from Superintendent Water-worth as to the placing of the engine, and Mr Waterworth states so himself in an evening paper of the 21at. On the arrival of the Spit engine at the Bon Marchd it was met by Sub-Superin-teudent.Gilberd, who got from it 200 feet of hose," and said, "Take the engine to the well at the Union Bank. 1 ' This was obeyed to the letter. So much for disobeuieuce of orders, nml a better-order could, not have been given, as whcii the engine got tp work the JEv'vninq Ifcws oiliee and the premise's of N, Williams were burning, and nothing to assist the volunteers who were working with buckets and blankets except the town small manual, and thus one of the most dangerous portions of the fire was left to the two manual engines. Had the premises of N. Williams been burnt it meant the destruction of Dickens-street, Emerson-street, Has-tings-street, and probably the whole southern portion of the town. You again mention in strong terms that had the 700 feet of hose possessed by the Spit Brigado been available inTonnyson : str'e'e(;, fully £13,000 of property would have been saved. You do not seem to be aware that 1000 feet of the Spit hose was available in Tennyson-street, viz., 200 taken by Sub-Superintendent Gilbcrd, ami SOO feet on the Spit hose-reel, and that it was t|ie Spit hose and men who got the first water on JDr Cam's and Mr "Wells' residencos; also, that the premises of the Hawke's Bay Herald were on fire before the Spit Brigade readied town, Now about Mr Bcecham carrying instructions to the Spit Brigade. Mr Beecham was on the roof of the old Government' buildings when the Spit engine passed, and so could not give orders, and it is just possible that orders from him would not have been attended to, as orders arc always conveyed by the messengers or members of the brigades in uniform ; other, wise it would be a continual running about trying to obey the orders of the 50 or CO people who were. giving orders on their own responsibility, and were scarcely in a position to know what they were talking about. About shifting the Spit engine from the Union Bank to the postoflice, those in cliaygo of the engine wero quite correct in saying that they had their instructions and were going to stop there. There was no accidental meeting of Mr Miller and ex-Superintendent Wilkie, as Mr Miller was directing ex-Superintendent Wilkie and Fireman Brown nt the brancj) from the Spit engine Emerson-street during the 'whole'tinic it was at work there, and the Spit engine was shifted to the post-office well when it was considered that Emerson-street was out of danger. Our brigade feels keenly the attack on its members, and the Huuai.d people ought to remember that the fire took place on one of our busiest days, and at the busiest time of the day, and that on our arrival in town the most of the places were in full blaze. Those attacks in the newspapers tell against the esprit dc corps by which the brigade is kept together. We are volunteers who cheerfully do our best to protect property, looking for no fee or reward, arid do not wish for anything but justice frpm the Pirns.— l am, «'o'.,' • ■ •' ' W, KIDDKI/l;, Superintendent. Spit, December 23. [Mr Hiddell is inaccurate in many of his statements, We know nothing of what Superintendent Waterwoith has said in an evening paper, but we know that he told us he gave orders for the Spit engine tp gp into Tennyson-street, first by messenger and then personally when he' found the engine in Einorson-strcel. Wo are not aware that 1000 lect of hose were available in Tennyson-street, but on the contrary we know for a fact tliafc the first hose available was that run out after the Spit engine was taken to the postoffice, anil that that hose came from the Enlield-road station of the Napier Brigade. The IlKitAl.tyoilice was not on live when the Spit engine camo to town, as the engine arrived shortly after ijQniQ cases of

' cartridges had been taken out of a building on the other side of the street, and shortly after Mr Martin's shop ignited. Mr Beecliam says that he did convey the message' sent through him by Superintendent Watonvorth, but even if he had not there is Superintendent Waterworth's statement that he personally gave a similar order when thecugine was in Emerson street. There iccu an accidental meeting of Mr W. Miller and ex-Superintondent Wilkio, and that meeting led to the Spit enginebeing taken round tothepost-ollice, for wo were present (it the (imo, and a member of our start' helped to get the engine from the Union Bank yard. Mr Miller was not directing those in charge of the Spit engine all the time it was m the bank yard, for we met him in Ten-nyson-street prior to Mr Wilkie being mot, and it was in Tennyson-street that Mr Miller nrged that tlio Spit engine shonld be brought away from the bank yard. Wo admit that the Spit engine stopped the lire, and if Mr Riddell will look at. our report he will see that we stated the fact in that way, but it was with Napier hose used by the Napier Brigade. Further, if Mr Riddell will read that report, he will see that we did not blame anyone, but that we did say that every member of both brigades worked as if his life.depended upon his efforts, and deserved the most nnslinted praise. What we regretted was that so much zeal slionld have failed in achieving all that was possible. There was a very great and disastrous bungle for which somebody is responsible, and when it comes to a. question of " feeling keenly," Mr Riddell must admit the reasonableness of those who had property destroyed, which might have been saved' by proper management, feeling very "keenly" indeed the loss sustained.— Ed. H.B.U.]