THE MACLAGGAN STREET FIRE.

Lyttelton Times, Volume XXV, Issue 1635, 13 March 1866, Page 3

THE MACLAGGAN STREET FIRE.

(From the Otago Daily Times, March 6.)

£15,000 to £20.000 may probably be set down as the money value of the losses caused by the fire in Msiclaggan street, on Saturday night ; and it seems about certain that that loss is directly attributable to the neglect or the tipsiness of the man who was employed as cook at the Caledonian Boarding House, in which the fire originated. Inquiries made yesterday, mainly by detective officers, show the state of facts ; —Daniel Watson, a very respectable man, who was lodging in the Caledonian, and was sick, went to bed about nine o'clock, and at that time there was a large fire in the stove, and cooking going on. The cook was in and out of the house sevaral times and half an hour before the alarm, he got a glass of ale at the Scandinavian Hotel. He was then not tipsy. Watson was roused from sleep by another lodger, known as " Long Tom," shoHting " fireand when he jumped out of bed and opened his door, he was met by flames rushing upstairs from the direction of the kitchen. William Nash slept next to Watson ; and they too, with Tom, were obliged to make for a window. They did this just as the flames burst through from below. Watson got out safely; but Nash, in jumping, was so much shaken that he had to be taken to the Hospital, and the resident Surgeon is of opinion that he has received some severe internal injuries. Edward Levin also suffered so much from his jump for life, that, he too, had to be taken to the Hospital. It is believed that the cook was away when the accident occurred which started the fire : at any rate, a fortnight ago he went away leaving a pot filled with fat on the fire—there was a boiling over—and Mr. T. Bailey and others who came to hia assistance, had great difficulty in then preventing the destruction of the house. Watson believes that the cook was similarly neglectful on Sunday night; and he is sure that the fire began in the kitchen. Mr. and Mrs. Bailey were out taking supper with a neighbour; there was nobody fortunate enough to take Mr. Bailey's place, as the lucky enterer of the kitchen at the moment when the flames might have been stopped; and now he has lost all he had. The house belonged to Mr. T. Colquhoun, but all that Mr. Bailey possessed was invested in the furniture and stock; and he was not insured. He had £250 or £280 in cash and notes; but no part of that sum was saved. To complete this part of the account of thejfire—there was an insurance of £150 on the house, and £50 on the furniture, in the London, Liverpool, and Globe office, but it expired about three .months ago, and was not renewed. The livery stables mentioned yesterday as adjoining the Scandinavian Hotel, were the property of Mr. Hudson, and are at present tenanted by Hugh Gourley. They were not burned, but a small portion of them was pulled down. Tomlinson and Co.'s stables, at the higher end of the cleared space, also escaped with very trifling damage, but the flames did not extend to them. The loss will be trifling. Messrs. Scott and Reid's smithy will need a good deal of repair In the rear of the Caledonian, and rather more than half-way up the rise to High street, stands a cottage, the escape of which was noticed by many on Sunday night. It was for a long while in great danger, and it was seen to smoke freely ; but still it did not ignite. The cause was that the tenant, Mr. K. Lewis, had a good deal of water in casks, &c., and had more readily available from neighbours ; and he and they used it steadily and so well, that they saved the place though the front of it is blistered, and the side is charred. Not a pane of glass was broken. This save was the preservation of a good deal of property ; for if Lewis's cottage had once blazed, the fire would have had an easy march through to High street just at a point where there is a row of two storey dwellings and many cottages. Towards Graham street, where the fire was checked by the nature of the ground, the last place burned was that occupied by Mrs. Lowry, the owner being Mr. Reid, of Scott and Reid. The next place, which at one time seemed certain to disappear, is occupied by Mr. D. Ross. It stood several feet above the level of Mrs. Lowry's cottage, and some yards from it. The flames were not strong enough to reach across, and there were no fences or out-houses to help them. The following list of the premises destroyed is not complete; but it is more nearly so than we at first hoped to be able to make it: —

T. Hudson's Scandinavian Hotel: Mr. Hudson owned this hotel, the adjoining livery stables, two ships, and a house in their rear. The hotel was insured for £500 in the New Zealand Company ; but there will be a loss of about £1500 on the whole of the property. This is exclusive of furniture and stocks. Probably £2000 will be about Mr. Hudson's total loss. James Black, baker and grocer, was insured for £200 in the Royal office. His loss will be about £800. T. Colquhoun's house. William Burns, boot and shoemaker; loss, £150 to £200. The Caledonian Boardding House stood next, divided from Mr. Burns's by a right-of-way. We have given some particulars of Mr. Bailey's loss above. It amounts to about £800, Ralph Levy, owner and occupier of a cottage, which was not insured; furniture all destroyed. John Harris, house and furniture destroyed *, the former having been the property of Mr. James Kilgour. The three next houses were owned by Mr. James Souness. They were valued at £500, and were not insured. A cottage belonging to Mr. G. Ander son, valued at £70, and uninsured. Caxton Printing Office, George Watson: Just a week ago, an insurance xipon the place expired, and it was not fenewed. A good deal of the type was destroyed, notwithstanding the hard work of some w brother typos " in trying to clear out the place; and the presses defied all the attempts made to move them. Mr. Watson also lost nearly all the clothing of his wife and family. His loss wiirprobably near £400, Two houses owned

by Mrs. Provost and Mr. Lovell. There were some other buildings at the back belonging to Mr. Lovell; and he had an insurance of £300 on them in the Australasian office. The Melbourne Hotel, James Johnstone: Mrs. Johnstone has been managing the house for some time, her husband being at Greymouth. There was a good deal of stock in the place, obtained only last week ;• and very little of it or of the furniture was saved. A bag, containing between £60 and £70 in gold, notes, and cheques, togther with some jewelry, was saved from the fire; but subsequently Mrs. Johstone and a friend were called away from the house in which they were sheltering, in order to identify some furniture, and the bag was left behind. When Mrs. Johnstone returned, she found the bag and the jewelry in it; but the gold, notes and cheques had vanished. Such is the account given by Mrs. Johnstone. One would like to think, if possible, that the money was mislaid or lost; but Mrs. Johnstone is positive that it was not. The hotel was insured in the New Zealand office for £500 ; but a policy in another office expired about ten days ago. We could not obtain an estimate of the loss. It must be heavy. Four cottages belonging to Mr. Brookmant. Three houses, or small shops, belonging, we believe, to Mr. D. Davis. James L. Taylor, grocer, provision, and spirit dealer. Mr. Taylor's store was of stone ; but the fire got in through the zinc roof and a door at the back. Mr. Taylor owned a cottage and his own residence at the back ; and upon the whole of his property and stock he was insured for £750 in the Imperial office. He loses about £900. As to the houses at the back, we may take the right-of-way adjoining the Melbourne Hotel. The house of Mr. Shepperd, which he owned and whish was worth £30, most of his furniture being saved, and Mrs. Braithwaite, who occupied part of the place, being similarly fortunate; Mr. J." P. Auguetil's, his loss being £250 or £300 ; Mr. Waterhouse's, worth from £50 to £70, and a second, which he bought about a week ago; Mr. J. Coleman's ;three houses; a row of three houses; A. Monaghan's house and stable; Mr. Cooper's and Captain Murdoch's, which was worth at least £100. Behind the Caledonian, there were four cottages belonging to Mr. Bailey ; and also Colquhoun's stables and feed store; he was insured for £200 in the New Zealand office, but he must lose a considerable sum, Mrs. Reece and Hugh Gourley, who occupied one of Mr. Hudson's houses, complete the list of sufferers, so far as we have been able to obtain it. A meeting of the agents of locally-represented Insurance Companies was held yesterday afternoon, at the offices of Messrs. Houghton and Co. Stafford street. A statement of the destroyed property insured was handed in, showing the following offices to be interested for the following amounts stated Royal £200 ; New Zealand, 1,200 ; Imperial, £750; Australasian, £300.