GREAT FIRE AT WELLINGTON.

Manawatu Herald, Volume I, Issue 83, 17 June 1879, Page 2

GREAT FIRE AT WELLINGTON.

(Condensed from the New Zealander.) Last night, shortly before 8 o'clock, the fire-bells pealed out an alorm. In a moment almost the tidings spread that the Imperial Opera House, in Manners-street, was afire, and there wns an instant rush in that direction. The news proved too true. A dense body of ainoke, followed all too quickly by an outburst of flame, was seen rising from the building, and increased with nlarming rapidity The fire brigades, with their appliances, were quickly on the spot, but a very casual glince gave proof convincing that the brigades had all their work cut out. Almost in less time than it is taken to write these lines the bl'izs had increased uut.il it had illumined the whole city. The brigades got their hoses to play and ladders up against the front of the building, and did •what they could as a preliminary effort, but there did not appear, however, to be at this juncture any effort made to get the water to play inside the building. Very little of any value was saved beyond the dresses, but Mr Montague Browne succeeded in saving the books of the Opera House Company, and also some valuable manuscripts of plays. The fire, as we have said, was from the outset too great to be controlled. Breaking out as it did in the topmost place of a large building it spread unohecked, and soon there was no hopes of keeping it within bounds. A breeze sprang up, caused to some extent by the conflagration itself, and in a very short time the whole theatre building was one immense furnace of fire, the flames shooting up in vast flakes, threatening des» truction to all around. Soon the spire of the Wesleyan Church on the other side of the way took fire, and the fate of that, building was sealed. Swiftly and surely the relentless enemy spread downwards, until the painted wooden gables and fretted work of the fronb of the building was all ablaze, and the flames soon penetrated to the interior of the building. While this was burning, and all human energy was powerless to avert the destruction, the Bank of New Zealand building, a brick structure with slated roof, separated from the Opera House by an open space of some 30ffc,caught fire at its weak point, some ornamental woodwork on the roof, and that building too was doomed to destruction. The iumates evidently had faith till the last in the brick walls and slated roof being fire-proof, for it wad not till the roof was fairly ablaze and the flames coming throtfgh the inward ceiling, that they began hurriedly to remove the furniture and bank papers. A whole batch of the latter, brought hurriedly round the comer, were caught by an eddy of wiad, and sent whirling into the air amid the flames. The walls of the bank stojd, but all else was consumed. This building, we hear; was not insured, it being deemed so safe from its position and structure, that an offer recently made to insure at Ids per cent premium was held over for consideration. The conflagration was also spreading in other directions. The shops in the lower portion of the Opera House buildiog, were, of course, soon sacrificed ; the Working Men's Club shared the same fate, and the fire spread to Back an;i Tonka' mill, and rearwards *o Eddie and Jack's premises, and J. GK Maoarthy's raalthouse, which were gutted. Mountain's Hotel [the New Zev lander] was for a time in great jeopardy, but wa3 saved. On the o ther side of the street the flames from the burning Church spread in both directions. Graves and Fleming's shop, and the intervening buildings were all ablaze, and likewise the small shops on the other side, down as far as Helyer's monumental stone yard. At the rear of these front premises were a number jof small dwellings, wooden struo* tures and shingle roofs, and they burnt as if made of tinder. The school building at the rear of the Church and facing Dixon street was burnt to the ground. The fire was kept from extending further up (he street ; but in the other direction there was no chance of stopping 1 the flames. The Nag's Head stables, were soon ablaze ; but fortunately at an early stage of the fire, two entire horses and several others, were taken away safely. The old historic Nag's head, one of the earliest built hostelries in Wellington, was soon sacrificed. Soon the flames spread over the street to Emeny's hotel, to the corporation building next ad* joining, once intended for a market, thence to the premises of Messrs. Williams and Cameron, at the oorner of Cuba street, and the fear was that it would spread back' wards until the whole block would he consumed as far as Oourtenay place. Happily this destrnotion was averted, the fire being stayed at Mr Bohan's coach factory. Almost buperhun?an efforts were made to prevent its further extension to Cuba street and Dixon street. In that wide thoroughfare, and right opposite the Nag's Head corner and stables, stands Smith's Te Aro House. 1 1 was all Lombard street to an orange tnat it would bs burnt, and bad it gone Heaven only knows where the conflagration would have stayed. The breeze from the harbor set in dead in that direction, huge tongues of flame ever and anon leaped vengefully across the street, seeking more prey. The walls of the building smoked with heat, and the paint blistered and crackled, but well-directed plucky efforts saved the building. Blankets were got out in quantity, and hung over the parapet of the buildings, and kept well deluged with water from tanks on the roof, The Fire Brigade played on the front of the building all the water that could be spared from a very manifestly insufficient supply, and kept the walls, to some extent, cool, out the best service in this respect was rendered by one of Mr Smith's staff, who,

stationed on the corner verandah of the buildiujr with a small ho<e, seemed to be andpwe'dw'ith the endurance of a salamander He reudered excellent service, and deserves ill praiso for his pluck and endurance. Thus hurriedly we have de.sni^bed fche uliont points of this great conflagration, the direst disaster of the kind that has yet happened in Wellington, and the extent of which in monetary value, apart from tho gigantic loss in trade and individual suffering, cannot be estimated. Probably £100,000 will be well within the margin of actual monetary los*. It lias been- tho largest fire occurring in Wellington since 1867, when, as will be remembered, tho old South South Sea Hotel, James' Furniture Warehouse, and a number of surrounding properties were consumed. Probably the correct information will never bo obtained as to how the fire hap* pened. The alarm among the residents in the locality was widespread; the adjacent streets for huudreds of yards in every direction were strewn with articles of furniture, which W9re hurriedly removed from business places. In many instances, very little was saved, the flames spreading with such alarming rapidity that householders gazing on their neighours' misfortunes and lending a helping hand, found all.toj soon their own possessions ablaze. The following list, so far as wo oan get present information,enum6rates the properties destroyed : In Manners street (wholly destroyed) — Opera House, including Working Men's Club, Fugleman's Fancy Bazaar, Smith's oyster saloon, and some other small shops ; Bank of New Zealand ; Beck and Tonks mill ; and at the rear, damaged, Eddie and Jack's premises, Crawford' s bonded store, T. E. Macarthy's malthouse, 4 oontents also damaged. On the opposite side of the way the following premises — Simeon, tailor ; Marryatt, tobacconist ; Young's oyster saloon ; Weßleyan Church ; Rickman, bootmaker : Scott, ironmonger : Elder, fruiterer ; Graves & Fleming, drapers ; Helyer, mason ; Petford, gasfitter ; Crosae, dentist ; Back, tobacconist. In Cuba street — Nag's Head Hotel and stables, the old Market, Emeney's Hotel, Williams and Cameron's leather Bhop ; Ashton & Jacobs, boot store ; JBro svn, cabinetmaker. Messrs Whitehouse's, Smith's, and Maddens premises were injured. In Dixon street— The Weßleyan School, and in the block bounded by Dixon and Manners streets, a number of small private dwellings. The insurances on the Opera House amount to L7OOO, the risks being held by the New Zealand and South British Companies, The cost of the building asfinishnd in May, 1878, was for structure, L 7732 ; stage fittings, L 753; decorations and scenery L 709 ; gas fittings, &0., L 40 9; stage and house buildings, L 773; total, L.10,459. The Wesleyan Church was insured for L3OOJ, and we hear that Graves and. Fleming's stock was tolerably well insured. The Working Meu's Club was insured for L 650. By 2 a.m. the fire was reduced to a smouldering heap of cinders, and a broad unsightly gap murks the scene of this great disaster.