THE DANNEVIRKE FIRE.

Manawatu Standard, Volume XLII, Issue 10114, 23 October 1917, Page 5

THE DANNEVIRKE FIRE.

Fl IRTHER PARTICULARS. {Special Correspondent.) DANNEVIRKE, Oct. 23. For those business people who .suffered the disaster could not possibly have occurred at a more inopportune time. In tho first place many of them had their weekend takings still in their safes, and in the second they were all, practically without exception, heavily stocked, in view of tho Christmas trade —a stock which i,s now quite irreplaceable, even had they anywhere wherein to offer it for sale. Some) had extra insurances on tho additional amount of their holdings, but many did not. Amongst those who will have occasion to remember their visit to Dannevirko were tho speed kings competing at tho motor sports. Most of them put up at the Masonic and Andrews', and while they circled the race track their belongings circled in the air in smoke. Some of them lost goods which £SO would not replace. During the whole inferno not an accidenfi of any consequence occurred. Tho only man to suffer painful physical injury was Mr T. O'Brien, of the local brigade-,- who sustained a severe injury to his head and hands by burns and scalding, having to bo . bandaged. There'. were • many 'other instances of. burns and. bruises, _ but nothing nearly, as serious as o'Brich J s, for which all concerned, may .fuel. 'extremely thankful. Naturally at a time liko this it was not long before' rumour got busy, and tales were circulated about a missing barmaid, and also an elderly lady boarder

at the Masonic Hotel. .Fears were momentarily entertained for their safety, tyifc they turned up very much alive later, :much to the relief of everyone, and, so far as waH known to-day.. there was not the slightest ground for belief that anyone had perished. There certainly were some narrow escapes, but- nothing more serious. The town had the novel experience lasb night of being practically in the dark, as if in anticipation of a Zeppelin raid. When many people went homo from tho sightseeing- in the afternoon and put tho kettle on the gas stove, there was no gas, and they had to set to and boil the kettle on tho stove. The manager of the gas works cut off the supply to the mains directly the outbreak assumed serious dimensions, and just when it would be turned on-again was at tho time of writing, a matter of conjecture. Meanwhile people put up with the temporary inconvenience. Last night those with gas installations went and borrowed candles, and although a growl may often be heard that the gas is poor after the. unexpected experience of last evening much will be heard in this connection. The News suffered in this way, and, owing to the lack of gas for its linotype machines, had to-day to .overt to the old hand-setting system, in order to supply its readers with an account ol tno fire. * RELIEF COMMITTEE SET UP£4ls SUBSCRIBED. \ meeting, convened by the Mayor, was held this afternoon, when a .relief committee was set up. The sum of ££s was subscribed by those present The list was headed by Messrs G. Hunter, MP., and Jonathan Ilolden, who donated £IOO each.