GREAT FIRE

Manawatu Standard, Volume LV, Issue 255, 25 September 1935, Page 8

GREAT FIRE

3.15 P.M. EDITION

SYDNEY WOOL STORE. ENORMOUS LOSS CAUSED. (United Press Association —By Electric Telegraph.—Copyright.) Received September 25, 1 p.m. SYDNEY, Sept. 25. One of the biggest wool stores in New South Wales was destroyed by fire this morning when the flames razed Goldsbrough Mort’s sevenstorey building at Pyrmont, not far from the centre of Sydney. The damage can only be estimated at present, but the estimates range from £750,000 to £1,600,000. Approximately 80,000 bales of wool were burned and two firemen were injured in the long battle with the flames,. which are still barely under control. One wall of the building, which has a frontage of about 400 yards, crashed across the street, injuring two firemen. The flames extended to the premises of Messrs Pitt, Son and Badgery, which house 100,000 hales of wool, but they were extinguished before substantial damage could be done. A line of goods trucks at Darling Harbour, adjoining Pyrmont, and the goods station itself were reached by the. fire, which has also been controlled in this quarter. It is understood that the insurance is carried by several companies. Later. A representative of Goldsbrough Mort states that only 30,000 bales of wool were destroyed in the fire and the total damage to the wool store amounts to £750,000. It is fully covered by insurance. The bulk of the wool was awaiting sale, but a portion had been sold but not yet delivered. It' seems to have been established that the fire had been smouldering during the night and broke into flames when a draught was caused by the opening of the doors in the morning. Fifteen brigades arrived, but had absolutely no chance.