FIRE AT DEFENCE OFFICE

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LII, Issue 161, 5 July 1918, Page 4

FIRE AT DEFENCE OFFICE

CONSIDERABLE DAMAGE DONE. _ | REGIMENTAL. QUARTERS I GUTTED. \ FINE WORK BY FERE BRIGADE. About 10 o'clock 4ast night a. fire wais observed in the Defence Office buildings. The attention of Constable Berth elsen, who. was ini th£ Police Station opposite, was attracted by a series of slight explosions, . and. on; - goiiig ' outside to investigate he saw that the Defence buildings were oil fire. He rang the firebell, and. the Brigad'e quickly, responded. The splendid work by the firempm, resulted in the outbreak being quelled , in about ten minute®. When the Fri- ; gade started the'fire had' a big hold of the storeroofn -on the ground floor and the. 12th Regiment's office above., but so effective were' their efforts that the T flames were confined to two ; ro6ms * The dense smoke made | work of the firemen more difficult. j | A Territorial parade was held ; evening, and Captain -Hammond turned out the lights at 9 o'clock. There was t then no smell of. fire or anything unusual: *

The fire; evidently originated amongst clothing on'-'the "shelves in : the storeroom. situated at (the south-western corner qf the- building. The flames, rani up the wall to tlie office aibove occupied by. i/ieut. Behzies. J.n this office,, which tvas gutted, were located the 12th. Regiment. records, and these have been mord or less destroyed by fire. In the adjoining rooihs, occiipi6d. by the Area Staff and Commander, pradticallv no' damage'was done,-, arid to-day ,it was "business [as usual"-'in these offices. The same applies to the Area SergeantMajor's room on the ground floor, adjoining the storeroom. • . Ijfc is - diffioult''tb estimate the losses, at present. The Regimental -library, valued at £SO, ha 9 goner and; in the stor-v room a great amount of ■ clothing been' deistroyedv A new issue of; clothing had -just arrived ffljm Christ church. Lieut.. Bethzies wais on- the scene" 'a few mirautes after the alarm was sounded. His first was to secure the Nhrdenfeldt guns captured 1 from the German©. These, guns'-are war trophies presented to the City of Nelson, and had "been removed from the 'Municipal Buildings for the purpose of being put together;.- They were got out endamaged and "placed in the H'Battery room. The Regimental colours, were kept in the Area Office, were destroyed. The sword used by the late Colonel Pitt at the Queen's! Diamond Jubilee celebrations "in ■ 1897, and presented to the Nelson Garrison by Mrs McDonald (a daughter) was ia a glaes-c6vered case in the Area Office J Beyond a break in the glass* the case and! sword' came through uninjured. The explosions . Jieardi by . Constable Berth el sen were caused by the discharge of, blank cartridges 1 . There were only one or two packets of these on the premises. It was fortunate ithat they were tliere, as 1 the explosions undoiibtedly led to the fire feeing discovered at an earlier stage ith "an it would otherwise have been. With a few minutes-' _ more start of the Brigade the .probability is that the whole of the office quarters would have been gutted. , . - Carpenters and plumbers Have been at work" on the premises for some time. Some 6f the work of the former has been affected by the fire. The workmen's tools were on the place, but suffered no damage. ' • V '

! It is difficult -to arcount for the ovi'gin of the * fire, more espdialy as, so far as T-ientenant Benzies knows, ' no lone was in the storeroom'. yesterday or la=t night. _ , The furniture irn the 12t.1i Regi'ment ''Office was insured for £SO in the Phoevix 'Office, nnd it is understood this is the only insurance, the buildings wot i.'bemg covered. ii On all hands are to lie lizard remmfe i hdchlv complimentary to the Fsro Brii- ; gado for the manner in * which' they ' coped with the outbreak. .A FIREMAN IN JUIRE'D, \" 'Puling .the Brigade's. operations Fbreimnn C.- Stewart rrW- with a Fomewhat. j severe. accident. He wm engaged' in!J operations from ' t.Vfc • ground, when a ■sheet of glass fell" from an rippitain'R window and .stbniok bam on the henrf and face. • He. was- <takcu-'to iDv G'ibbs : for attention, the out® necessitating several stitches.