FIRES.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XVI, Issue 5419, 31 March 1879, Page 3

FIRES.

FIRE IN SOMERSET-PLACE. At two o'clock a.m., on March IG, the \ e wton lirebells tolled out the signal that a lire had broken out. Jt was some time time before the City Fire Brigade or the lice cou ld exactly determine the locality of the fire. In Newton, however, it was more speedily discovered, and. was found to be in Somerset-place, a by-street leading oil £ o we-street, opposite the entrance to the Industrial Home. The placc in flames was a well-finished, wooden, fourroomed house, with skillion at the rear, owned and occupied by Mr. Joseph McCafhey, clerk in the employ of Mes*r3. £. s aud A. Isaacs. Tho whole of the interior of tho house was plastered with ornamentally-finished ceilings, &c., and furnished m a most elaborate manner. The occupants of the house were Mr. McCnghey, was sleeping iu a back-room, Mrs. McCaghey, who was sleeping in a front rooci. and their son, a boy about nine years ci age. Mrs. McCaghey was the fir.-.t, we believe, to discover the lire. She was awakened by a sense of suffocation, and went into the back kitchen to ascertain whence the smoke proceeded. In this kitchen there i 3 an American stove, fixed a short distance from the paititioo, and tho pipe of which leada through the roof. As a sort of protection, at the back of the stove there was a plate of sheet-iron fastened against the partition, and it was at the back of this plate tbat the tire had taken hold. She at once aroused her husband «nd son, and they rushed iuto the street iu their night-dresses, raising the alarm. A few neighbours quickly gathered on the spot, amongst others Messrs. William

and Robert Gault, members of the Newton Fire Brigade, Mr. Jenkins, a near neighbour, Constable Abrams, aud s»»me others. The back portion of the building was then in flames, which were breaking through the roof, and it was quickly spreading to the front; so those present set to work to savtJ some furniture, and succeeded to some extent. Meanwhile the Newton Fire Brigade had arrived with prompt alacrity on the scene, but there was no wati r available. The mams arc being laid through Howe-street, but there was no water in them, and the nearest fire-plug was at the corner of the street and Ks'ranjhripe Iload. Their small supply of hose (only -100 fe-jt) was inadequate to bring a lead to the tire, so they set to worfc. chains of buckets to prevent the tlaines spreading to the bouses, for it was utterly futile to attempt to save the building itself. S.-on afterward the Salvage Corps' trap with a stai: of men under Captain Butler eaine up and they brought their handengines into operatioL, obtaining supplies of water from the wells and tank of the adjoining premises, by means of which they rer.d'.red good service in keeping the fire confined. The wall of tho adjoining house, owned and occupied by Mr. William Onions, which was only separated from the burning mass by a passage six feet wide, was much charred, and was frequently on lire. So also was tLe roof, but by ti.e most strenuous ell* ris tl e«e outbreaks weie checked. At length the City Fire Brigade came up. aud snon had a stream of water laid on from Karangabapc Boad, which was fully compereut to deal with tlie ihmes, and they

wore soon put out, all danger being over l»3* hair-past J5 o'clock. Some terious accidents ns wet* ad narrow escapes occurrtd during the ~»rogroas of the lire. When it was turning fiercely iu the front room, Mr. MeCagnev rushed into i: in a very excite.i state, to try, as he said, r> save a* wardrobe, in which theiv were some valuable papers Abraris, who saw his danger, sprung iu after him, and forced him ou: of the window, but being himself jammed in a corner, he was unable to tret away, the passage being bi'.cked by a- table. Just then the whole t)la=tered c<iii3g, which is estimated to weiLa about halt a ton, fell with a crsch. Thecousrahle did not escape scathless. Stuie of the falling plaster aud struck hiui on the h- ad and V<ack, aud hw arms aud hacd* ■were severely scorched, but he suecrtded m springing over the impediment iu the hall, arid so go: out. The falling plaster in the hall struck Mr. Jenkins and Mr. Kobtrt Gault, who had been most tnergetic in their efforts to save property. Mr. Bobert Gault was struck on the head aud back by the falling plaster, and was thrown forward. Hisboay, h< ad, and arms are mech scorched, especially the latter. Mr. Jenkins escaped without any material injuries, and Mr. \\ il« liam Gault was also equally as fortunate. The building was insured in tbe Norwich Union oiiice for £000, and the furniture for ct'loo. but theso insurances are far from covering the loss, for the estimated value of the house was £400, and of the furniture from £*200 to £300, including a quantity of pictures and articles of vertu.

FIRE AT NELSON-STREET.

At 0 o'clock a.m., on March 24th, a fire was discovered breaking our of the back of Mr. D. Gouk's premises in Freeman's Bay. >•"i. G«*uk :s the occupier of a shipbuilder's establishment, iod r-2 :5 in which the tire was dtscorerid ">•" - sheet ir rhe rear of his premise?. TL-. 2**•'email's Bay bell out ti>. alar.'r.. tin.i it v.*.'*-. taken ' ;v - ?.r;.j -jity belis. The ou? : jous.-» wan tiie n\irey of th: -i'lnis* whf:. the Kire Brizaie arrived on the scene, although strenuous efforts had been made to save it. The arrival of the Auckland Fire Brigade. under Superintendent Hughts 4 with i aa tnicient supply of hese, soon put an tnd to speculation, and set the minds of property-holders in the neighbourhood it rest. Mr. Gouk, the owner of the premises, is a considerable loser, as the store wr-a rilled Vrith ship chandlery and other iniiammable materials, which were not insured. The estimated value of the and property is from £000 to £000. There was no fire-place on the premises, and it is supposed that the origin of the fire was spontaneous combustion. SililOL'S FIRE AT GKAHAMSTOWN. At S o'clock in the morning of March 20 i a lire broke -jut in Butler's Commercial (late Ancho'} Hotel, situated at thecorner of Owen and Abriham-streets, Grahamstown. The tire c-riginated in one of the bed-room* immediately above the bar, and at the time of its breaking out the family were just sitting down to breakfast. Within tiireo minutes of the first altfrm being given, a Dumber of the Graham&town Brigade with a reel of hrse had arrived at the sc -ne of the conflagration, and. under the direction cf Superintendent Pric-, six'jets were soon piaving on the burning mass. At this time the* whole of the roof wa* one sheet of dame, atid "reat fears were entertained that the entire block, connoting of eight shops and tLe Gresham Hall, in Owe«:-street, six or seven buildings in Abraham-street, with a number of detached dwellings and stores in CVdliii-i and Rarke-streets, would be d*- ; proved. The Brigade, however, worked well and smartly, getting additional branches run out, and poured immense volumes of water on to the burning building, completely cmshicL' the fire do«n, and in less than ci/nt minutes all fear of its spreading beyond th'.* h'jtel was gone. Iu the building f. however, the flames continued to burn '..•T'j.! v, fcnd the Shortlaud Brigade coming sp. !;:-vre branches were laid on, and shortly & h«-r tl e fire was fairly extinguished. The are the insurances :—Commerci J building and st<-ck, on behalf oi | Me:--r4 Urov,-;« and Campbell, £GDO in tile h:i],erial : Clarke, grccc-r, on building onjy, is very tlightly damaged, £1;/J. J "e adjoining houses in Abraham-street, yd::ch are unoccupied, are supposed to m-u'ed in the Koyal, but for what ' -••Vsur.t. 1 hive not learnt. A number of n ; ii'' iwere hoarding at tiw hotel, and such t la-:-: kept their clothes iu tmutes have "..•red most of their property, tne outthe trunks being severely charred, ; t '"- t!..- ccntents were almost unh'jurtd. •no of the lire is unknown, but it evicorr.n.enced in one of two bed-ruoms above the bar, one of which is • li '. ai:d Mrs. i?utl r's own rcom. They •'*».* al: their wearing apparel and a n-s<«iber '' variables. Tbe water was obtaiued irom !;> new mail s lateiy laid down, and '"ros.-ure was so great that the jets were q right through the building, clearing ? ' v t r ythi:-L' befcre tbem. FII:E AT GISBORNK. A i:re took place on March 4 a- Gisborne a m.. and destroyed DugUaux'sj, baker ; shoe shop j Schii.tz, milliner; -wcvenjoii s store. It was stopped by a at the Por>:rt>j Ba>/ Stcu'lard Office, are Norwich Uuion, £400; ZtaUrid, £100.; Standard, £-10t) ; tiawk.- - js a y Insurance Company, £100 ; he Uuicn and National, £O<JO each on •tevemoa s stock, subject to some hundreds Ja sto.k reduced. fctdcoou'a. house and stable at Ormocd *ere burnt anwp on Mrrch 21. The insur- — £201); New Zealand,

A fire broke out on Thursday night, on the premises of Mr. Green, of Lilydale Nursery, One-Tree Hill, which destroyed a stick of hay, valued at £40. It was insured for half that sum in the Colonial Insurance office. The owner cannot give any account of how the stack bccame ignited, beyond that Mrs. Green was awakened at half-past nine by the barking of the watch-dog, and on looking out of the window, everything was then safe. Some time afterward, she was awakened by a crackling noise, and then saw the stack in a blaze.