DESTRUCTIVE FIRE IN VICTORIA-STREET.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XX, Issue 6818, 24 September 1883, Page 5

DESTRUCTIVE FIRE IN VIC-TORIA-STREET.

LOSS—£2OOO. A sekiods fire broke out on Satnrday about midnight, in Victoria-street, in the premises of Mr. C. Allen, draper. An alarm was given as soon as possible to the Pire Brigade Station, and by the firebells, but by the time the Fire Brigade, under Superintendent Hughes, and the Salvage Corps, under Captain Field, reached' the scene of the fire, the flames were bursting through the roof. Some little delay arose in getting a lead of water from the fire-plug at the corner of the Old Honse at Home, some thoughtful individual having deposited a load of bricks on it, for use by the contractor for the new hotel there. While the plug was being ( cleared, another party went down to Nelsonstteet, and got a lead from the plug there. InVthe meantime a number of hands were in' removing goods and furniture from the burning buildings, and those jeopardised, adjacent, the goods being removed to Mfi Wl ~G. Connolly's workshops on the 'opposite,';,side; of the street. It was seen at once' that. .Mr. Allen's premisee, and, , ;those :pf. Mr, Williams, tailor, must go," and efforts, were accordingly directed tp;. ; ..,saye .:. : :Mr.,,. .\Villiams' private residenceon the ..east' side. of. the block, and the promises of Mr." Atkinson,., jeweller, arid Mr. Caliill,;; dfaperj 'm. the west side. These efforts were /successful, Mr, .Williams'resi-. dence .beme .:,saved, ..'and] Messrs.'.. Atkinson's :and... : :Cahill , s:..shops,, .jbeirig.. ..but partially damaged;^;.";';:; ' i , ■',/.■■]'"■'.'.'' J,'. .'."J '.y~ -i ... .1. ■

? : The origin !6f ..the- fire was. , purely acci.debtal, seems, put a candle oh the coQnter'wbile he crawled underneath the.shop window shelving>to'turn off the gas at the. metpry .V, Through. a. casual draft, the ■flame of thei..candle.ignitedlsome;.muslin enrtains, and : :wben.;Mrw ,AUen irpsa. from his stooping posture ,hel: found the .flames" had reached the ceiling arid : were wholly, beyond his /power to ''extinguish. ...He .'ruphed. up stairs^.:.secured., his cash, : soma ; £22, deeds, aridpapersl and finding himself blocked in getting iback ip the. grpnrid. floor, .by the flames and smoke," got'out of. the top storey window onto the verandah and.thence to the street.,, He is "stated to be a considerable ilpser, nips.t pi 'h'is'stock, being] destroyed, and ]£120k\v6Hh,havirig.ibeens:gpt.;in.;about.the .:rhiddle,of the'.week.. ■*.'.'."' '■■Y-.'^',. , "''-'---:^".fi"-:'--

Qwing to the insurance offices being closed yesterday, it'was difficult to get' accurate information as to the insurances.. ,So far as couldbe , ascertained, they were .is follows :— Allen's stock and furniture, £550, in Ithe Colonial, of which £300 was re-insured in the Piicenix. On Williams', block of buildings (which includes hi 3 private residence, and his own. and ■ Allen's shop, also Williams' stock and furniture), £1500, in the Norwich Union, two-thirds of which is reinsured ; Atkinson,,-jeweller, £250 in the New Zealand; Cahill,'£4oo on stock in the North British, and £200 on the furniture, in the Colonial, llcssre. Atkinson's and Cahill's premises are ; owned by Mr., J. W. James, builder, but as he resides at Mount Albert, we were unable to ascertain, the amouut for which he is insured, or the. office holding the risk. ■■ ■ ■

A considerable portion of Williams' stock has.been saved. Allen's stock'is mostly destroyed.. Atkinson succeeded'in removing ■most of his'goods, and'Cahill has also suffered very little , damage. ' ■ ,_.',..

During the tire, Captain Field, of the Salvage Corps, met with a bad accident which will-lay him up for a week or two. He was engaged in pulling flown some fencing, in front of Mr. Williams' private residence, which seemed in danger of igniting from the burning shop adjacent, when it fell forward and a couple of men with it, right acro;a Captain Field's foot, crushing it badly. His injuries were subsequently attended to by Dr. Dawson. While he was at the rear of the building, getting his wound attended to, an unpleasant fracas took place between Superintendent Hughes and home members, of the Salvage Corps. It appears that Captain Field seeing Superintendent Hughes withdraw his men from the roof of Mr. Williams' priyate residence, at a critical juncture of the fire, came to the conclusion that it was likely to go also, and directed one of his men, 1\ Evans, to take some of the Salvage Corps and clear out the furniture, after which he went to the back of the building to attend to some other duty. Superintendent Hughes seeing the men removing the furniture, ordered them to desist;. Evans replied that he was obeying his officer, Captain Field, and would carry out his orders ; Mr. Hughes then threatened to give him in charge, and the Salvage Corps man dared him to carry out his threat. The upshot of it was that the hose was turned on the front of Williams' premises, and seme of the Salvage Corps and several NavaU got thoroughly drenched. One man named Findlay, it ia stateH, got the full force of the ■water in the chest, and was knocked over. Some of the victims of the incident, aa well as several spectators, entertained the suspicion that the turning on of the hose was intentional. The Fire Brig.ide men, however, say it was accidental, and that the hose was swept round on .the front of Williams' premises through a "misconception of orders, and that thus the meu alluded to were accidentally drenched. Tht incident shows the necessity of defining sharply the functions and powers of the respective officeis, so'tbat we may not see again the disreputable scandal of men squabbling with each other during she progress of a fire, when they should he fighting the common enemy. When Captain Field is able to again return to duty no doubt a clear understanding will be arrived at, as some feeling appears to exist between the Salvage Corpe and the Fire Brigade through the unhappy incident, which cannot but be detrimental to. their future co-operation. It had been arranged that, independent of police surveillence, one of the members of the Salvage Corps should, on behalf of the insurance companies, keep a watch over the premises destroyed, and the ■nlvage therein. Owing, however, to Captain Field being injurci), and removed fiom duty, the order bad bi:en overlooked iii the afcertfbtiiij .arid the larrikins for about two lioura had an innings at Mr. Allen's premises. Although the shop had been temporarily secured it wjs broken into, nnd the whole of what was left was pulled from bhelves, overhauled, some portions atnlen, and th-e remainder ruthlessly tn.dden underfoot and completely ruined. It is with regret we have to report such heartless conduct on the part of those who robbed Mr. Allen of the goods which the fire had spared. We believe the police have succeeded 'n getting the names of somo half-dewn of the ringleaders, who will probably be afforded an opportunity of interviewing the Police Magistrate. A Salvage Corps man was posted over the block last evening, to prevent further depredations, and remained on duty throughout the night.