FIRE AT HAMILTON.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXIII, Issue 7760, 5 October 1886, Page 5

FIRE AT HAMILTON.

Our Hamilton correspondent sends us the following particulars of the fire which destroyed the residence of Mr F. A. Whits,ker, at Clnudelands, East Hamilton, on Sunday afternoon, and which was briefly reported in yesterday's Hkrald :—" The origin of the fire is not known, but it is supposed that a spark from the kitchen ohimney must have caught in the shingle roof over the study and burnt a hole in the roof, and the burning material dropped through on to tbe study ceiling, as on the alarm of fire being given when Mrs. Whitaker ran into the study to try and save her husI band's papers, she found that room all in a blaze, and bad to retreat. Finding she could save nothing in the study, she ran to the place where the silver plate was kept, and managed to secure it. She then had the presence of mind to take a rug and empty all the more valuable things, trinkets, eto., into it from the drawers in which they were kept. At the time the fire took place Mrs. Whitaker was in the garden, and there can be little doubt that it originated in the roof, for Mrs. Whitaker not only saw it there first herself, but the roof was seen burning by the people across the road, in West Hamilton, at the end of the house where the study is, which was the farthest away to leeward from the kitchen chimney, and thus fortunately the house burnt so slowly to windward that a number of persons who ran across the railway bridge arrived in time to save many of the effects. The furniture in the drawing-room, including the piano, was got out, even to the taking up of the carpet, and a considerable quantity of clothes were also secured. At one time the large stables, insured for £125, to leeward of the house, were in considerable danger, and would have been burned, but for the assistance which had by that time arrived on the spot, the pine trees and fence between them and tbe house being swept by the flames. The houte itself, whioh is totally destroyed, consisted of nine rooms, and was insured for £350 in the Colonial Office: The furniture was also insured for £350 in the same office, the plate for £125, and the piano for £30. Mr. Whitaker was away in Auokland at the time, and Mrs, Whitaker and family are at present staying at Mrs. Gwynne's hotel.