THE NAPIER CONFLAGRATION.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXIII, Issue 7826, 21 December 1886, Page 5

THE NAPIER CONFLAGRATION.

[BY TELEGRAPHPRESS ASSOCIATION.] Napier, Monday. Thb fire which occurred on Saturday smouldered until Sunday afternoon, and until then damage could not be accurately ascertained. The heaviest losers are Messrß Banner and Liddle, auctioneers, and the proprietors of the Herald and Telegraph. There was little time to get anything from the Telegraph office, and all that could be saved was some jobbing type. Most of the machinery is a complete wreok, but an old machine was got to work to-day, and the paper came out in a reduced size and in a motley garb of type. A small sheet was even brought out on Saturday, worked at Mr. Harding's office, whioh was saved. The News on Saturday also appeared as a single page ; for, although its plant was saved, at one time the office was in a blaze, and the type was removed. When it became evident that the Herald office -must go, the staff were set to work to save the type used in printing the paper, and enough was got out to enable the paper to appear as usual this morning. Most of the jobbing type was lost, and all the machinery, including a large twofeeder imported only six months ago. None of the letterpress or lithographic machines oan be repaired ; but the proprietor of the News courteously plaoed his maohine at the disposal of the Herald, which is thus able to issue regularly. Banner and Liddle saved nothing, a number of pianos and a large amount of furniture in their store being destroyed. Fortunately, Hoadley and Co. had ceased to use their town store for the storage of wool, which was all at their Spit warehouse, and that fact saved the loss of several thousand pounds more. The Herald this morning calls for an inquiry into the circumstances of the fire, saying:— We write in no vengeful spirit, but we maintain that, to guard against a similar, or even worse, catastrophe in the future, it is necessary that Saturday's fire shoald be thoroughly investigated. The fire occurred in broad daylight, within a stone's throw of the station-house, where steam and manual tire-engines stood in readiness, and hundreds of feet of hose lay neatly coiled on reels. The mains attached to both high and low reservoirs were close at hand, and within a few yards of the place where the outbreak occurred there was a salt water well for the use of the steam-engine. Under such conditions the fire should not have been allowed to spread beyond the buildings in which it originated, or at most that and the next building. Most certainly it should never have been allowed to cross Tennysonstreet, and the fact that it did so is in itself proof of the n3oeaaity for investigation." A report in the same paper also alleges, on the testimony of the superintendent of waterworks of the Napier Brigade, that the loss of property on the north side of Tennyson-street was entirely due to the refnsal of the Spit Brigade to go to that part according to instructions. There was not a drop of water poured on the buildings there until the Herald office had disappeared. - However, the brigades undoubtedly did incalculable service in pre* venting the fire spreading in the opposite direction. But for them the Criterion block, Masonic block, Messrs. Neal and Close's enormous establishment, and many other valuable buildings must have gone, and the chances are that the whole business portion of the town would have been swept away. The insurance agents have held a meeting, but they refuse to state the losses of their several offices until the salvage claims are adjusted. Approximately they are as follows:—South British, £4500 : Union, £300 ; London, Liverpool and Globe, £1000 ; Victoria, £2500; New Zealand, £1750 ; National, £1200; Standard, £1000; Colonial, £2060 ; London and Lancashire, £5000; North British, £500; Norwich Union, £1000; Northern, £500. The losses in property destroyed amount to £16,150, thus distributed: — Duncan, building £300, stock nil; Daily Telegraph, £1750; Banner and Liddle, stock £700, building £2000 ; Sheath, building £250 ; Lee, building £250, furniture £150 ; Ellison, building, £200; Atkins, building, £250, stock nil; Evans, stock, £100 ; Wells, shop and smithy, £100; Sainsbury and Logan, occupied premises, £250; Martin, stock and building, £600; Sainsbury and Logan, new premises, £550 ; Herald, £4500; Masonic Hall, £600; Hoadley and Co., building and furniture, £1150 ; Nicholson, stock and building, £350 Levy, stock, £350, building, £400 ; empty shop, next Levy's, £400; Lesaong, building, £300; Jensen, building, £300; empty shop next Jensen's, £300; total, £16,150. The salvage claims on property injured, but not destroyed, will bring the total to about £20.000. The loss of property was fully £35,000. Tenders are already called for new offices for Sainsbury and Logan. The Herald advertises for competitive designs for a large block of brick buildings, and others are taking active steps to re-build. Both Hoadley and Co. and Mr. Knowles, the proprietor of the Telegraph, recently had plans prepared for new offices, and probably they will start on them at once.