FIRE IN SHORTLAND-STREET.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXV, Issue 9065, 28 May 1888, Page 5

FIRE IN SHORTLAND-STREET.

Yesterday morning, a little after midnight, as a couple of wharf men, named Henry Niblock and William Watson, were on their way home along High-street, they made the discovery that a fire was burning in the premises behind the block of buildings owned by Messrs. L. D. Nathan and Co., in Shortland-street, facing the Post Office. They at once gave the alarm by ringing the bell at the Insurance Buildings. This quickly brought the Fire Brigade, under Superintendent Hughes, and Salvage Corps, under Captain Field, to the spot. A detach- ; ment of police, under Inspector Broham, also were quickly in attendance. The large warehouse door in High-street was found locked by the Brigade, aud was broken open, when the office at the rear of Sharland and Co.'a shop was found in flames, and smoke rolling in volumes through the establishment. Hose being run out, a stream of water was turned on, and the fire extinguished in a very short space of time. It took a, considerable length of time beforo the building was cleared of smoke, and the men were enabled to inspect the placo. When this was done it was found to be almost completely gutted. Nearly every room in tho building is wrecked, bub the building itself, so far as the brickwork, masonry, etc., are concerned, suffered but little. Tho origin of the fire is a mystery. Mr. Philip Lequesne, tho manager of Sharland and Co., was the last person to leavo the establishment, which ho did about half-past ten or a quarter to eleven. Mr. Lequesne had been working in the front shop for some time on his books, trying to discover a slight error in a balance he was on. Two friends, Messrs. Suttler and Boskill were also present in the shop waiting for him. When he closed his books he went into the office, placed his books in the safe, and locking it looked round tho room, and loft it, re-entering the shop. The gas was turned off at the meter, and tho three left the shop together, Mr. LeQuesne locking it up. They then went home. Mr. LoQuesne did not visit tho place again till Sunday afternoon. When Mr. LeQuesne went into the office there was no sign of fire, and everything seemed safe and secure. Yet it was in tho office where tho fire originated. There had been no firo in the placo all day, and no one can remember anybody smoking or using matches in the room. The only theory that accounts for the fire is that the rats, which are very numerous round the premises, got into the room and upset bottles of chemicals, which commingling burst into flamo. This looks the most plausible theory at present. There are but two keys to tho premises, we are informed, Mr. LeQuesno keeps one and Mr. Thomas Sharland the other. The damage is difficult, to estimate at present. Tho task of the Fire Brigade was particularly difficult owing to the density of the smoko and flames emitted from tho building and chemical compounds. Tho first alarm was sent to the Brigade station shortly after one o'clock by telophone from central station and by the ringing of the New Zealand Insurance fireboll immediately after. There was a quick muster, and tho handreel was first sent out, quickly followed by the horso-reol. On reaching tho scene of the lire Superintendent Hughes found that flames were breaking through the back windows of Sharland's shop, and thick volumes of black smoke were being emitted from the front. A lead of hoso was gob from High-street, through Nathan ana Co. 's back yard, to play on what was apparently tho scab of the fire, but no sooner were the men fairly at work than the room overhead emitted flames from the windows and set fire to tho roof of a back building in Messrs. Nathan's yard. This was an iron roof, bub tho timber undor the iron had caught fire. Another lead was taken by means of a junction from High-street to meet the flames which were bursting from the upper room abovo Sharland's, but these windows were barricaded by strong iron bars, and tho firemen, unablo to obtain an entrance, had to fight the flamee between tho bars. The room was then a mass of flames on the flat above Sharland's, and the smoke was so dense as almost to suffocate the branchmon, the fumes arising from the drugs in the lower portion of the building being intonse. In the meantime Superintendent Hughes had as many doors and windows broken open at Shortland-streot frontage as possible, by knocking in the doors of Messrs. Sharland and Peacock's premises. The smoke emitted was suffocating, but a lead of water was taken over Messrs. Sharland and Peacock's verandah, and an entrance being effected the fire was fought to the back, where the windows were barricaded by iron bars. The firemen suffered severely through tho penetrating nature of the smoke, but they fought the fire out skilfully, and by three o'clock all danger was at an end.

INSURANCES. The insurances on the properties are as follow: — Messrs. L. D. }s athan and Co. : Building, £2500, Royal office ; stock, £3000, Northern Insurance Co. ; £1000, South British. Messrs. Sharland and Co.: Stock, £1000 Union, £500, Standard; fittings, £500, Standard. Of the policies held by the Standard office on Sharland's stock, £500 was re-insured in the Equitable Co. Mr. Peacock: Stock and fittings, £850, New Zealand office. We understand that Mr. Peacock's stock has been further covered by policies for smaller amounts in other offices, though to what extent we have not been able to learn.