FIRES.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXV, Issue 9179, 8 October 1888, Page 10

FIRES.

GREAT FIRE IN CHRISTCHURCH. CuRiSTCIiURCH, October 3. A mo lire broke out at two o'clock this afternoon. Hobday's Co-operative Comi pany's drapery establishment was destroyed. The shops of W. Sandstein, ' jeweller, and Gould and Co., chemists, were I seriously damaged, and the shop of GoodI man, bootmaker, was slightly injured. The : heat was so intense that the front of the j hotel on the opposite side of ColomboI street was severely scorched, all the win- •■ dows being broken, as well as the windows jof three shops adjoining. The large sky--1 light of Hallenstein's draper's shop in i Cashel-street, to the eastward of the fire, was broken. The tire began on Hobday's upper floor, but how cannot be ascertained, as the em- | ployes were absent at lunch. The flames spread throughout the building with wonderful rapidity, and the brigade could do no more than save the neighbouring premises. The following are the insurances so far as they can be ascertained :—Gould and Co., chemists (greatly damaged stock), £500 in New Zealand Co. A £500 policy in the Imperial Co. (Dalgety and Co., Limited) was allowed to lapse 14 days ago. Hobday's Co-operative Store Co.'s insurances: —Stock (destroyed): £1000 in Pluenix, £1100 in Liverpool, London, and Globe, £2000 in the South British, £1000 in the Colonial, £2500 in the Sun, £2500 in the Union, £1500 in the North German Equitable : total £11,000 on stock. Buildings : £500 in the Pluenix, £1500 in the Liverpool, London, and Globe, £1000 in the South British, £1000 in the Colonial, CIOOO in the North German Equitable, £1000 in the Australian Alliance, £250 in the Plateglass Insurance Co., and fixtures £500 in the Liverpool, Loud m, and Globe : total on brick buildings and fixtures, £6750. The stock in only wooden building was insured for £300 in the Pluenix and £500 in the Colonial. Total insurances on Hobday's co-operative .-tore, £19,150. Insurance on Sandstein's jeweller stock (damaged) : In the New Zealand office, £1000, half reinsured in the Union (£500) ; in the South British, £.SOO ; in the Standard, £350: total,. £2750. Fixtures: In Union, £200; in South British, £100; in the Standard, £50: total, £350. Total of Sandstein's insurance, £3100. Al Hotel, damaged to the extent of about £300, insured in the Colonial and Liverpool and London anil Globe. Goodman's stock (damaged), insured for £300 in the Equit- | able. A considerable portion of the above is reinsured. Messrs. West Bros.' team sawmill, situated at Helensville and adjoining the Kauri Company's Helensville sawmills, was totally destroyed by tire at an early hour on the 1 titli September. Tne mill had stopped on the 15th September, and the boiler blown j down and everything got ready for the i usual Government inspection by Mr. ilobson ;on the 17th September. Of course the tires I were withdrawn, and every precaution taken ; by the firm to prevent lire, by saturating [ the ashes, etc. Mr. Arthur West went last j into the stokehole, after eight o'clock p.m. I on the lotii September, and lie again looked i round the mill at twelve o'clock, while a > little later, on retiring to rest, Mrs. West | took a una: survey from tier bedroom winl dow to make sure that all was safe. In a ■ little over an hour from this time the whole mill was in llames. The brothers, assisted by such of their hands as slept on the premises, exerted their best to prevent the spread of the lire, and in this were shortly afterwards assisted by the hands of tne big milt adjoining, and the residents of the district who had awakened through the unusual glare of iignt, but beyouu saving a small shed used as a broom handle drying room, and a few ! pounds' worth of broom Handles stacked in its rear, nothing further was saved, everything else becoming a complete wreck. The 10.-s by tins unfortunate tire is considerable, being to the extent of at least £1500, of which amount they are only covered by insurance for £100, in the Colonial Insurance office. Very great sympathy is felt for the brothers in their misfortune, as they are both highly respected in the district. There is no Knowledge of how the fire originated, but the supposition is that some latent sparks remained amongst the ashes, which Durst forth into flames after Mr. West had paid his final visit to the mill. About a quarter-past, eleven p.m. on Get. 2 the firebeils gave an alarm, but as no glare was visible on the majority of the citizens were unaware of the exact, locality of the outbreak. It proved to be at the furniture factory, Lorne-street, of Messrs. Garlick and Cranwell, cabinetmakers, Oueeu-strcet. A lire occurred in Ihe same factory several years ago, and when the factory was repaired and altered, and a third i storey added, the southern division of the ! building—where the flax, kapok, flock, &c., was stored, and the mattresses and bedding manufactured — was isolated from the furniture division by a party brick wall being run up from the basement to the top storey, with rite-proof doors. It was in the basement among the flax, etc., in the southern division where the fire appeared to have originated. In a short space of time the Fire Brigade, under Superintendent Hughes, and the Salvage Corps, under Captain Field, were on the ground. As soon as the door was burst in, the flames shot in long tongues of lire, but Superintendent Hughes got two leads out in Lome-street, one on the basement, and a second on the first floor of the southern division, while a third lead was taken to tho rear of the factory by Rutland-street. In a short time the fire was well in hand, and the Salvage Corps enabled to get into the basement, from which they took large quantities of blazing and half-burned bales of flax. An examination of the northern division of the factory showed that no fire had reached it, the only damage being some broken windows. The building suffered little damage. There had been a policy of some £250 in the Royal upon the stock and material in the southern division, but it had run out, consequently the whole loss, estimated at £500, will fail solely upon the firm. Early on September 17 the Ponsonby lirebell rang out an alarm. The fire proved to be in Hackett-street, in a six-roomed house owned by Mr. E. F. Kelly. The Ponsonby contingent of the Auckland Fire Brigade was soon on the spot, but the fire had too good a hold, and the place was completely gutted, nothing being saved. Mr. Kelly, the owner, is away from the. city, and the house was left in charge of one of his relatives, Mrs. Sullivan. She states that she had breakfast at seven a.m., and then went to morning mass at the Convent Chapel. While at the service she was informed of the fire. On leaving the house she left a small wood fire burning in the dining room, and is unable to throw anylight on the origin of the fire. Some of her personal property was destroyed, as well as Mr, Kelly's furniture. The furniture and dwelling were insured in the Royal for £350. A six-roomed house, owned and occupied by Mrs. Clark, Gisborne, was destroyed by fire on September 13. The insurance was £400 in the South British Office. About seven p.m. on the 15th September a fire occurred at the New Zealand Clothing Company's premises, Cashel-street, Christchureh, through a handkerchief falling on a gas jet. The contents of the window, consisting of men's mercery, were destroyed, together with the fittings surrounding the wall, and the ceiling was badly scorched. The damage is estimated at £400. The fittings of° tho premises were insured for £500 in the Standard.

Early on the 19fch September a twelveroomed house in Webster Road, Mount Albert, occupied by Mr. H. J. Sellers and his family, was burned. Before retiring to rest on the previous evening, Mr. Sellers satisfied himself that all was safe, and threw some water upon a fire which was burning in the dining-room grate. At about half-past three o'clock next morning he was aroused, and discovered that the house was on fire, the flames having evidently found their origin in the dining-room. His wife and children were awakened, and the family left the building without being able to save any effects beyond a few articles of furniture and the clothes in which they had hastily attired themselves. The building was insured in the South British office for £450, and the furniture was protected by a policy for £350 by the Union Insurance Company. The cause of the fire is presumed to be accidental. Another outbrenk of fire, the undoubted work of an incendiary, occurred on the 23rd September in a shed adjacont to the marama Training School. It will be recollected that this shed was set fire to some months ago, and a youth, formerly an inmate of the home, was prosecuted on the charge of arson, but the evidence failed to support the charge, and the information was dismissed. On that occasion the fire was discovered at an early stage, and owing to the exertions of Mr. Hogan and the boys, comparatively little damage was done, but on this occasion the work of destruction is more perfect, for not only is the shed burnt to the ground, but a spring cart which was in it is totally destroyed. Mr. Hogan gave information to the police, and Detective Hughes and Constable Hobson, of Pnrnell, are now enquiring into the circumstances. A tire broke out on Thursday night, the 4th of October, in Earl ami Mckenzie's Sash and Door Factory, Blenheim. It spread to the stables and Mr. Earl's dwellinghousc, all of which were completely consumed. A large building, occupied by Earl and Co., merchants, on the opposite side of the road, was gutted. The railway goods-shed, which was in considerable danger, escaped uninjured. Tho origin of the lire is a mystery. Insurances : Earl and McKenzie's stables, £200 in tiie Liverpool and £300 in the Northern; timber shed and rack;;, which were mostly saved, £1500 in the Royal; Earl's residence, £400 in the Royal ; furniture, £130 in the Phienix ; Karl's building, £2000 in the Liverpool ; stock, £400 in the Liverpool. Craig's shop, estimated damage, £50. is insured in the Standard. Karl and Mclvenzie estimate their loss at £8000. They had no insurance on the machinery. At. about twenty minutes past eight p.m. on October 1 the firebells pealed out an alarm, but sonic time elapsed before it was discovered that the tire had hold in Garrett Brothers' boot factory, Wakefield-strect. The fire occurred in a packing room on the lower storey divided from the warehouse, and from this it travelled up a staircase to the upper floors, where it threatened the machine and work rooms, but was checked before, much damage was done on those floors. The building was insured in the Union Insurance Company for £1000, and the stock in the same office for £5000. A large amount of goods were removed during the lire, but fhey were returned after the premises \\ ■ r made safe. The residence of W. J. Young, carpenter, Cambridge, was destroyed by lire at one a.m. on Sept. 10. The house contained five rooms, and was insured for £100, and furniture for £90, in the National Office. Early on the 12th September a sixroomed house anil confectionery shop in Armagh-street, Christ church, belonging to Miss Dudley, of Kangiora, and occupied by J. Robinson, were burned down. Robinson's stock was insured for £275 in the Imperial Office. The tiro began near the oven. None of the stock or furniture was saved. The woolshed at Mr. J. White's station, near Porangahau, lias been totally destroyed by lire. The insurances are : Building, £000: and on the contedts, £100; all in the Union Office. McMillan's Hotel, at Benmore, near Invercargill, has been destroyed. The insurance is £300 in the New Zealand, half re-insured in the North German office. At about two o'clock on Friday morning, September 21, W. Cudden's oatmeal-mill and roastinsr-house at FenWaltown, near Christehiirch, were burned down. Insured for i'looo in the New Zealand office, half reinsured in the Standard and North German. The tire broke out near the boiler, under which the lire was left banked at 0.30 last night. The stock is not insured. Mr. Cudden's loss is estimated at £500. A destructive fire occurred at Waiuku on Thursday, the '20th September, shortly after noon, by which a large house, owned by (Tenure Kaihau, anil occupied by Mr. J. Flavell, was totally destroyed. It was insured in the Norwich Union for £275, but Mr. Flavell's furniture was uninsured, by which he is a great loser, having lost a lot. of valuable papers, besides some money. The piano and all the heavy goods Mere destroyed, those present not having time or strength to save them. Our Mahurangi correspondent writes :— On the 22nd September a disastrous tire occurred at Komokoriki, by which a settler's house was consumed in a few minutes. The house belonged to Mr. Joseph Wegh, and was only recently purchased from Mr. George Barton, and was near the road leading from Komokoriki to Warkworth. A fire at, Clinton, Otago, on Sept. 24, destroyed the Prince of Wales Hotel, Lange's store, the police station, and Hunt's tailor simp. The railway station had a narrow escape. So far as it has been possible to ascertain, the insurances on the fire are :— I'luonix, £330 on the hotel (half re-insured with the North Gorman Company), and £50 on the stable ; Equitable, £1550 on Lange's stock, of which £425 is re insured, £200 in the Australian Alliance; Union, £000 on Lange's stock, £200 being re-insured in the Liverpool, London, and Globe, and £200 in the Colonial, also £300 on the hotel, £150 being re-insured with the Liverpool, London, and Globe ; New Zealand, £250 on the stock and furniture of the hotel ; South British, £250 on Lange's building, half of which is re-insured. The residence of Henare Kaihau, at Waipipi, was burned down on Sept. 20. The house and furniture were insured in the Norwich Union for about £250. Gobel's Hour-mill, Marlon, and 1200 sacks of wheat were burned on September 19. The loss is £1200 above the insurance. An unoccupied brewery, Gisborne, owned by Mr. Robert Knox, and lately occupied by Mr. Hook, was burnt on September 18. Insurance, £350 in the l'hcenix. The Blenheim public school was destroyed by lire on Tuesday, September '25, and the conviction is deepening that it was the act of an incendiary. Two men passed the building about a quarter of an hour before the fire bell rung, bub saw no signs of fire. The fire broke out in the lavatory, at the front of the building-. The building was a handsome one, and complete in every department, and was valued at £2500. A six-roomed dwelling-house, the residence of Mr. A. Nicholson, Okaihau, was burned to the ground on Sept. 24. There was no one at home but, Miss C. Nicholson at the time—between three and four in the afternoon. The chimney, a wooden one, caught fire, which soon extended to the house. Mrs. James Nicholson, who was living near, went to her assistance, and they succeeded in saving most of the bedclothes and wearing apparel, but all the furniture and a valuable lot of books were burned. There was no insurance.