A GRAIN STORE DESTROYED BY FIRE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXX, Issue 9177, 18 April 1893, Page 5

A GRAIN STORE DESTROYED BY FIRE.

HEAVY LOSS.

[BT TELEGRAPH.—I'RF.Sa ASSOCIATION.] Chkistchorou, Monday. At eleven o'clock last evening a lire broke out in a largo store at Addington, occupied by the Canterbury Seed Company. Owing to tho difficulty of finding water, an hour elapsed before the steam engines got to work. Tho building and contents by this time were entirely destroyed. Tho brigades turned their attention to saving a largo malt-house adjoining the store, and which contained a vory large stock of grass seed and grain. With the exception of a few bugs all was destroyed. Tho store was the largest in Christchurch, and covered a quarter-acre of ground. It was the property of Mr. R. D. Thomas. Wood Brothers had several hundred bags of wheat in the store, Wigram Brothers a largo quantity of barley, in addition to seed. The company had an extensive grass-seed cleaning plant in tho store. How the fire originated is unknown. The store was locked up at) one o'clock on Saturday, and no one is known to have been in tho building since then. The gas engine was used for the purpose of running machinery, but there was no fire in the engine-room when the fire was discovered. It apparently broke out near tho office. The insurances were :—Store, £900 in tho Alliance, £600 in tho South British ; malt kilns, £1250 in tho National; stock in store, £4000 in the Victorian, of which £2500 is re-insured as follows :—£looo in the Royal Exchange, £500 in London and Lancashire, £500 in North British and Mercantile, £500 in Norwich Union. Plant in storo, £350 in London and Lancashire; gas engine, £150, South British. This Company also holds a floating policy on' Wood Brothers' wheat, of which loss than £1000 worth was destroyed. Wigram Brothers' grain was uninsured. The Seed Company estimate the value of their stock at £7000, but ib is expected a quantity of grass seed will bo salvaged.