FIRE AT H. M. SMEETON'S GROCERY WAREHOUSE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXVI, Issue 11059, 10 May 1899, Page 5

FIRE AT H. M. SMEETON'S GROCERY WAREHOUSE.

D4MAGE SEVERAL THOUSAND POUNDS. I evening, at about) nine o'clock, a callman named Ketnan, who was standing with y cab in Fort-street, noticed a thin column 0 smoko streaming out by a window on tho second storey of the grocery premises of Mr. H. M. Smeeton, Lower Queen-street (firth's Old Mill), and at once informed the cnnstablo on the beat, who gavo tho alarm to the Fire Brigade station, Albort-strect, by telephone. The Fire Brigade, with a hose reel, were very smartly on tho ground, under Superintendent Hughes, followed by the Salvage Corps, tinder Captain Field, ladders wero placed up against the verandah, and the Lose run out, while some of the n,en were endeavouring to remove the hydrant cover. Frecioui time wai lost in tiring to open it. Apparently, the steam idler had bi en ever the street consolidating the new metal recently spread, and had jammed tho hydrant. ' The City Council should see to it that tho street hydrants aro always available for service, as owing to tho heavy traffic in Queen-street they are getting* constantly jammed with stones and sand. In the meantime, then wa3 no sign of fire, but simply demo smoke. As soon ,13 the firemen got to work, and tho smoke had sufficiently cleared away, they discovered that- it was impossible for them tr fight the fife from the front, as tho front was subdivided into offices and tea-packingroom, iritli partitions running up to the ceiling, so that no water could get into the compartment in which the tiro was raging. Instead of the firemen being, as they expected, in a position to sweep the whole finer with the branches, they were practically cut olf from doing anything, and had to come down and commence from the | ground floor up the staircase. 3 On reaching the head of the staircase, end attacking th: fir» from the rear, they saw the body of fire they had to contend with, the second and third floors being stacked as full as th»y could be stacked with t-er.il merchandise. In the meantime Captain Field had been busily protecting the goods in the shoj proper from the torrents of water, by covering tho stock with tarpaulins, and cutting auger holes in the flw ring to let the flood watet get away into (lie cellar. The firemen gallantly stuck to their posts, although from the construction of the building they wee half suffocated, there being little or 110 means of exit for the smoke, and the partitions greatly hampering their exertions. The struggle went on lot an hour, Superintei dent Hughes directing the operations outside, and at. intervals going inside, relieving the men who were overpowered, while Senior Foreman Clarke, and Foreman Moore icd the men 011 the second and third storeys. As' soon as the fire had been suppressed 0:1 the second storey, it was found that the fire had travelled from the ceiling into tho third storey. and also by the staircase. The I fire in the vicinity of the staircase was soon suppressed, but at the front in the third | storey they had all the work to go over again. To add t n't heir trouble, among the goods 011 fire there were spices, cod liver oil.petroleum, jell'-, and a cask of carbolic powder. Owing to ill.' :';::n?s and smoke the men had to rc-trj-.it i v, ;v few minutes, and the fumes of the < arhoi'ie powder completely drove them back. ,oni.' of the men having to retire for c time i bawled. At las! the tire was ovcrcomo, but the damage, as there was a quantity of perishable "g, "dr. must be very considerable. Superintendent Hughes, on tiring his men. left the hose all laid, in case of any fiirti'. outbreak occurring during the night, the Salvage Corps, under Captain Field, remaining in charge. An examination of the premises after the fire had been suppressed, showed that tho fire had not originated in either the office or the ten packing-room, fronting Queen-street, as had been erroneously supposed at the outset, but apparently on shelving on the right oi th" office, where" it was stated some Manila kits had been stacked, and adjacent to tlieso cases of clothes pegs. The fire had travelled backward along tiio partition of tho floor and up ..1 the third storey. Mr. Smeeton informed our reporter that the -email, Mr. Gow, shortly before six o'clock, went the round of the warehouse, a* was bis custom, and saw that all the doors were locked, windows fastened, and everything safe. He then left the keys with Mr. Smeeton, who locked up the front Hro? and left. Mr. Smeeton was at a meeting ' f the Master llrocers' Association in the Y.M.I# A. Rooms when the alarm was given by the Albert-street firebell. and he hurried ii-nvn as soon as he knew the tiro was at his place, to see what could be done to save stock. A. numbei of bis men also were soon in attendance, and friends also assisted in removing goods to a place oi safety to preserve them from destruction by water. Mr. Smeeton had only taken stock last month. The warehouse was crowded with merchand's" of all kinds, and the fire brigade deserve credit for the manner in which they fought the lire, in view of the numbei of difficulties id one kind and another they hud to overcome. Mr. Smeeton last night was unable to givo the figures of the insurances, further than to state "that they totalled over £6000, and that tin* companies concerned aro the New Zealand. Norwich Union, Sun, London, Liverpool, and Globe, and Manchester. Tho loss will be considerable, as much being damaged by water as by fire.