FIRE AT KOPU.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXIX, Issue 11871, 24 January 1902, Page 5

FIRE AT KOPU.

• TIMBER MILL DESTROYED. DAMAGE ESTIMATED AT ABOUT £5000. ' [bt telegraph.— correspondent.] Thames, Thursday. A most, disastrous fire, which resulted in the total destruction of Mr. Robert P. Gibbons' timber mill, occurred at Kopu shortly after three o'clock this morning. ', The outbreak waa first discovered by Mr. John Henry, the yard manager at the mill, who at once gave the alarm and aroused the mill employees. ; They at once ; formed a bucket brigade and made every effort to subdue the raging flames, but they had by that time got such a firm hold that the men's efforts proved \ futile, although they prevented the flames from spreading into the piles of timber, stacked adjacent to the mill. The mill building, which was a two-storeyed structure of 80ft by 60ft in dimensions, together with.all the machinery, including an electric- lighting plant, were destroyed. Fortunately a north-west wind prevailed at s tho time, which blew the sparks and flames away from the bulk of the timber stacked in the yard, as well as from some seven or eight cottages that are erected close by. Had the wind been blowing from a southerly quarter nothing could have saved the timber, ■': of which there is about £5000 worth stacked in the- yard, or the cottages, for' there is no proper water supply to use in such' emergencies. '/: ; . Mr. Henry, the yard manager, passed through the mill at about half-past nine last night, when everything appeared to be all right.:; He then retired to his home, which is near by the mill, but at about half-past three this morning he was awakened by the glare of the fire. rAt that time . the whole plant was one mass of flames, and apparently they had been raging for some time previously. . ' The outbreak appears to have been purely accidental, and is surmised to have originated somewhere in the vicinity, of the furnaces. The fires were banked as usual, with sawdust, at five o'clock last evening by the fireman, a man named Chas., Ball, but it is thought that some time during the night the wind, which was blowing through the building, most probably had blown some sparks out, which ultimately led up to the outbreak.

■h The building and plant were insured in the North • Queensland office for £1200, but Mr. Gibbons estimates his loss at close upon £5000 altogether, so that he is a very heavy loser. The timber and cottages belonging to the mill are insured in the Commercial Union office/ but they practically escaped all injury. The fire still burns in the heaps of sawdust, but as long as the wind keeps in its present northerly quarter there is not much fear of other damage, although should it change into a southerly quarter there will be considerable risk. Every effort, however, is being made to suppress the danger. ' Detective Miller went out to Kopu this morning, and made inquiry into the circumstances attending the conflagration, but he could elicit nothing other than that the fire was accidental. It is understood that Mr. Gibbons will rebuild the plant at as early . a date as possible, for there are a large number of orders in hand for timber, and several vessels are chartered to load for Australian ports. In the meantime, however, about 40 hands will bo temporarily thrown out of employment.