FIRE AT HARP OF ERIN HOTEL.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XL, Issue 12328, 21 July 1903, Page 5

FIRE AT HARP OF ERIN HOTEL.

BUILDING - TOTALLY DESTROYED. ' A destructive fire occurred at Green Lane (Kllerslie district) at an early hour yesterday morning, resulting in the complete demolition of the licensed premises known as the Harp of Erin Hotel. The retiring licensee, Mr. John Lennard, and family were spending their last night on the premises, it having been arranged that "Mr. Geo. Wright, to whom the license had been transferred, should enter into occupation of the hotel yesterday, after completion of the valuation. Hie Inst night will therefore not be one quickly forgotten by the Lennard family,, some of whom would probably have lost their lives had it not been, for Mrs. Lennard, who, with her husband, occupied a front bedroom on the first, ■ flow. . '"■ ' . >

Tile licensee's Wife was awakened by a noise which she believed to be the falling and breaking of bottles in the storeroom to the rear of the ground floor of the hotel. Bousing Mr. Lennard, ■.she drew" his attention to the noises she had heard, and then for* the first time discovered a smell of smoke. For a moment or two Mr. Lenhard was not inclined to give credence to the suggestion emanating from his Wife, that the building was on fire, but decided to investigate, in order to satisfy Mrs. Lennard. Slipping hastily into his clothes, he opened the bedroom door and passed out into the hall, where the Suspicion was quickly confirmed by the presence of smoke and flames already, rapidly taking ii grip of | the rear portion of the hotel. The landlord i quickly rolised the other members of the family from their slumbers and happily all escaped in perfect, safoty, but the flames spread at such a rate that they were unable to make any attempt to save the furniture of the upstairs rooms, arid were compelled to make good their escape by meatts of the balcony on the first floor, from which they reached the ground by a ladder, with nothing beyond the garments they had thrown on. By this time huge tongues of flames were leaping skywards to a great- height,. and dwellers in the vicinity quickly arrived oh the scene. With the assistance of some of these Mr..Leunard succeeded in rescuing from the flames two pianos that had been in the front opposite the bar-room —on the ground floor, together with a few other articles of furniture and clothing, but nothing to speak of. Meanwhile the Onehunga Fire Brigade had received the alarm, and they reached the burning building with all possible despatch, but too late to cheek the fire, Which in a very short space of time reduced the hotel— Which was of Wood, with iron roof— its contents id a smouldering mass Of ashes, the only thing left standing being a. couple of brick chimneys. They, however, rendered valuable aid to thj band of workers by - destroying the s fences and removing other inflammable material communicating with the outbuildings arid adjoining lis'll, thus saving these latter buildings from destruction. , Fortunately the money arid papers belonging to the licensee Were "locked away in a good iron safe, and as this withstood the heat, both cash and papers Were subsequently recovered. Both building arid furniture were insured, but not up to the full value, and both the owners of the house and the retiring licensee will be losers, though the latter does tiot assess the loss as a very serious brie. Nothing is known of the origin 6f the fife, but it is believed to have broken out either ill the kitchen or storeroom to tha near of the premises on. the ground floor. ,j . The Harp oi Erin Hotel was owned by Messrs. Hancock arid Co. (Moss Davis), and, as already mentioned, was a wooden structure of two storeys. There were in all about 23 rooms in the houss, including 14 bedrooms and two sitting rooms on the first floor and bar-room, billiard-room (with table), sitting-room, • dining-room, kitchen, and pantry on the ground floor. The hotel building Was insured for £1300 (said; to be aboht £400. below its value), the hall for £200, and the outbuildings for £100, making a total , of £1600, equally divided between the Imperial and New Zealand Insurance Companies' offices. The hall and outbuildings remain • intact. The furniture (including billafd table) and stock-in-trade Were covered by the South British Company for £690, in addition to which the Standard Insurance Company held a risk of £310 tin Mrs. Lennard's personal furniture abd effects. •'• ; , , Temporary premises will be provided to stable the *iiic6min tenant (Mr. George Wright) to carry oh business in .the meantime.: and an immediate start will be made With the erection of a new building on the present site. This will probably be of brick- arid a more substantial and commanding structure than the one just destroyed; ...V; _' ,-^-_^__± '[■ ..'■••''.