DESTRUCTIVE FIRE IN TAEANAKI.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLI, Issue 12570, 11 May 1904, Page 5

DESTRUCTIVE FIRE IN TAEANAKI.

rOTUP.OA /FREEZING WORKS BURNED. v

DAMAGE OYER £15,000.

[BY TET.KGHAffI,-r-jpi«F,SS ASSOCIATION*.] ...: N'igw PtTUOiiTif, Tuesday. Thk Moturoa Freezing Works, owned by the Taranaki Dairy Company, were totally destroyed by fue this {wmnng- The outbreak was observed about two o'clock in the boilerhouse. The flames then had such «■ hold that the fire extinguishing appliances on the premises wore of little use. The fi re spread rapidly, and in two hours the .works were completely destroyed. Nothing was left at daybreak but a heap of debris and a chimney stack. There were about 4000 hoses of butter in the works, and these were destroyed, but ft few boxes in the grading-room were saved. A largo quantity of butter was shipped on Monday. ■ • % The engineer went through the - works at half-past five p.m. yesterday, when all appeared to be sate. There.wore no lights and 110 fire, even in the boiler-house. He locked up. At ten o'clock some railway men passed the works, and there was no sign of fire then. At ton minutes past one a.m. the fire was seen by a resident' in the vicinity, arid - the ! residents of the neighbourhood were roused. No night, watchman was employed. The insurances on the buildings total £54600. divided as follows: Alliance, £250; Commercial Union, £1500; London, Liverpool, and Globe, £250; London and Lancashire, £500; New Zealand, £750; Norwich Union, £750; Phoenix, £250; Sun, £350. The machinery , was insured for £4500, divided as follows; —Commercial Union, £1600; London, Liverpool, and Globe, £250; New Zealand, £250; National, #750; Phoenix, £250; South British, £1000; Standard, £250 ; Sun, £250. At June 30 last the buildings were valued at £6991, and the machinery at £7200. The plant and stock destroyed bring the company's losii above insurances up to about £5000. At this time last- year there were 25,000 boxos of butt er in the works. .Whatever the insurances on the butter destroyed by fire, they were held by factories pr by buyers, arid are not yet obtainable.

The Commercial Union had a line of £200 and the New Zealand Company £1200 on the butter stored in the freezing works, both reinsured to a large extent, and subject to adjustment;. Possibly some of the butter may be recovered uninjured.

The directors meet to-morrow to decide upon the rc-erection of the works.