FIRE IN VICTORIA-STREET.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLIII, Issue 13235, 21 July 1906, Page 5

FIRE IN VICTORIA-STREET.

TWO SHOPS GUTTED. ■■■■; 'o'>i ;■■.: 'o: :: j:'A''■': v 's'?> V; '■•/. i'f-.ti; '■.:,';■ t'.'^.-r^: ''*:;.: ':',« '-^ "::.' '■:]'i ppfp:-'S-■;■;/:-■.; •■;-77.■';■ ;••: : ■ 4.' ; • •;,; SMART WORK Bt THE BRIGADE. fil^'iv'S-;■■■;"■: :■.:•.■'■■,, ;'•■■; "■■ ■:.'^;^:;v : ''^■^^■ ; '■■^/. :1 - ,^■^v :"-■■■■'■i.V;. : ■' ; '■*' , A "hue broke out last night in a block of i six wooden buildings, at the corner of Vie;l • - torn* and Nelson Streets." The fire brigade received the call at half-past teri o'clock, , ■■'-' and they were very promptly on the scene. ■.. The fire had started in the centre- of the block in a dressmaker's establishment conducted by a Mrs. Hilder. When the briv'■■'. gade airived the flames were bursting . fiercely'from the windows at both front and rear. The ground floor was a. mass of ; flames, and they werc> forcing their way to the upper storey. The tiro had also got a hold oft the adjoining shop, in which Wing Lee carried on a laundry. The flames were '•'"'■'.' licking the walls of Mr. Mercer's private house at the other side of Mre. Hilder's shop. f-'/~ The brigade quickly, got four leads of :.- hose to " work, two at. the back and two at the front of the building. The first, lead played on Mercer's place, atd the flames , at the rear were Checked. Special attention, was paid to the Chinese laundry, ■■ which was blazing fiercely in the lower -storey/ Attention , was also paid to the - iircb shop next to the laundry. The brigade succeeded in checking the flames before they

had much of a hold upon the top storey .• of the laundry, but the ground floor was ■ ' '■■ gritted. There was no chance of saving Hilder's establishment, and the brigade de"voted themselves. to saving the adjoining . buildings. The fire in the top storey of -■'■■'■■- the laundry was extinguished, ; and the other buildings were- saved. ' -■ . The block of shops belongs, to the ' Cochrane estate, vr There are six chops, five of which are used for business, and one as: a home. ' The grocer's shop at the corner of Nelson-street, and a baker s shop at the • extreme other end, were not damaged. Hilder's place, where the fire started, was gutted, the flames having burnt through to .... the top storey by the time the brigade arrived. Wing Lee will be a heavy loser, as no doubt will be his customers, for an '■■"■, exceedingly large stock of washing was in the building at the- time. It is impossible "■ : to say whether Wing Lee had any insurance over his effects, for an intelligible answer could not be drawn from him, so

great was his astonishment.

'.; Mr. Mercer's section of the building was not damaged much by the fire, the brigade -iLiviSg, tT.uth?.r€d the flames almost as.soon -««■ they caught hold of the back walls. However, Ms effects were considerably damaged -by water. The insurance over .'.-, Mr. Mercer's furniture is £75, with the State Fire Insurance Department. . Mr. England's fish shop was damaged. The flames had found their way through the back corner of the bottom storey, and 'bet the paper in the kitchen ablaze. A deal of damage was also dose by water to his belongings, which are, we under-' ;. ■ • stand, insured with the Alliance Insurance Company for £100. : ~; ■" ; The brigade, under the supervision of Superintendent Woolley, did magnificent i: work, and it was. due to their systematic ; -and determined attack that four out of

the six shops were saved. The place burnt like a match, and there were a number of partitions in some of the shops, ■<; from which the fire had every encouragement...