DANGER FROM FIRES.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVIII, Issue 20793, 9 February 1931, Page 12

DANGER FROM FIRES.

ANOTHER OUTBREAK. FLAMES EXTINGUISHED A NARROW ESCAPE. SAILORS. POLICE AND CIVILIANS. [llY TELEGRAPH.—SPECIAL REPORTER."! NAPIER, Saturday. At 1.30 o'clock on Saturday morning the hill area of Napier was again under the menace of fire. The outbreak took place in a wooden house that had lost its chimney at tho corner of Balquidder lion (I. Possibly it was duo to some act of thoughtlessness similar to that which caused the blaze on Thursday night. In that case a man lit a fire under a copper to get a hot bath, and when another earthquake camo the place was ignited.

There was an increasing wind at the time of to-day's outbreak, and when two fire erigines rushed up the hill it seemed almost inevitable that the. surrounding houses would become ignited and that the firo would sweep a section of tho hill toward the port. There was no water in the mains, yet tho firemen, assisted by sailors, police, and civilians, made a brilliant 3ave. Tho house of course was consumed but the fire was prevented from spreading by two thin jets of water pumped from the engines, the tanks of which were kept replenished by buckets filled from tanks on lorries that drew alongside. As one tank was emptied, and none was emptied until a man had got inside to fill and make up tho buckets, another tank lorrv came alongside and the hosemen with well blankets 'round their shoulders concentrated on the walls of the adjoining houses. So thin were' the jets that it seemed impossible to prevent the hot walls from bursting into flames, but the firemen stuck to their task with grim determination, while sailors rushed to the back with buckets and tubs of water, with which they splashed the fence and walls. The wind became stronger as the firo reached its peak, but the fighters by force of numbers, skill and energy and a littla luck saved Napier from another conflagration. A keen watch for sparks has been kept on adjoining premises.

POSSIBILITY OF FLOODS.

DEMOLISHING A BRIDGE. VALUE OF THE DRY SPELL. [by telegraph.— special reporter.] NAPIER, Saturday. The low-lying area of South .Napier, Taradale, and Greenmeadows is always under the menace of flood from tho Tutaekuri River in the event of heavy rain in spite of the stop-baijking system. The monace is very much greater to-day because tho stop-banks are fractured in a score of places and the river could not rise far before the water would be pouring through the fissures and scouring out a channel. The daDger has been doubly increased by the subsidence of the wooden bridge at Meanee, . which has sagged low into the stream and has reduced by a half or two-thirds the capacity of the channel.

The river is low, but much less than the amount of rain to cause a fresh would cause , a banking up and inevitable flooding. This being the situation a navjsl demolition party was to-day employed to cut the bridge and this job, possibly with the aid of explosives, will be completed by to-night, the sailors again proving their title to the name of the handy men-. But the cutting of the bridge will not remove the menace, which has been so greatly increased by the cracking of the stopbanks. It is thus perhaps a blessing tha.t Hawke's Bay is in the grip of a dry spell and that the weather is gloriously fine.

This morning the Public Works Pfpartmeufc commenced the construction of & stop-bank around the camp hospital at the racecourse as a precautionary measui'o should a fresh break occur in tho Tutaekuri River. At an early hour a petrolshovel, one of those obtained from Wellington for road-cleaiance work, trundled out from town and at once started to throw up the sandy soil to form a ridge 4ft. high alohg tjio roadside. Hons® teams, with shovels, soon appeared. The camp hospital will be completely surrounded. One long'side will follow the road and tho other Will follow the line of the, training track;^-the ends being joined by banks, which will bo ramps where they cross the roadway. The engineers expect to have the job finished in four days.

NEWSPAPER RESTORATION.

FRESH PLANT SECURED OFFER MADE TO CONTEMPORARY At least one of the Napier newspaper proprietaries has already made substantial progress with its arrangements for tho restoration of normal conditions. Tho Daily Telegraph Company has secured a flat-bed printing machine, ami has also purchased a number of the linotypes which until a few months ago were part of the plant of the Auckland Sun, now defunct. These were sent to Napier yesterday on lorries which the Fletcher Construction Company .was sending to the devastated tftwn for use in tho reconstruction works in contemplation, and will be installed immediately.

It is hoped that by Thursday a Daily Telegraph of something near its former proportions will take the place of the miniature news-sheet now being issued

each day. An offer has also been made by tho Daily Telegraph Company to the owners of the Hawke's Bay Herald to print their paper until such time as they are able to assemble a new plant of their own.

FREE FERRY PASSAGES.

PERSONS FOR SOUTH ISLAND ACTION BY GOVERNMENT. [EY TELEGRAPH. —PRESS ASSOCIATION.] TIMARU, Saturday. Advice has been received from th<» Prime Minister, Hon, G. W. Forbes, that the Government will he pleased to arrange free passages oh the ferry to tl|« South Island for refugees for whom hospitality was being provided by relatives in the South Island.