FIRES.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1262, 7 May 1896, Page 38

FIRES.

At 4.15 on Friday morning a fire broke out in a workshop at the rear of Mr S. 11. Russell's, High street, Marton. The flames spread with great rapidity, and destroyed Mr Russell's workshop, warehouse and dwelling, also tho Salvation Army Barracks, Dr Macarthy's residence, Post and Telegraph Uilices and tho Courthouse. At tho public buildings the Fire Brigade and the townspeople prevented tho flames from crossing tho road. The insurances are—Russell's promises, furniture and stock, £4OO in tho New Zealand and £IOO in the Phoonix ; Dr Macarthy's residence (owned by Mrs Lyon), £SOO in tho Phcouix. Dr Macarthy loses £l4O worth of surgical instruments, and Adjutant Perry, of tho Salvation Army, £3OO worth of panoramic views, all of which woro uninsured.

Tho heat of the fire was such, reports tho Advocate, that it cracked tho windows and blistered tho paint on the buildings on tho opposite side of the street, and now and again tho tallflamos

would bo bent over by the wind until they almost touched them. Adjutant Perry's camera, views, &.C., had only just beon paid for. It was only last week that he received a letter from his wife in Australia, which said, "Thank God, the last £SO has been paid, and the tilings aro now your own." Mr Chanoy was, fortunately, able to save the documents, loiters, Ac, from the Post Office, and everything of value was also taken out of the Courthouse by Mr Cohen and some helpers before the lire reached the building.

Tho Phoonix Insurance Company held a risk for £3OO over the Salvation Army Hall. The stable3.it Grassendale Hotel, Masterton, belonging to Mr K. Mcintosh, have beon destroyed by tiro. Mr Mcintosh is a heavy loser.

Tho lire which occurred on Saturday morning destroyed a sevon-roomod house in Onslow terrace, in the occupation of Mr 8. Robinson, secretary of the (Jollier Picycla Company, and one of a block owned by Messrs Stewart and Co., sawmillers. Mr Robinson saved his clothing, but his father, who was also living in tho house, and his brother-in-law, who was away from home, lost all their belongings, whilst Mr Robinson's sister in-law (Mrs H. Robinson) and her two children only escaped in their night clothos. The houses adjoining, occupied by Messrs Eliott and Murison, woro considerably damaged. Tho houses wero each insured for £IOO in tho Commercial Union office. Mr Kliott's furniture was insured for £l5O in tho Royal office, and Mr Murison's furniture was covered by a risk of £2OO in the National office. The contents of Mr Robinson's house were not insurod.

On Thursday Mr E. W. Seeker's grain storo at Palmorston North was gutted by lire. Insurance—Building, Now Zealand, £200; stock, Commercial Union, £2OO.

Mr Graham Bruere, an old settler on Mount Grey Dovrns, Canterbury, was found

dead in bed last week. The cause of death was heart disease.

Two men named Timothy Cosgrovo and Robert Saunders were drowned in the Tongaporutu in Taranaki. The Taranaki Herald's correspondent writes that they had been attending a meeting to elect a school committee, and in returning home in a canoe about half-past 9 o'clock they wero capsized. Six other occupants of the canoe had a narrow escape. Cosgrove was a single man, and had friends in Woodville. Saunders was a widower.

A young man named Henderson has committed suicide by hanging himself at McJannett's farm, Woodhead, in the Raglan district. Henderson was a native of Ayrshire. He is related to Mr Bishop, of Ponsonhy, Auckland. At Finnerty road, near Stratford, as a settler named Grummen was returning from work his four-year-old son ran across the floor to meet him. The child tripped and fell on his foce, and was killed instantly.

John Yitnglich, about 19, who had been acting on the harbour staff in the illness of his father, was drowned at Westport, apparently by tho swamping of a boat in which he had put off to tho barquo Coromandel.

A scaffolding at Herbert, Haynes and Co.'s new building, Princes street, Dunediu, gave way, throwing the workmen to the ground, a distance of 10 feet. One man named Kirkweod was badly cut about the head and received other injuries, and diod at the Hospital. Another named Colo had four ribs broken, and one named Johnston received injuries to his foot. James Fox, a farmer at Mandeville (Otago) committed suicide last week by shooting himself. Ho had beon arrested on" tho 18th on a charge of criminal assault on his nieco, under 15. The case had boon remanded soveral times. On Thursday, after tho last romand, he wont homo

| drunk, and was found dead in bod next morning, with a ride alongside him. A young man named James Kerr was killed : on the railway at Wakefield on Monday week. i While moving from one ballast truck to | another when the train was in motion, he fell j on the rails, and two trucks passed over him. A serious collision between a cab drivon by i J. Paget and a butcher's cart took place on ' Thursday night on the Paradale road, near I Napie.-. Paget was thrown to the ground, receiving a fracture of the jaw and coni mission of the brain. Two passengers in tho i ca!), J. Wilson anil A. MorU'ii.son, had a I miraculous escape. When tho driver was I thrown, Mr Mortonson with great difficulty ! clambered on to the driver's seat, and when he discovered that nothing could bo done from that position, decided on a daring expedient. Carefully he clambered down tho front of the cab, and then, after some hesitation as to whether it would bo bolter to make a " loap for life," ilunghimself on to tho back of one of the flying horses, and succeeded in reaching out and clutching the reins, bringing tho affrighted animils to a standstill about a milo from tho scene of tho accident. A family living in Salisbury street, Christchurch, were accidentally poisoned on Tuesday evening, arid ono of tho members had a narrow escape from death. Thoy had tinned salmon for toa, and the head of the family, while at a friends house afterwards, was taken very ill. Ho was at once removed homo. As tho symptoms became worse Dr Townend was called, and ho pronounced the patient to bo suffering from acute poisoning. Other members of the family sufl'orod, but only slightly. A boy named Laurence Lyons, aged 14 years, son of Mr Lyons, Molesworth street, trot on tho roof of a building on Friday afternoon for tho purpose of procuring a football, when ho slipped and fell 20 feet, receiving a fracture of the arm immodiatoly above tho wrist and somo severe bruises about tho head.