FIRES.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1354, 10 February 1898, Page 34

FIRES.

Auckland, February 2. A destructive fire broke out at noon to-day in the premises of Mr Mendel, tobacconist, Jervois road, The fire spread to Mrs Merrick’s cottage adjacent and Mr W. E. Hough’s sauce factory, St Mary’s road, whioh were all destroyed. The fire then extended to the premi es of Mr \ Oswald, draper. The building and stock were partly damaged. A strong southerly breeze took the sparks over the blocks to the leeward and set fire to two houses in Dedwood terrace, owned by Mr Swales, and destroyed them, also two houses in Milford street, owned by Messrs O’Brien and Wheeler, and burnt them down and partly damaged another of air Wheeler’s houses. At one time sixteen houses had their roofs on fire, but with the exception of the houses already named as destroyed the fires were extinguished. ' As it was feared that the fire would extend, tbe Karangabape an.i Grafton contingents of the Brigade were telephoned for, and also the Newtown Fire Brigade. Altogether seven plaoes were destroyed, and a Bhop and two cottages damaged. The insurances are about £2500, and the estimated loss is £4OOO. Following are the losses and insurances :—Mendel, tobacconist, stock, £l7O, insured in Norwich Union; building (owned by Mr Tole), £SOO in Northern. Mrs Merrick, cottage, effects uninsured ; building (owned by Mr Hough), £l5O, Norwioh Union. Hough’s sauce faotory, £2OO, Royal. Oswald, draper, building and stock, partly damaged, £SOO in the Royal ; building and stock, Standard, £SOO. Mr Swales’ two cottages were uninsured, the tenants, Messrs Thompson and Leonard, being also uninsured. O’Brien, building and contents, £250 in the South British; Mr Wheeler’s dottage, £l7O in New Zealand ; Miss Shepherd, £75 in Phoenix; Wheeler’s second cottage, whioh was damaged, £IOO in the New Zealand Professor Lambert’s house, the root’ of whioh was badly burned, was insured in the South British, but the policy had lapsed. Auckland, February 5. It has been ascertained that 25 houses had their roofs damaged by the fire at Jervois road on Wednesday. The residence of Mr H. K. Ridings, saddler, at Kaeo, Whangaroa, was totally destroyed by fife shortly after midnight,

This is the second case of supposed incendiarism. A man with a light was seen moving about before the outbreak of the fire. Mr Ridings and family were away in Auckland at the time. Auckland, February 7. The London Hotel, Tairau, owned by Mr H. Lay cock, has been destroyed by five. It was insured for £1220 in the Commercial Union. Christchurch, February 7. The Horoiata flour mill was burned on Thursday. Insurance —£1000 in the Manchester office. A fire which got beyond the control of a party of excursionists is said to have destroyed tho lovely bush ou Pigeon Island, Lake Wanaka. A boiler of tar catching fire on the Wool Wharf on Friday afternoon did some slight damage to two or three casks of tallow, but was put out before any serious damage resulted. We learned on Thursday of a thrilling adventure which occurred at Island Bay during the storm on Tuesday. A fisherman was pursuing his avocation some distance out, when he was caught by the storm, aud at once pulled for the shore, but in the vicinity of some rocks jutting out from the land for some d.stance his 1 rail craft capsized. He swam i o one of the rocks which stood out by itself, and clambered ou to it, retaining his hold on a rope 'attached to the boat. In this precarious position he remained for two hours, eventually losing control of the boat, which afterwards drifted ashore. The man’s predicament was viewed from the shore by many anxious eyes, and his mates launched a boat for the purpose of going out to his assistance. The sea was running so strongly over the rock to which the man was clinging, however, that his comrades were obliged to abandon the attempt. They immediately ai range I another plan of campaign. Taking their lives in their hands, they clambered along the slippery rooks from the landward side, and after an infinitude of trouble, succeeded in floating a rope out within reach of the now' fast drowning fisherman, and as he clung it with a last despairing effort, dragged him ashore almost extremis. It was so ne time before his blood circulation could be restored, and the muscles of his limbs, wh : ch were drawn up into balls, rubbed back into tneir normal shape—naturally a very painful process. It was a very narrow escape, and too much praise cannot be given to the fishermen of Islam! Bay for their courageous behaviour.

Mr Ashcroft, the District Coroner, held an inquest at Makara last week on the bodies of Joseph and Onofrio Russo, the two Italian fishermen drowned in Whareou Bay during Monday’s gale, Mr Hawkins being foreman of the jury and Mounted-Constable Eales represented the police. The facts elicited were the same as chronicled by us ou the morning after the fatality, and a verdict of accidental death was returned. Mr Ronaldson, one of the refrigerating engineers employed on the Morayshire, met with a severe accident between 1 and 2 o’clock on Thursday afternoon. He was starting the refrigerator when his foot slipped and got caught in the machinery, and before the member could be extricated three of his toes had been wrenched off. The sufferer was attended by Dr Kington Fyffe, who did all in his power for hiei relief, and who afterwards ordered his removal to the Ho pital. , One of the numerous small boys who daily frequent the wharf and its vicinity succeeded in falling into the water on Friday. He managed to hold on to a stringer until a boat from the hulk Gazelle rescued him. A Chinese vendor of vegetables, pursuing his bumble avocation on Friday, was unfortunate enough to run over a boy who was driving a wheelbarrow in Upper Willis street. The boy was not hurt, but the. vegetable man’s horse left the impress of its various hoofs with more or less emphasis upon the barrow, whioh was eventually rescued by the Chinaman, who made amends for tbe mis?ch'.e c by taking the barrow to Mi' Jupp’s store aud leaving it toba repaired at his exp°n-e. An inmate of the Porirua Asylum named Ralph James (also known as Lund), a labourer, formerly of Master bon, managed to esoage from the gang with whom he was working on Saturday morning. Two attendants went in pursuit, but the unfortunate man in attempting to elude them by crossing the river was drowned. His body was quickly recovered and efforts made at resuscitation, but without success. An inquest was held on Monday, and after hearing the evidence of Drs King and Tripe a verdict of accidental death was returned, a rider being added that no blame was attachable to anybody. Whilst coal was being discharged from the barque G M. Tucker on Monday, one of the heavily-laden baskets, when high in air, slipped from its hook, basket and contents falling into the hold so ne. distance below. Fortunately no person was injured. , , Dunedin, February 2. XpJoseph King, a cabman, who was knocked down in the street a few days ago by a horseman, died in the Hospital to-night, having never rallied properly since he was admitted.

February 3. At tbe inquest on Joseph King, cabman, the evidence showed that he was knooked down by a runaway horse, which had been frightened by an ash-tin, while

standing at a cab stand. The jury returned a verdict of accidental death, and requested the Coroner to make representation to the City Council about tins being left out late in the day. Ji. Dunedin, February 7. Lipport, licensee of the Scotia Hotel, died suddenly last evening. He had been under medical advice for heart disease and influenza. Invercargill, February 3. Alexander Strachan, aged 41, while working in a drain on the Kelvin road today, wa3 seized with a fit. He fell on his face in the water„aud was drowned before he was discovered. Christchurch, February 3. 7%tA. fatal accident occurred on the north line of railway last night by which John Kichens lost his life. He was crossing the line in a trap when the train was approaching and was run into. The trap was smashed and carried fully 50 yards along the line. Kichens was thrown out on to his head with sufficient force to fracture hi 3 skull, and he died shortly after his admission to the Hospital. iL. Auckland, February 4. The body of a man found drowned at Whangamata has been identified aa that of Walter White, a miner. A verdict' of found drowned was returned at the inquest. Mrs Barker, wife of William Barker, settler, Puhoi, has been missing since the Ist inst. Strong search parties are scouring the bush, but so far without success ' Auckland, February 7. A man named - Gilbert attempted to commit suicide by cutting his throat with a razor in his bathroom at his residence. He did not sever the windpipe or main arteries, but is in a critical condition, through loss of blood. Financial troubles are understood to be the cause of his attempting to take his life. V- Waipawa, February 5. Mr S. W. Hardy, an old settler at Blackburn, fell down dead while playing with his children last night.