GREAT FIRE IN SYDNEY.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1533, 18 July 1901, Page 23

GREAT FIRE IN SYDNEY.

ANTHONY HORDERN’S WARE- - HOUSE DESTROYED. LOSS ESTIMATED AT A MILLION. FATAL LEAP FOR LIFE. ■ . SYDNEY, July 10. A lire i s raging in Messrs Anthony Jdordern and Co.’s immense emporium iu George street. The flames hare a strong hold of the main building, and a stiff wind is 'blowing, threatening to sweep the whole block through to Pitt street. Three of the large city gasometers are in <he .vicinity. . The whole of the fire forces of the city are engaged in the effort to suppress the firejr The work is dangrous, owing to the towering walls threatening to collapse. The firemen, however, are slowly beating back the fire from the George street frontage. Occupiers of the shops stretching from the doomed building to Hay street are getting out their goods, for" fear of the fire spreading from the rear. It was about 8.20, just as the employees were beginning to arrive to commence their daily duties, that the fire was discovered in the basement of the central building of a huge block covering several acres. The employee who discov3red the fire found it in the picture frame division of the department. He made an effort to extinguish the flames with buckets of water kept for fire purposes, but the gimerack nature of the toy department fed the flames with avidity. They quickly ascended the ground floor, which was devoted to drapery. The whole of the central part of the buildings was filled with materials of the most inflammable nature, and in a few moments a pil© of seething flames roared through the windows like a blast from a furnace, leapt across Parker street, a distance of about eighty feet, and entered the second story of a giant furniture warehouse, a hundred feet high, and facing the gasometers. From floor to floor the flames rushed with incredible fury, breaking through the windows on each floor, and admitting a strong southerly wind to hasten the work of destruction. A great concourse of spectators had gathered in the vicinity, and a thrill of horror shot through them as the lonely figure of a man appeared on the top parapet, and clung to the ornamental brick work on top of the building, shifting fcis position occasionally as a gust of wind fanned tongues of flame from the windows beneath in his direction. Then came the life saving apparatus, and a hush fell over all as the spiderylooking ladders unreeled in the direction of the parapet, to. be broken by an audible groan as the ladders failed to reach within thirty feet of the doomed man.

In the meantime the rocket brigade tried to fire a line over the building, but for some reason at present unexplained the apparatus failed. The flames again made a ferocious lick at the victim, who-saw his only hope of deliverance had gone. Th§n, with a gesture of despair, he jumped a clear hundred feet into the roadway, never to stir again. When the flames took hold of the building Constable Conroy and two firemen ascended to the top stpry to see if they could find Clegg, his fellow employees having given warning of the man’s position on the top floor. They searched without avail. The man ( had evidently gone through a trap door on to the roof. The other hands saved themselves by sliding from the upper floors down the lift pope. Some were found at the bottom of the lift well overcome by smoke. Had the fire occurred an hour or so later, when the huge establishment is usually filled by a throng of customers, the loss of life must have been great. The flames went through the lower floors like a flash, cutting off all escape. . . , , While the tragedy was being enacted on the eastern building the flames creot across a narrow right-of-way, and worked against the wind to large buildings facing George street. These three story buildings, containing mercery and saddlery, were soon enveloped, and - the flames swept out the offices and climbed rapidly from floor to floor of the seven •tory building adjoining. Several smaller shops belonging to other owners were annihilated by the fire in a few minutes. Backward into the centre of the division went the flames, till they came against the wall of a huge pile devoted to ironmongery. The fire brigade worked with desperation to sav© the structure, and though the fire got into the upper story, they managed; to subdue it, and save the building from the ravages of flame, although water will hav© caused great damage.. a ~ When it was seen that a conflagration of a great character was imminent, steps were taken to immediately ciis/charge' the gas from the three gasometers. This was successfully accomplistiThe buildings used by the caretaker and the laboratory and showroom of the Gas Companv were destroyed. For a great distance round the streetlooked as if it had been subjected to a volcanic; eruption, being covered to a

By eleven o’clock danger of any further spread of the fir© was over. Rumours are current that othn* lives have been lost, but the confusion is too great at present to learn whether there is any truth in the assertions. It is difficult to learn the damage, although a million is stated to be rhe figure. Some two hundred ©arly hands, including a number of women, were in the building when th© fire broke out. Those on the higher floors had difficulty in escaping. . A man named Borthwick,who escaped, was employed on the top floor. When his retreat was cut off he attempted to descend by a rope from a window, but fell, breaking his leg. Two others were in the lift well, when the lift descended and held them prisoners. A fireman released them. Clegg’s coat caught fire as h© stood on the parapet. He threw it off, then knelt for a moment, evidently praying, rose up, and jumped. Many of the employees assisted the firemen in the early stages of the conflagration. Clegg and two others were working a hose. Seeing th© position dangerous, the superintendent ordered them to desist. Clegg evidently failed to take warning until too late, and found his retreat out off. The employees managed to save a considerable amount of property in the departments adjoining the main building. They also saved the books and papers. The firm has already taken steps to secure temporary premises in which to carry on its business. It has reserve stocks valued at a million and a quarter warehoused in th© city and secured in anticipation of the Federal tariff. The insurances on Hordern’s buildings are aboiit £400,000, th© bulk of which is in British companies. \ So far as can be gathered the local insurance companies are little affected by the fire. The New Zealand offices involved are:—The South British, £10,500; New Zealand, £SIOB. . SYDNEY, July 11. Four persons beside the man Clegg perished in. Hordern’s fire—-William Dashwood and Walter Brett, engineers; John Nicholl and Robert Malcolm, packers. Their failure to return to their homes last night led to the discovery of the other victims, Dashwood and Porett. They were -attending to the engines in th© basement of the building, and were warned to flea. Two of their companions got out through a door. It is supposed that they tried to escape by a window, not knowing it was guarded by iron bars. In the meantime th© fire spread so rapidly that retreat by the door was cut off. Nicholl and Malcolm were with Clegg on th© upper floor. The fireman who warned them to flee for their lives had great difficulty in escaping. It is believed they feared to face the burning stairway and made their way to the roof. Onlookers state that they saw a second man topple back into the flames just before Clegg jumped. Preparations are being made to dynamite the walls. Horderns have been doing business in the Exhibition Building all day. Mr Hordern estimates that stock to th© value of half a million sterling has been destroyed. The total damage is not stated. The firm ha s secured the Exhibition Building in Prince Alfred Park, and will ref -start business this morning. In the Kent street fire the premises of . Messrs Lazarus and Rosenfeldt, general merchants, adjoining the Imperial Company, were damaged by water. The fire brigades did splendid work at both outbreaks. The head of the department declares that they could have done much better, but they were sadly under-engined and undermanned. Another extensive fire occurred early this morning. Five stories of a sixtstoried building in Kent street, occupied by the Imperial Manufacturing Company, were gutted. The building contained a large stock of tea and foodstuffs. Th© logs amounts to several thousand pounds. Considerable damage was done by wafer. Hordern’s insurances total £394,718. The amounts held in various offices are— South British, £IB,OOO New Zealand, £9968. The insurance companies involved in the Kent street fire include the New Zealand, £3625. SYDNEY, July 12. The firing of charges of dynamite to destroy the walls of Hordern’s premises was carried out at midnight. The police had difficulty in keeping back th© large crowd, and the work was only partially successful. A wall was destroyed, but a chimney stack is still standing in a dangerous condition. The flying debris broke a few windows, and inflicted slight injuries on one or two of th© crowd. When th© mass of rubbish caused by the explosion is removed the resumption of th© George street tram service, the stoppage of which is causing a serious block, will be possible. Besides th© sum previously mentioned, in connection with th© Kent street fire, the New Zealand Company had an additional £SOO on the machinery, and the National of New Zealand is involved tQ the extent of £2250.

ings is proving a slow and dangerous work. The continued dislocation of tram traffic is seriously interfering with the inter-State telegraphic linos. AUCKLAND, July 10. The South British Insurance ComJpany’s net line on Hordern and Co.’s and other buildings destroyed by fire m Sydney, is £3250. The New Zealand Insurance Company has a-line of £3400 on the buildings.