DESTRUCTIVE FIRE ON WATERLOO QUAY.

New Zealand Times, Volume LXVII, Issue 3330, 12 January 1898, Page 3

DESTRUCTIVE FIRE ON WATERLOO QUAY.

SEVERAL BUILDINGS DESTROYED. A destructive fiie broke out at Waterloo quay shortly after midnight in the timber yard of Mr W, Chalmers, the well-known cooper, and in a very short time a large quantity of timber, the cooperage adjacent, and Mr A. McCardlo’s stable were one mass of flames. A heavy wind was blowing from the north, and by the time the Brigade arrived on the econo the fire had got such a hold that it was seen that it must prove of a very destructive nature. The groat heat hampered the firemen from the outset. The fire was attacked from the sea side first, but soon a couple of jots were brought to play on tho railway side, but the pressure was weak at first and there was no appreciable result for some time. There were many thousand feet of highly inflammable timber in Chalmers’ yard, and these, together with the cooperage and stables, burned like matchwood, and with a heat which could bo felt for a considerable distance away. There were twelve horses in the stables, but these were liberated by the police, who were promptly on the scene, with the assistance of one or two civilians, who entered the stables at considerable risk to effect the rescue. It seemed for a time as if the flames would not pierce the iron walls of tho 12rooraed house in the next section, owned by Mr T. C. Williams, and in the occupation of Mr J, King, bn tpresontly the galvanised iron began to melt and the wooden portions of the building to burn, and within half an hour from the outbreak of tho fire this place was also in flames. It seemed as if the residence might havo been saved if tho firemen had devoted their available supply of water to _it earlier, but it is always easy to be wise after the event. In the meantime a band of willing workers had removed all the furniture and tho lodgers* belongings (on which there was no insurance), but many of the things were very much damaged. A full supply of water being now available, the firemen, enveloped iu blankets, tackled the flames with the utmost pluck, though the heat was terrific, and sheets of galvanised iron at red heat were blowing about in a very dangerous manner. Once Mr King’s house was fairly alight a dense black cloud of smoke arose, and sparks were scattered [over the harbour waters in wonderful profusion. Soon some of the timber heaps in Mr W. Booth’s yard were aflame, and it appeared for some time as if the premises of the Wellington Meat Export Company would inevitably be destroyed. The conduct of tho firemen at this stage verged on the heroic. Elevated on the timber stacks, right under the tottering walls of the doomed building, they kept a constant stream of water playing on the flames. Once or twice they were quite enveloped in dense smoko and fears were expressed for their safety, and at other times beams and stays and sheets of molten iron fell amongst them, and there were one or two narrow escapes from serious if not fatal injury. One man who entered the front part of the building was covered with melted lead and looked like an armoured knight of the long ago. At 1.20 a.m. the walls of the boardinghouse fell in, and from that time there was no further danger for the freezing works, although the sparks were blown everywhere by sudden gusts of wind, and the heat from the burning masses of timber was such as .to keep at a respectful distance the thousands of people who had assembled. THE SCENE ON THE QUAY,

Among the first persons to notice the fire were two men employed at thq Union Dairy Factory, and two of the crew of the Government steamer Hinemoa. The two former were going off shift just after midnight, when they noticed a fire in Chalmers’ timber yard. They say it then looked like the flame from a locomotive funnel. They went to Dealy’s Railway Hotel .to give the alarm, but there was no telephone there, and they rushed back to the scene of the fire. The man at Chalmers’ stables was asleep, They roused him up, and then got all the horses out.- All the harness was also saved. It was now about a quarter past 12 o’clock. About five minutes after the horses were got out a. fireball rang. The Hinemoa men saw the fire burning in the stacked timber in Chalmers' yard, and went over at once and helped out soma vehicles. A dray which had caught fire was toppled over the breastwork into the harbour. The news of the fire came to this office from the Telephone Exchange at about a quarter of an hour after midnight. It was somewhat of a feat to pass along ■Waterloo quay in the immediate vicinity of the fire, for the wind drove the flames straight across the roadway, and the heat was already great, though it subsequently became much more intense. Men were at work rescuing the horses from MoCardle’s stables. They got the poor brutes out safely, and other men drove them down the quay. At half-past 12 o’clock a body offiromeu drove up on a fire waggon, and soon joined forces with those who were already at work. The fire now presented a striking spectacle. Sheets of flames ioa§,in the air, lighting up the harbour and .surrounding hills, and showers of sparks fell over the roadway and into the harbour. For. hundreds of yards aiound it was as light as There was a great crackling as the seasoned timber was consumed. The Umber was mostly white pine, in staves • for casks, and planks for butter boxes. It was piled up in great stacks, which must have contained many thousands of feet. These stacks burnt long and fiercely, and the jets of water, though the pressure was fairly good, made.little if any impression. Some boats near the breastwork were in danger at times. The ketch Spec caught fire in her sails and on deok, bat numerous volunteers went to her and put the fires out. The owners of some of the sailing boats hung from davits turned up and lowered their craft out of the reach of the heat and sparks... The* fleet of yachts moored off" the breastwork could be seen as ‘ plainly -as if it were day, stacks of bulk timber on the quay, and some sheep pens, were alight at times. The fire raged on with a roar, and after destroying McCardle’s stables, fixed on the roof of Mrs King’s boardinghouse at 1 o’clock. In IQ minutes’ time this building was completely in flames. In about another ten minutes the walls commenced to fall in. Momentary changes in the direction of the v. ind.added to the difficulties of the firemen, who, however, stood up to their work manfully. It anything, the wind was now stronger, yet in . Chalmers' yard it was all the firemen could do to prevent the fire from eating its way to windward. Tho Harbour Board’s blacksmith’s shop was threatened, but its corrugated iron sides did not offer much food for the flames. Some of tho more valuable tools and a theodolite were removed from the smithy to a place of safety. At half-past 1 o’clock there were signs that the fire had reached its limit. ON THE (RAILWAY LINE. A perfect network of railway sidings is laid down behind Chalmers’ cooperage, and at the time of the outbreak numbers of waggons and insulated oars for the carriage of frozen meat and butter were standing upon these sidings. Mr Hunter, the locomotive foreman, promptly got out an engine, and in very quick time the work of shunting was proceeded with. By this time some of the oars were blistered . and actually smoking from the great heat, and had it not been for the promptitude of Mr Hunter and the staff under Mr Styles, some of the valuable insulated oars must have been destroyed. INCIDENTS OP THE FIRE. When the fire was at its height the hillsides and harbour waters wore irradiated with light, and tho glare and the dense smoke-clouds, permeated with billions of sparks, contributed a brilliant spectacle. We understand that Mr Chalmers was absent at Pliinmerfon. None of the - insurances could be ascertained last night, but we understand that Mr T. C. Williams’ house is covered by a risk in the Liverpool, Loudon and Globe office. During the heat and turmoil of the fire, when women were escaping from Mrs King’s boardinghouse, scantily clothed, some with babes in their arms, there was some anxiety amongst the speeta tors as to whether all the inmates had been apprised of their danger. A civilian went upstairs gnd through all the rooms to see if everyone was out. Thp door of one room was shut, and on opening it he was quite surprised to see one of the inmates, a foreigner, coolly dressing himself. At the time he was arranging his tie, and his cool remark to the intruder who bad interrupted his toilette was “ Ish dis place on fire yet." Not even the prompt reply that it soon would be had any effect on the stolid foreigner who went on dressing himself. A few minutes later, when the civilian returned and seized the bed clothing of the stolid customer for tho purpose of covering the women and children, the toilette was still unfinished. It is understood that it was ) concluded before the building was demolished.

The old sheep-pens at the breastwork were owned by the Wellington Harbour Board, but were in a dilapidated condition, nnd had not been used for some time. The grtat slitet of spaiks sweeping across quickly ignited the old wooden structure, which in a few minutes was blazing away merrily. A large quantity of was brought out of King’s boardinghouse at an early stage of the flre, carefully packed

intact in the street safety. Then shortly afterwards a well-meaning citizen laboriously curried is, inattrfcss jujcl deposited it with force on the neatly,,mired heap. Time followed a sound ot broken china smashed into little pieces arid a quantity of ample and painful language. . Th© wooden broAstwork of tno was itself on fire at times, bat a man with a bucket and line extinguished the outbreaks as they occurred. It ia to bo noted that some five years ago Mr Chalmers’ premises were destroyed by fire.