PARTICULARS OF THE FIRE.

Oamaru Mail, Volume I, Issue 270, 15 March 1877, Page 2

PARTICULARS OF THE FIRE.

The first intimation that a fire had broken out was given at about a quarter to two o'clock this morning, when the alarm bell on the hill pealed forth in significantly loud tones its startling news. The King-street bell was not far behind in echoing the refrain, and people listened anxiously for the distinguishing strokes to inform them in what ward the destroyer was at work. ONE !—TWO !—THREE ! TOLLED OUT THE BELLS, and then ensued a scamper for Bell Ward, each one endeavoring to be the first to ascertain who was the victim of the disaster. Guided by the fatal glare, the scene of the fire was soon reached, and those who had read in the daily journals of the accident that had occurred the previous day to the Y/awrlgy Boarding-, house shook their heads. spiciV'tfely «*» they beheld that " •••;•' BUILDING ON FIRE FOR THE SECOND TIME within twelve hours. Captain Sinclair and his company of firemen were not long in putting in an appearance ; but by the time they arrived it was apparent that the solitary hose-i'eel they had brought with them was totally insufficient to save the doomed house,, which in a very few minutes was nothing but A MASS OF FLAME. However, nothing daunted by the terrible heat, the gallant band of red-coats battled like Trojans against the devouring element, and, although they were fairly driven back twice by the intense heat and the smoke, they came to the charge again, and, owing to the foresight of Captain Sinclair, were furnished with wet blankets to shield them in some measure from the perils which threatened them. A house belonging to Mr. Dod3s, draper, and inhabited' by himself and family, which was only separated from the boarding-house by a narrow passage, was on fire several times, as was also a cottage owned by Mr. Inglis, draper, and tenanted by a Mr. M'Lennie ; but both places, owing to the judicious management of Captain Sinclair, were only partially destroyed. It soon became evident to the large crowd assembled, numbering probably SOME TWO THOUSAND PERSONS, that the fire would not extend beyond the immediate locality in which it broke out, and, after a short but fierce struggle portions of the devoted building fell one by one into ruins. First the X'oof went—then the walls —and in a comparativelyshort time from the outbreak there was nothing left but the usual monument of such an occurrence, A MUTILATED AND CRUMBLING CHIMNEY. The wind, which at first was light from the westward, fortunately hauled round to the north-east, and fell still lighter, and thus diverted the cloud of sparks from a very dangerous block of buildings in King-street, and possibly helped to curtail the area of the fire. .