DISASTROUS FIRE IN WELLINGTON.

Oamaru Mail, Volume IV, Issue 985, 16 June 1879, Page 2

DISASTROUS FIRE IN WELLINGTON.

s '' Wellington, J trite 16.y- ---■ fearfSl ifire broke night, at o'clock^-'in. tfie; Imperial,, TheteS; is £?jnb ;Clue tqrthe cafiae, of {he fire;-; ihe: flames mHcjdy wuned extended ras|6ly oti each sSe street. The Working Mdn's Cltfb and "all the buildings up to the New Zealander Hotel on one side, and including the Te Aro branch of the Bank of New Zealand o&'tEeTo&er ' •AccrdsS the street -the ManiersrStreet Wesleyan Cliurch and parsonage went. Pirie's "drapery" shop "at' one corner, and Emery's Roysjl Qak.HAtel at the. other, were quickly a mass of- flames. The Nag's ■Head Hotels at. the corner of Dixonstrcet, was destroyed, and several " small' tenements ■on tlm othor ißide of Cubasfcrect. I'ho Corporation Market ITall- and shops were also de3troyod. Smith's To Aro House was saved through the heroic exertions of the Fire Brigade. Whitehouse's grocer}' store, and large lodging-, house adjoining, though several times on fire, seems likely to be saved. The destruction of property is enormous, and probably will amount to LIOO,OOO. Fully 40 tenements were destroyed. Fortunately the wind was moder rate, or the fire would have swept half the town.

The insurances must be tremendous. A total of about L 30,000 is already asserted, but the list is most inoomplete. The Opera-house was insured for L6BOO. Hiscocks and Hayman's Company playing there have suffered a serious loss in wardrobe, and Miss Beatrice in jewellery. Rumours are current that at teast one fireman lost his life in the. fall of the Opera-house, but nothing definite is as obtainable. No report of any loss of life has been made to the police. ' <• .Later.

The following is a list of the premises destroyed by the fire :— lmperial Opera House ; Working Men's Club ; Wesleyan Church, Parsonage-, and Schoolhouse ; Royal Oak Hotel ; Nag's Head Hotel and stables ; Engleman's fancy shop ; Eddie and Jack, spirit merchants ; Stratford's corn stores and mill; Bank of New Zealand ; Warcup, bootinaker ; Smart, oyster shop ; Hogarth, timber yard ; Graves and Fleming, drapers; Scott, ironmonger • Mrs. Elder, fruit shop \ Petford, gasfitter ; Rickman, bootmaker; Simeon, tailor ; Young, oyster shop ; Brown, cabinetmaker ; M'Carthy, malthouse ; Crawford, bonded store ; Market Hall and Morgue ; Will'ams, Cameron and Co., saddlers ; Marryatt, tobacconist ; Ashton, boot shop "• Back, tobacconist; and about half-a-dozen small cottages variously oooupied. Smith's Te Aro House was severely scorched, and Whitehouse's grocery store and Minto Boarding House were actually on fire, but .were saved. Rickman, Simeon, and Warcup saved their stocks. The Wesleyan Church contained an organ which recently cost L 390. Several places which the fire did not reach suffered by removal of goods. Nearly four acres, thickly built on, have been swept. The following aro the insurances on the firo :—Victoria : Greaves and Fleming's stock, L 750; Nag's Head Hotel and stables, LISOO ; malt and barley in McCarthy's, L2lO. Transatlantic : Opera House, L 1000; Stratford's machinery and building, L3OO ; Greaves and Fleming's building, LSOO ; stock, Xjl2oo. National : Eddie and Jack's stock, Ll5O : building, L 350 ; Working Men's Club, furniture, LIOO ; Wesleyan Church, L 250: Rickman, bootmaker, LIOO ; Scott's stock, L 250 ; Opera House, L'2so. Colonial: Opera Houso, LSOQ; Eddie and Jack, L4OO : Greaves and Fleming, LSOO. Royal: Eddie and Jack, L 250 ; Royal Oak, L4OO. Greaves and Fleming, L 250. Transatlantic : Greaves and Fleming, L4OO ; Opera House, LSOO. Imperial : Opera House, LSOO ; Wesleyan Church, LIOOO. Hamburgh : Working Men's Club, LSOO. South British : Net loss, L 3400 (no details). Standard : Net loss, L 2500, of which LSOO is on the Opera House. Northern : Net loss, LSOO. Sun : Net loss, Llfo. North British and Mercantile : Net loss, L 1250. London and Lancashire : Net loss, LOSO. New Zealand : Net loss, L2OO. Norwich Union : Net loss, LloO. Union : Net loss, L2OOO. The amounts re-insured are charged to the Company which actually suffers the liases.

Taking the figures as given below, it will be s'een that the losses of the different Insurance Companies are as follow : Transatlantic ~. .... £3OOO South British 3400 Standard ... ... 2500 Union 2000 Victoria ... ... 15C0 Imperial ... ... ... l->OO National 1450 Colonial ... ... ... 1400 North British ... ... 1250 London and Lancashire ... 9.50 Royal 900 Hamburgh ... 500 Northern ... ... ... 500 New Zealand ... ... 2CO Sun 175 Norwich 150

Total ... £22,335 From this it will be seen that the total losses suffered by New Zealand Companies amount to L 10.950, while those of foreign Companies reach the total of L 11,385.