Great Fire in Wellington.

Oamaru Mail, Volume XXII, Issue 6909, 7 June 1897, Page 1

Great Fire in Wellington.

L 37,000 WORTH OF PROPERTY DESTROYED.

(SY TELE GE A PH.) j Wellington, June 6 The Municipal Fire Brigade had quite a liveiy time on Saturday night. About 7.30 the bells sounded for a small fire in a tailoring establishment on Lambton Quay, and the reels had scarcely been housed when another alarm was given, which was false ; but a few minutes later the peals again rang, and this time it was found that a fire had broken out in one of the largest establishments in Wellington, that of P. Hayman and Co., dealers m fancy goods and crockery, besides numerous other articles, embracing almost everything required in trp.de. The building, which was about the first built on the Te Aro reclamation, was four storeys, constructed of brick, and faced Victoria street, running back a considerable distance towards Willis street. LTatil o'clock the employees had been engaged it? stock-taking, when they left _ everything apparently safe. Later in the evening Mr Kellom was at work in the office on the ground floor until about 8 o'clock, and when he closed the premises there was nothing which denoted to him that any fire was smouldering in the building. However, it was not long after that smoke was seen issuing from the top flats, and the brigade being summoned, an entrance was made from tfie first floor, and then the smoke was so dense that the officers of the brigade had to crawl on their hands and knees along the floor, but eventually had to retire without being able to locate the scat of the fire, which evidently was not on that floor. At this time there was no flame to indicate where the fire was raging, but the denseness of the smoke was overpowering, and prevented any member of the brigade remaining on the flat for more than a minute or two. Subsequently the flames broke out, and from this" it is believed that the origin was in the crates of crockery on the third fiat in the rear of the building, which was only approached by a narrow lane, and the windows of which were protected by heavy iron doors, all safely secured from the inside. This considerably hampered the work of the brigade, as they could only work from the front, and the water appeared to have but little effect. It was not long before the ihmes had licked through the roof, and extending high in the air lit up the whole town. Thousands of people were at all the points of vantage, bat the work or the brigade was in no way interfered with. The brigade fought ail they knew, bub as the building was one with no brick partitions, and they could practically only reach it from the front, their efforts were of very little avail, and i the fire (there not being a breath of wind) j burnt itself out.

Nothing but the four walls are standing, and these look none too safe. The back wall is bulged out, and members of the brigade are on sentry to prevent anyone approaching it, as they fear it may come down any minute. Cracks are apparent in the other walls, and if a high wind should come it is not at all unlikely they will fall. The boarders in the Empire Hotel, which adjoins, shifted from their rooms last night, none caring to take the risk of the walls not coming down. Mr Lachmann, manager of the firm, was early on the scene, and secured valuable documents'from the strongroom, but the down stair portion of the premises, chiefly confined to offices, does not appear to have been touched by the fire, and the strongroom is safe. Nothing whatever of the stock was saved. The fire was the most disastrous here for years. Hayman and Co. had a stock valued at about L 30,000, and with the loss on the building estimate cheir loss at LIO,OOO above the insurances, which are as follows : Building—L2ooo in the Commercial Union, LIOOO in the Victoria, LSOO in the Royal, LSOO in the Standard, LSOO in the National; fittings—Llooo in the Commercial Union ; stock—L2ooo in the Commercial Union, L2OOO in the Victoria, L6OOO in the Royal, LIOOO in the Standard, LISOO in the London and Liverpool and Globe, LISOO in the National, L 2500 in the Alliance, L4OOO in the South British, LIOOO in the Guardian, LIOOO in the North British ; total, L 27,500. The Empire Hotel building, stock, and furniture, which suffered but little, was insured for L 4700 in the New Zealand, Commercial Union, North German, and London and Liverpool and Globe offices. June 7.

Extra insurances on Hayman's premises, LIOOO in the United office. About LSOOO worth of jewelry was found safe in the strong-room, but slightly damaged by water. The brigade acted as salvage men yesterday, and bore out of the rnins of a few iron bedsteads, which seemed well worth recovering. Notwithstanding the thousands of tons of water poured into the place, the walls are burned completely bare. The police have stationed men in front of the building to keep people off, as the Wall is expected to come down at any moment. Water is still playing on the ruins.