DESTRUCTION OF THE WELLINGTON OPERA HOUSE.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 8145, 31 March 1888, Page 2

DESTRUCTION OF THE WELLINGTON OPERA HOUSE.

. —<». —■ (Pku Uniteu Fbess Association.) '' t0 Wellington*, March 30. 'ton The Opera House was totally destroyed b rol '~ ike between 6 and 7 o'clock yesterday c;oruiii{ \° How the fire originated is shrouded in niyster; , iv The building was discovered to bo on fire b Hosticlt, the night porter of the Royal Hote :°f who, on opening tbe hotel doors, noticed sraok 1 ° issuing through the ventilators ol the house. H at once rang up the fire brigade station and gay the alarm. The brigade were quickly on th Li»K which supported the circles alone remain left :..„ Snl ith, the custodian, .who wit: ovi- his'family reside on the Prem\ ses' ? aS ''? USe' had by Mr Kueben, tobacconist, throwing stone mcc at his bedroom window Smith n she ISOt full of smoke ad it was with difficulty tha SmS he mana\ed to get his family out safely. H has Tost all his effects. The fire burned hercol for about half an hour, wheu the roof and portion of the west walls came down with ' h-rrible crash the concussion being so great a to knock down a quantity of fancy goods l Isher's shop, causing damage to the extent c £25 The two front shops belonging to th 7. Opera HouscOompony.and occupied by Wuhan ieht sou as an oyster saloon, and Shades, hairdresse ft are but little damaged by the fire, but the ooi ,7 tents are ruined by water. The insurances are :- Zi South British, £1000; Colonial, £1000; Nationa UZ £500; Phconix, £100; Equitable £500 (ren «ured)- Standard, £250; New Zealand, £(5 man The Opera House was opened last Novembi 3llor 12 months, and the previous one was destroye an' by fire in June 1879. ■eve- Later. ,000, it is estimated that the loss over insurance c Tho the Opera House fire is £10,000. At 9 o'cloc deli- i ] iis t night when the custodian made an iuspe Ad- tion everything was al! right. A rumour

rent that two men were seen leaving by the lily circle entrance at 5 o'clock this morniug, it i 3 doubted, though had the men been iv theatre they could leave by that entrance [ lock the door by pulling it to after them. Uk a portion of the walls at the back of tho The lding are dangerous, being cracked and bulg- t to out Thio will probably'be pulled down. '« averted that immediate steps are to be :«n to rebuild. A box of posters, lithographs, to pre of Miss Amy Sherwin, who was to open The fi night, was destroyed. Fortunately, however, tiou . ■ wardrobe had not bc-en sent there, but was Drans Tis now thought the fire was the work of an J';'«jl< tndiary, as the theatre has not been engaged J**-1" cc Friday last.