SERIOUS FIRES.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 12036, 7 May 1901, Page 3 (Supplement)

SERIOUS FIRES.

A WAREHOUSE AND STOCKING FACTORY DKSTROYBD. ''. A seriou3 fire broke out in the liravt of thfl city on the 21th shortly before lialfpast 9. The outbreak occurred ia a building situalnil at the back of the Hank of Now Zealand and the National Insuranco- Company, and occupied by Messrs Laidlaw and (Jrsy an a warehouse, and Mc.-sn •lames (iardencr and Co, as a stocking factory. The brigade on receiving the alarm tinned out with their usual despatch, but when they arrived the flames already had full command of the upper portion of the building. At one time it was. feared the fire would spread to the Bank of New Zealand and to other large premises close at band, but the Fire lirigadc, working hard, at length got control. \\ The lire apparently broke out in the upper portion of the building: devoted to the stocking factory, and the stock and machinery were practically demolished. A very large proportion of Messrs Liiuiaw and Oray's stock was also entirely destroyed. 11l thp cellars a quantity of straw and packing cases were stored, but the fire did not reach this part of the building at all. The building i- the property of the National Insurance Company. The total loss is estimated after exrmination as little, if anything, short of £6000. A recent stock-taking by Messrs Laidlaw and (iray shows the value of their stock, to which recent addition' l'i have been made, to be about £6000. The loss is climated approximately at something over £3500. The building, valued at over £2000. was insured in the South British Insurance Company for £1500, and Messrs Laidhuv and (iray's stock therein was covered onlv to the extent of £1700, the risk being "distributed as follows:—National, £700; United, £500; Northern, £500. The 7,oiidon Organ and Piano Company had 12 organs stored in the unper portion of the building, but these bad been fully covered by a policy issued to Mr \V. Krno'n, tin manager of the company, by the Manchester ofhVc. Messrs (iardncr and Co.'s loss must be rendered more serious owing to the fact that they had just reached the busiest part of the, ■bu>y season. They held a very large stock of material and of goods in prnccs.; of manufacture, and bad also a good deal of new and valuable machinery in the premises. The firm had, as mentioned above, a policy upon the properly of £2000 in the National, a good p:>rt of which was reinsured in the Victoria, New Zealand, Northern, United, Alliance, North British, and Australian Alliance Comnam'os: and Mr Gardner estimates the direct loss to the firm at about £2300.