DESTRUCTIVE FIRE IN WELLINGTON.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 13206, 13 February 1905, Page 2 (Supplement)

DESTRUCTIVE FIRE IN WELLINGTON.

WELLINGTON, January 26. The Drapery Importing Company's extensive emporium, oxtending from Panama street through to Brandon street, was completely : destroyed by fire this morning. Nothing but the brick walls-now remain. Messrs Gaudin and W. Fleming, two members of tho Now Zealand Times publishing staff, discovered tho fire when proqpoding to their work, at 4.20 o'clock. Tho fire then appeared to bo about the centra of the building on tho top.floor, and, though the brigade was soon on the scene, the flamed rushed through the building as if in a furnace, and in loss than an hour and a-half the inasiivo'preniiSes, along with tho largo and valuable stock, wero a mass of ruins. Nothing was saved from the main building, but it is expected that some portion of the stock in tho boot department will be saved, though that stock has been damaged by water. ■ The coni|>any was to open its summer clearing sale to-day. Tho roof of George and Kcrsley's Economic drapery premises, which runs through froni Lambton quay and adjoins the D.1.0., was oiico on firo, and their stock will be greatly damaged by water. Tho southerly wind took the flames across Brandon street, and did much damago to the buildings, the fronts being burnt and blistered and the glass destroyed. Tho Tourists' Bureali and a ■ portion of Kirkcaldie's drapery were the chief sufferers. Tho buildings on each side of tho D.1.0. also suffered considerably. ' Butler's brick store, occupied by George and Kersley, and a suito of offices on. the other side wero .both on fire, but were saved, though damage'.!. Owing to the fact that the bells seldom ring more than a few strokes, very few peoplo wore at the firo, and the news came as a grout surprise as tho folk made thoir way into town this morning. The fire appears to have originated in the tailoring department, on the first floor. The tailors were working until 11 o'clock last night. ' The building was a large, rambling one, tho different departments' being merely separated by wooden partitions, 'l'lio- firo spread rapidly, and tho brigade had all its work cut out to prevent it extending to the adjoining premises. In connection with the fire, a remarkable fcaturo was the escape of the buildings in the vicinity. A large number aro old wooden buildings, and several of these repeatedly caught alight; but tlio .efforts of the owners, assisted by tho onlookers, averted ivhat would probably have I seen one of the most destructive conflagrations ever experienced in.this city. . Tho insurances total £85,700, made up as follows:—Stock, £60,000; building, £21,500; fixtures, £3500; plate-glass windows, £400. Mr Corrigan, the local manager, estimates the value of tho stock at about £70,000, The D.I.C. is insured in tho following offices: —

The above are practically total lossos, sinco nothing was saved. It now appears that; the damage at the premises of the Economic was much more extensive than was at first anticipated. This 'firm (George and Kcrsleyj state that •they carried a stock ol drapery, etc., that was valued at betweon £30,000 and £40,000, and they further state that nearly the whole of this has been damaged by smoke and water, while a portion has been completely destroyed. They aro not i r et able to accurately estimate the extent of their loss, ilio insurances on tho Economic stock are:—

Lloyd's (Tiondon) £ Central .(London) Allianco Commercial Union ... (iiiardinn Liverpool uud London and Globe ... London and Lancashire ... Law Union and Crown Northern ... ... .; Now Zealand North British Mercantile North Queensland Norwich Union National of New Zealand I'hcenix Iloyal Itoyal Kxchange Standard South Britifh Sun United Yorkshire 'Victoria £28,700 2,000 4,500 2,000 2,500 4.000 2,500 1,000 3,000 6,000 1,500 2,000 3,000 1,000 1,500 6,000 3,500 1.500 2.500 4,000 1.500 2,000 500

Allianco • ... £2500 Now Zealand 2000 Royal Exchange 2000 Commercial Union 1600 Norwich Union 1500 Guardian ... 1500 Law Union and Crown 1000 Liverpool and London and Globe ... 1000 South British 1000 North British 1000 Yorkshire 1000 United 600 Phoenix 500 Victoria 500 North Queensland ,., ,, 500