SERIOUS FIRE IN HIGH STREET.

Otago Witness, Issue 2539, 12 November 1902, Page 15

SERIOUS FIRE IN HIGH STREET.

One of the most disastrous fires, as far as private dwellings are concerned, that has occurred in" Dunedin for many years broke out shortly after midnight on Sunday night in the house of Mrs Pearse, in High street, just below Melville street. The house occupied by Mrs Pearse was of wood and contained 10 rooms, and had been occupied as a boarding eetablishment, but at the time of the outbreak it was only used by members of the family. In what portion of the building the fire originated, or how it broke out, no one appears to know. Mrs Pearse, wlio was the first to learn ol the building being on fire, had her attention attracted by the coughing of her little £irl, stnd on rising to ascertain the cause discovered that the entire place was filled' 'with with a dense, euffocating smoke. It was quite evident that there was a Jargo body of fire even then somewhere, and the occupant* lost no time in escaping through one of the windows in the front iof the building, and with considerable difficulty found their way through the smoke, which was blowing thickly across the street, to the gate and out on to the road. Mrs Pearee states that the family retired to bed about 11 o'clock, and that during the day fires had baeu. burning in

LI both the kitchen and dining room. | of. these/fires Wyoiri sojne way aocounMoc- - the outbreak. -at was but a very little while ■ after the family Lad made their escape that ' the flames, came footing ■ out, and, fanned by the light westerly wind blowing, they were not long in' spreading "over Ihe entire ; building. The Fire Brigade were summoned by both telephone and .the alarm situated near the. corner . of, Stafford . and Melvillw streets, but by .the time they had made the necessary detour to' reach the scene— the grade of High street being 100 steep Jor a. , direct approach— the .building was a 'huge burning ni'ass.^ The flames were "roarine upwards, between the brick building below and- the wooden one ahove, t the burning place, and the wind carried myriads of sparks and goqd-sized cinders down High street evea as far Vr as the Arcade." " - •, - The brigade quickly; ? ot their hose coupled up, and brought, two. leads- to bear upon the burning pile, but the.'.pres^irb proved insufficient, and one" lead , only was ; lrent in use, while the. waterman was 'despatched to , cut-off the' northern supply.-, By -this means the pressure was . increased, • and- the two leads %ere again brought into nee. The tre. inendous body of flame at this" time began to make its effect felt' on the ' house " just below, which was occupied by* Mis Maxwell and used^ as a boarding-house, and one of the leads was directed, to that. At^the ,: same, time the house on the upper side - began to-show? signs of - taking .fire, and as lt.wajj utterly impossible to save Mrs Peace's house, which, was already , pretty Vweir half ' • consumed, 'Captain '-Mitchell and; his men directed all' their efforts towards! "preventing the .spread of the flames 'right. or left: The saving of the; -house' above Mrs Pearse's-,. which was owned and "occupied- by Mrs -, W almsley, seeiiaed. at. one moment to be am accomplished fact, but, the flames obtained thelmastery, 'and all- the- efforts of th«\ brigade could not, prevent the whole of the upper' portion\of the building being .practically destroyd& The men engaged on the other house had a very hard fight, and managed to keep" the' fire from spreading further than the upper storey, through which' it ran, and left it in much the same condition as Walmsley's place.- While this was going on, the centre building wa's burning furiously, the basement considerably below the street level 1 ' still being .unconj siinred. At the expiration of about an hour - and a-half the flames had been quelled as far as ihe -houses of Mrs Walmsley and Mrs Maxwell .were concerned. In the case of Mrs Pearse's house the fire had burnt itself out. As before mentioned, Mrs Pearse's house •was a wooden building of 10 rooms, and waa entirely destroyed, «, together with its contents. Mrs* Maxwell's place was of brick and consisted of 10 rooms, and all the top flat was burnt, and no doubt the lower portion very much damaged. Mrs Walmsley's was a 14 -roomed house, the two lower storeys being brick and the two upper wood, and suffered to just about the same extent as / Mrs Maxwell's. The place totally, destroyed and, that occupied by' Mrs" Maxwell were owned by Mr John Barron, employed in the Railway. Department. Though.' , the firebell rang 'and "the "fire' was so large 1 a one, there. was only a in,ere .sprinkling of people about. >-•".; , , / : -, -_ i The following are the complete insurances on the building and furniture/, destroyed, ok Paftially. destroyed :'— The 'two. houses ownel by. Mr John. Barron,- ontv of, which was. occupied by Mrs Pearse, and the other by Mr* Maxwell, were respectively insured for £650 ' (in the South British Company's' office), and £600 (in the Standard Company's office).' ' The former was totally destroyed. Mr Barron estimates his loss at between £60f and £700 ove rand above the insurances. Mra Pearse had her furniture insured in the London and Lancashire office for £360, and estimates her loss at about £500 over thin. Mrs Maxwell had sold out to Mrs Carwho lastiweek insured the furniture with the Standard Company for £150. Her loss is eerious, as all her family's personal , effects were destroyed, in addition to furni- - ture and furnishings moved in during the ' wee. Mrs Walmsley's house, partly de- - / strayed, was insured in the same office for £500, but her effects were not covered- by insurance, and her lo3s is something very considerable. - „ ,

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