FIRE AT ISLINGTON FREEZING WORKS.

Otago Witness, Issue 2604, 10 February 1904, Page 20

FIRE AT ISLINGTON FREEZING WO R KS.

EXTENSIVE DAMAGE CAUSED

The Islington freezing works were the ecene of an extensive fire on Saturday night, the main building used for the treatment of offal being completely destroyed. Practically all its contents were burned or damaged beyond repair, and at one time the whole factory was in serious danger. The Press Association agent sent no particulars, but we get the following information from the Christchurch, papers . — The fire seems' to haye started some time previous to midnight. It was first observed at about 12.15, and the aiarm horn at the worte "was immediately sounded. The flames spread wath great rapidity, however, and by the time the employees, in various stages of undress, had begun to arrive on the scene tho building was vomiting forth huge clouds of smoke, lit up by the flames underneath. A strong sou- wester was blowing, and within a few minutes the whole building was enveloped in fire, i which streamed from the windows and through the roof and rendered hopeless all attempts to save any of the building or its contents. A printing press, one or two sewing machines, and a few fowls were brought out by those early on the scene, but the rest was a total loss.

A fire hose was quickly laid on. by the volunteer brigade of the works, and water poured on to the flames, but this process was so obviously futile that most of the) men turned their attention to saving the adjacent buildings. Soon after 1 o'clock, the railway fire engine arrived from Christchurch, and was welcomed with ch&srs. The men soon had heavy streams of water playing, and half an hour later th© safety of the main portion of the factory was assured, the firemen being favoured by a fortunate change in the direction of the wina. About 12.30 an explosion occurred. In. the tallow department, one of the fivo departments contained m the building destroyed, there were six huge cylindrical vats, u=ed for boiling down the- cfFal from which the- tallow was obtained. Each of these contained from five to seven tons of fat and offal, and the heat caused one to burst with a terrific rear. Flames and smoke were flung up in a great column that was plainly visible from the city, whilst burning beams, sheet iron, and blazing fat wc-re scattered all around. Considering the number of people grouped round the- fire it was amazing that no one was seriously hurt. Probably the bystanders owed their safety in part to the very force of the explosion, .since most of the scalding fit was thrown far over their herds. The houses occupied by many of the workmen, some 200 yards away, were spattered all a\ev with grease, while the surrounding ground was slippery to the foot. It was nearly 5 o'clock before the fire showed signs of exhaustion, much of the stock contained in the various departments being of a highly inflammable nature. After that it subsided fairly rapidly, and soon the smoking heap of ruins 1 showed only an occasional flicker of flame. The city engine returned to town about 8 a.m., leaving: the employees of the works to do what little more was required. The gutted building's comprised the manure store, the manure diye~, the bone mill, the. tallow refinery, the tallow store', the- engine room, the gelatine works and store, the glue works j>nd store, the poultry shed, and the bagging plant and store. All these buildings, together wirh their contents, were burnt to eindVr;. Only the brick and iron work remained after the conflagration burnt itself out. The block destroyed was situated towards the south-eastern corner of the company's works, about 300 ft away from the mam freezing buildings, and v, a=i well distant from the other blocks of buildings. The relt store stands 107 ft to the westward, and the> general store, stables, and men's dormitories stand about 90ft to the north. Consequently, the fire did net extend beyond the block in which it originated.

The origin of th© fire is entirely a mystery. The men. employed in the manure department ceased work at 7 o'clock on Saturday night. Those in the tallow shed, a? well as the employees in the other departments, also finished at that hour. The fireman in charge of the main enginesroom, which is "ituated jotne distance to the northwestward of the block destioyad, continued on duty till 10 minutes to 11. At thai time everything appeared safe. The night watchman, in the coin-so of Ins patrol round the works, passed the tallow and manure buildings at a quarter to 12. and he, at that time, noticed nothing which would indicate that anything was wrong. At midnight the men working in the engine room of the freezing department, changed shifts. Those coming on arrived at from 10 to fivo minutes to 12, and those going off left shortly afte>* the hour. None of those men, although they passed when coming and going within a short distance of the tallow works, saw any sign of iire.

The insurances on th© buildings, plant, and contents destroyed total £20,000, and the loss is estimated at about thnt sum. Th© works, a^ a whole, are insured for £126 850. and the risks are distributed among the following offices :— Alliance £10.000, Australian Allianoa £1500, Commercial Union £4500, Imperial £2000, London and Lancashire £9000. Liverpool and London and Globe £5000, Law, Union, and Crown £4000, Manchester £*000, Norwich Union £12,000, Northern £3000. National £3000. North Gorman £7000. North British and Mercantile £3000, North Queensland £4000. New Zealand £5550, Phoenix £5000, Royal £15 003 Royal Exchange £10,000. Standard £1000, Si'u £7000, Soii'h Briti-h £3000, United £2000, Victoria £2000, and Yorkshire £4000. The above companies will bear the loss in the proportions determined by the above amounts.

The operations of the company will not be affected by the fire, for killing will be conducted as usual A spare tallow refining plant is being sent from the Timaru works, and a temporary s^t of buildings will 1-e erected to take the place of those destroyed. The oleo factory will al=o hi partly utilised for tlio tallow refining, Tne

company vt tho p -c^ent ti.iio arc kilhuqj eh ths- iatu of 20,030 sliecp a ueok., but arp ablo to kill 30,000 weekly when woikuig at hi^h prcst'L vii.