FIRES.

Otago Witness, Issue 2805, 18 December 1907, Page 52

FIRES.

WANGANUI, December 12. About 6.15 this evening a fire occurred in Gibbon's Wanganui Brewery, opposite the Mouton. Gardens. A strong wind was blowing, and though the brigade worked splendidly the building was completely gutted. The insurances wore: — Building-, £1250, in the United office; plant, £750, in the Koy^l Exchange; stock, £500, in the North British, and £200 in the -Affiance. It is believed that a large stock of iurewed beer in casks in the cellar was not damaged. WANGANTJI, December 15. A fire broke out last night in a shop in the Avenue occupied by Mr Clarkaon, cycle dealer. The building was gutted, but the stock of bicycles was saved. The upstairs portion of the Freezing Company's retail stibp adjoining was also destroyed. The insurances are unavailable, owing to the owner's absence from town. NAPIER, December 14. A fife was discovered in the laundry of the Boys' High School early this morning, but the prompt attendance of the brigade prevented the flames from spreading to the main building. The laundry was insured in the Norwich Union for £150. About £100 worth of linen was destroyed. Two hours later the brigade was called out again to a fire in the Marist Brothers' School, an old wooden structure. Tha flames had obtained the mastery, and the buildmtj was gutted in a very short tinve. The insurance is £700 on the school and £50 on the fittings, both in the Atlas. Incendiarism is suspected in both cases. WELLINGTON, December 16. The Wairarapa Standard Office at Grqytown was gutted by fire. The -printing, machine and the stock of paper and type ■ have all been practically destroyed. No idea how the fire started can be ascertained. The office was left by the last employee about 10 minutes before the alarm w'aa given. The insurance is £750. The proprietor (Mr T. M'Cracken) will be a heavy loser. . ' i j A five-roomed house at Caversham, oocu- ! pied by Mr Cecil Nelson, and belonging to : Anna Elizabeth French, of Fitaroy street, Caveroham was partially burned early on the 12th ingt. Two rooms, a passage, and some furniture, to the total value' of £130, were destroyed. The house is insured in the United office for £300, and the furniture in the New Zealand office (for £60. The' outbreak is supposed to have started in the corner of the kitchen, close to the range,' which had dot been used since about 5 o'clock the previous evening. Mr and Mrs Nelson, before retiring, imelt Something burning, but could not discover what it was. Mrs Nelson and her husband escaped through the front window. A serious* fire was happily averted in Maclaggan street on the 13th mat. A youth, who iras readinsr the gas meter in Mrs Sullivan's dressmaking and drapery chap under the Crown Hotel, dropped a lighted match among some inflammabre goods, without noticing the consequences of his action, and in a ' eery few minutes flames were spreading throughout trie chop in a most alarming manner. The Fire Brigade was summoned, and, arriving, speedily got several good streams of water playing into the burning shop, with •ueh - effect that it succeeded in confining the fire to the scene of its outbreak. The contents of the ©hop were badly damaged, but Mrs Sufoivan ' {who lives at RavensbourneV re quite unable to estimate the amount of her loss. Two en three rooms over* the shop, forming portion of the Crown Hotel, were damaged by water, and a pane *of glass in * confeotinery shop next door mm broken. The building is owned by Mrs Keligher, of the Crown Hotel. A fireman named P. Williams, while descending from a verandah, dropped a distance of about 14ft on to the pavement, but fortunately was not hurt. At a quarter past 10 p.m. on the 13th * firs which proved desastrous in its results broke out in a large one-storey wooden building in Main road, North-Ea«t Valley, occupied by Messrs Biissard and M 'Vicar, sash and door manufacturers. There was no water supply available, and no* fire brigade, and practically nothing could be done to stay the progress of the flames. The result was that the fire enveloped jbe building with astonishing rapidity, ant.' the strjoture was completely burned down. When the fire was discovered it had a pretty firm hold of the building, and the people who were attracted to the scene had to stand by helplessly and iratch the building being rapidly destroyed. Messrs Biissard and M'Vic&r, it is understood, were carrying a fairly -extensive stock at the time, and the whole of it suffered destruction. The insurances were: — On , the property of Messrs Blieeard and' M'Vicar, sash and door manufacturers, £400 in the Guardian office; on the property of the Union Hat Company in the same building, £300 in the Standard- office. The building and machinery were insured for £155 and £40 respectively. "Mr M'Cracken is well known in Dunedin. He was proprietor of the Cromwell Argus some years ago, and later on he was a sharebroker in Dunedin.