A DESTRUCTIVE FIRE.

Otago Witness, Issue 3867, 24 April 1928, Page 23

A DESTRUCTIVE FIRE.

EXTENSIVE DAMAGE TO MACHINERY. CITY STORE GUTTED. Though not particularly spectacular or of long duration, one of the most destructive fires which have occurred in Dunedin for some time broke out about 8.30 on Friday evening in Messrs A. S. Paterson and Co.’s wool, skin, hide, and electrical stores at the corner of Tewsley and Willis streets. The building, which was one of galvanised iron, was owned by Messrs John Mill and Co., and was divided into three sections. The first and largest contained electrical machinery valued at approximately £25,000; in the second were stored some £4OOO worth of wool and skins, and the third, which is generally used as a hide floor, was empty. The alarm was given by Mr J. Meade, stableman for Mr M. Stevenson. He was about to enter the door of his home, a short distance away, when he noticed a rapidly increasing glare in the direction of the store, and he hurried to the scene. It was then about 8.30 o’clock, and Mr Meade found the flames bursting from under the iron near the middle point of the long roof. Large piles of inflammable material in the interior of the store were burning fiercely, and the fire was creeping to right and left along the woodei. supports and lining of the building. Three motors, including the Leyland pump, were immediately despatched from the Central Fire Station. The pump was sent to the wharf, where the pump leads and coupling were adjusted, and from then on the powerful motor was kept working at full pressure drawing sea water from the harbour and sending it though with, strong pressure to °ono nozzle.

So rapid was the spread of the flames that by the time the brigade commenced operations the upper portions'of the in terior of the store were a sea of fire. Broken electric lines provided a bright dis play of artificial lightning, and special precautions were taken by the police to prevent the onlookers fom coming within possible reach of the falling wire. The Dunedin Central brigadesmen were reinforced by the crew from the South Dunedin Station, and four leads from the city mains added their quota of water to the powerful jet from the Leyland pump. The pressure from the mains was poor, but the big pump proved a erreat asset, and fully justified all that ° had been claimed for it.

By 9 o clock the brigade had the outbreak well in hand, and some time later it could be seen that the greater portion of the building was completely gutted, and that the damage to its contents was extensile. A good deal of the electrical maenmery was in cases, and this, necessarily, suffered less than that which had been unpacked. Nevertheless, it all suffered considerable damage from fire and water, particularly the latter. The liu-’e piles of skins and bales of 'wool in the wool store were badly burnt, and in this section the loss was heavy. Peculiarly enough, lhe fire did not reach the hide floor, which was empty, and an annexe which was used by the City Corporation as a depot, and contained a quantity of asphalt, also escaped damage. On Saturday workmen were engaged in clearing away the debris. It is apparent that considerable damage has been done, principally to the electrical stock, by fire and water, but the extent of the loss cannot be ascertained until a further inspection has been carried out.