DESTRUCTIVE FIRES.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XXXIV, Issue 11140, 2 December 1907, Page 5

DESTRUCTIVE FIRES.

GREAT DAMAGE IN MELBOURNE. AND QUEENSLAND. SPECTATORS INJURED; (Press Asen. — By Telegraph— Copyright) MELBOURNE^ December 1. A destructive fire started At 10 o'clock last riight in Clark's,' Vfaricy goods importers, a 'five : storied warehouse in Elizabeth street, adjoining the rear of the Commonwealth telegraph 'and money order ofoes. The fir-e spread with tremendous rapidity, enveloping WaHach's ! large furniture •Avarehouse, tlie Dux cjrcle works, 7 and a number of smaller places:' ' ' By an early, hour, this morning the brigade had obtained the mastery over the major portion of, the fire. Clark's and "WaJlach's wers practically gutted", and serious damage was done to t£e Commonwealth property, including, the destruction of thousands of pounds' worth of telephone wirte and material. Various adjoining properties suffered severely. ■'-... • ' ' - . , The whole city Avas briUiatitly lighted and an immense concourße Avatched" events. ,-.■'. A verandah, crowded with spectators, and situated opposite the outbreak, suddenly collapsed, and several were, injured. The fire is the largest that has 'occurred! fjor twelve years. : The. value df the property destroyed is close on JBoOjOOO. 1 . ; . ' An official report states that the Postal Department lost £15,000' worth of material. ; ■ :XV ';:. x- . .'■ .-... .. "■ ' .. : It is feafed that considerable public inconvenience will be caused by the loss of telephone instruments and wire. (Received December 2, 8.50 a.m.) MELBOURNE; -December 2. The fir© raged for hours. .It threateneS. to demolish the whole block bounded by Elizabeth, Lonsdale, Swanston, and Little Bourke^streets* The fire started in. a blind alley ainong a great pile of packing cases, and straw, stacked up against the rear portion of Clark and Go.'s warehouse;. -Floor after floor of the warehouse gave way. ■ ; ,■'■; The fire had defied the of the' brigade for some hours when Clark's mass AvasTon fire, and :iti steered -'j northward. The great crest of flame swept over to the money order office in the post office Block. The walls of Clark and r Co.'s wairehous© -fell, and the small shops beneath became a mass of red hot bricks! and blazing timber. ; . With this crash went the' relics of early Melbourne. •-. These, shops, which' cracked dike egg 1 shells, Avere built in 1844. " . .- The wind fortunately cnanged to the southi, and the pressure on the. post office was; relieved. ; .' , The more, serious i results of the fire Avere confined . to Clark and Co.'s ands Wallach's bwW^S 13 ' ' where the postal material was stored. ANOTHER BIG FIRE. A, block \of eight two-storied shops were destroyed . by fire at . West Melbourne. : , ■ •■, , ;;: Brisbane, Dec. i., A, wire from Longreach to the Deputy. Postmaster-G(erieral . announces, '■that the: town of Longreach ' Av t as swe,pt\by, firei this moa-ning;. TAyenty- two leading business'places were destroyed/ ■". '..■••-,'. (Received December 2, 8.9 a.m.) , .'.; ; BRISBANE, December 2. For the third time iri a decade the bnsiness portion of Longreach has been swept by fire. .It . broke out in a paint shop and spread Avith great rapidity. A large quantity of explosives in one store, together with an .acetylene generator, exploded, 'shattering windows in the vicinity. ( r ,' ' The Iriiperial Hotel; which; is one of the finest country hotels in. Queensland, costing £10,000, Avas among the places destroyed. V \ . • ; The damage is estimated at £40,000.