FIRE AT NIVEN AND COMPANY'S.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XXXVII, Issue 12155, 25 May 1910, Page 2

FIRE AT NIVEN AND COMPANY'S.

(Per Press Association.)

XiAPTER, last night. A fire broke out m the euginerooml of the foundry of Messrs Jas. ,1. >Jiven .md Co. Ltd., Port Ahuriri, shortly after 11 o'olook this forenoon, and beforo the i Larries had been completely subjugated, nearly two hours afterwards, very consklcrable damage had been done. When the outbreak was first discovered it had but a trilling hold, and the disastrous results would probably have been averted but for a couple of difficulties ill connection with the water service. In the first place when the Spit Fire Brigade arrived on the scene they could not find the plulg iv the middle of the main street, opposite the company's office, and a. lead had to be run from another plug some two chains away. About 10 minutes elapsed before the first named and most serviceable plug was discovered, it having been covered thickly with road material and even then it was found that the jet obtained scarcely reached to the top. of the building. Another delay occurred m turning on the high pressure from the town, so that nearly half an hour elapsed from the time the alarm -was given until the various lines of .lwj.se were m full and forceful play. In the meantime, however, the members of the Spit and Napier Fire Brigades, a contingent of the latter having been hastily summoned, were doing all that could be done with axes and other appliances, and were working strenuously under circumstances sometimes extremely risky. When the water was brought into full operation, the fire was soon mastered, and shortly before 1 p.m. there was no danger of further damage. The buildings destroyed wero : Engine house and new cool store, a portion of the old cool store being but slightly, if at all, affected. On these three buildings there was an insurance of £2800, but of that sum £800 was on tlie old cool store, so that the actual insurance on tho other two buildings was £2000. Iv the engine room and new cool store there was some costly plant on which there was no insurance, the company taking the risk themselves. This consisted of a 200 horse power engine, two gfls engines, two suction gas producers, an 18 ten freezer, a large electric dynamo, a quantity of electric coil and many tools and appliances. All these wore rendered practically useless, so that tho firm under their own insurance risk are heavy losers, probably to the extent of .about £50CO, as estimated by Mr Geo. Nelson, the managing director. The whole of the buildings were insured for £4395, and the stock and machinery, etc, for £12.705, making a total of £17,100, the risks being divided jimongst the following 11 offices : New Zealand, South British, National, Liverpool, London and Globe, London and Lancasliire, Queensland, Alliance, Sun, Victoria, Atla-^, and Commercial. These offices are only affected, however, to the extent of the £2000 on the two buildings destroyed, the others having escaped damage and the whole of the valuable stock was unharmed. There seemed to be at one stage danger of the refrigerating chamber being seriously affected ; m fact, the back wall had begun to give way, and, as a consequence, haste was made to remove the stock deposited therein by various owners. The Hawke's Bay Farmers' Co-operative Association and Messrs Ellison and Duncan were speedily at u'ork rescuing their supplies of butter. Drays were busily engaged carting away boxes of fish and other produce, and, m a very short time, the refrigerating; chamber was cleared. Although the ' chamber was not materially damaged, j these promptly taken precautions werej advisable and lessened the possibility • of very heavy loss. The North British! and Hawke's Bay Freezing Companies liad stopped 'their engines only on th p previous- day and sent what stock they had on hand to Messrs Niven and (Jo's store. As a result of the fire it was expected that temporarily, at any rate, the North British machinery would have to be restarted, and not only their own produce, but that of all others, accommodated m their own freezing space. Arrangements for this being done were being made this afternoon. So far tho cause of the fire is not definitely known. It is supposed, however, that the chimney of the engine room had become so heated during the work going on that a heap -of coke clos. by became ignited, and, m its turn, set fire to the woodwork oif the roof. Car' penters working m the back yard were the vfirst to give the alarm, having noticed smoke issuing from the roof neat-L---over the boiler. During the progress of the fire several i accidents occurred. The fall of one of the walls of tho engine room brought] with it a platform from* which a fireman • named F. Smith and a moulder- name ' W. Napier wero descending. Napier was hurled against a door aud narrowly escaped being pinned against its frai... by the falling mass. He sustained somo flesh wounds and bruises. Smith was pinned for a. lime by a falling beam, and had some difficulty m getting clear, but also escaped with a, few bruises. Arrangements h-»ve been made hy the firm to continue their work m all its branches to-morrow morning, «i that none of their many hands will suffer from loss of employment.