AFIRE EPIDEMIC.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XXXX, Issue 13045, 10 April 1913, Page 4

AFIRE EPIDEMIC.

-_^. . '' ' : *•■ '— •WHANG AJREI EXCITED. J -^ ; -^jper Press Association.) ••■"•■'• WHANGAREI, last night. .*_ -Considerable excitement -has been created, by the fire which occurred on Saturday the fourth within a vtaek. "Breaking out m J the shop occupied by W. McNaughtpn, saddler, the filp&:gutted ? these premises'. Damage vvas done --by', water and smoke m the adjoining shop?' occupied by JF. Voice, sta--toiier, • ; and . McCr eady and Hamsha,Av, tailors. The oAvner of Voice's and McJNatig^ton's shops is A. Finlayson, who h^i- each. of. them insured for £275 m the '•' Ailiance '.office. McNaughton 's .stock was insured for £100 m the Victoria office, and Voice's for £164 m the Alliance office.- -McGready and Hamshaw's stock Av,as insured for £100 m the Alliance office. A daring attempt r was made to set fire to the residence of MrH. Thornp T son, ex-M.P. llt^a.pp6ars..l lt^a.pp6ars.. ; that the housekeeper "was engaged .'ironing m the kitcheft abdut 8.30 p.m., and had occasion to leav« the room, a'' light' being left burning. JHearing a noise, supposedly oi footsteps, she returned, and discovered' two separate fires. , A .blouse was burning ?Aon l the kitchen table,/ and curtains 10ft away were also alight. The light - had not been disturbed. With tihe assistance of Mr Thompson, who was reading m another, room, the outbreak was quickly suppressed. :Last year Whangarei suffered from an epidemic of incendiarism? five separate attempts occurring one night.