DESTRUCTIVE FIRE.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XLIV, Issue 14190, 6 January 1917, Page 5

DESTRUCTIVE FIRE.

I l» ' ' : . ' 3 BIG BLAZE' AT HAMILTON. ( | (Per Press Association.) ■ HAMILTON; last' -night. ■ A terrible fire is lit present, raging in Hamilton, the whole factory -and timber yards of Messrs Ellis and Burntfnd , i being ablaze. The confla.^ia.tibn started » at b o'clock, and is • supposed, to -have originated*, in:' tlrd' ffngiiievtionily Within 10 minutes ihe factory was a seething :mass of flamej aiid a strong «-ind was '.-. blowing the:- tongues of fire aeross the intervening rojid, 1 wliere. they took hold \ orf large staefcs of dried timber,, which were quickly enveloped in. ' the sea-' of lire. 7 " ;' ;. >'*; „ ■ ' The premises and yards, occupy' about eight acres, and at tinie "of :wir*ing the ocoupants of dwellings near were reniov"*' ih'g their furniture, whii'e efforts are being made to save the large bulk store of tne'Loan and Mercantile Company 1 in the station yard,' "which adjoins."' The ! -factory has peeh completely demolished, the oniy -Bhing standing being the strong rbomiW'ith'tfi'e books Intact. i 'The inost seriotis feature is thfe destruction of " large stocks of butter box ,-timbei*, which req-uires' to' be of a, -special quality 'and • thoi-oiighly' seasoned. 1 ' As' Messrs Ellis and" Bui-nand are' the biggest blitter* hox hianuf acttu'ei-s' iii the North Island-, manyTfactbries aT'e'likbiy to sii'ffer in cdrfsequei'ieej though the firm is sending down a. special staff of workmen to their King Country milkf to ( endeavdi to fulfil orders. i '.There. was a good deal of nianufacftured jbihery oii the premises, and at 1-ast assessmerit thft stock was' Valued l at } £(25,000, . which was totally -destroyed. The stock and. premises were insured | for about £10,000,' maih ly 'in' the Cb-fti:- , mercial' Unioii offifce. * ' , HA'^ILTO-N, this day. ' At Elba and 'Buffiard's- fire' the'erforts pf the brigade wer^; considerably'ha^nipered by thp lo^-^wate'r pVesfeui'e, ' ' bu't j they, managed to prevent the \spread ol j tl-.e firo to adjacent dwellings', while' the I bulk stoje of the New Zealand Loan and J Mercantile' Company .w*as saved7' '. The total^' damage is now assessed a.t •621,030., The irisvu*ances are £8150 in i tjie Commercial ' Union Office.