DESTRUCTIVE FIRE.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XLIV, Issue 14284, 28 April 1917, Page 5

DESTRUCTIVE FIRE.

HAWKE'S BAY FRUIT AND COOL

STORAe4E .WORKS,

BUILDING AND PLANT IN RUINS

(Per PressV'Assbciation.) HAgTINOS, this day. At 12.30 this, morning the police discovered a fire, m theTHawke's.Bay.' Fruit and Cool Storage Works. Although the brigade wag promptly on the scene, it was found impossible to effect a save, and the whole of, the-. fine buildiings and plant were reduced to smouldering ruins. The works, which were formally opened by the late Dr. McNab m February, 1914, cost £10,000. Their ;de-

S.struction will be a serious blow to the fruit growers,, who ai'e iiow deprived 0/ the meams of cool storing their fruit. . 1 At the time of the fire "between. 22,000 land 23,000 cases of , apples and pears, the -largest stock the- company has yet lield, were . m ihs cool chambers. "Mosl of_ the fruit, it is expected, has been I damaged by : water aiiid steam, j The cause of the fire is unknown. 1 The engineer left all apparently safe at, 10.30, p.m.* .-■-.■" ! "Great danger was caused by the exploding of the ammonia cylinders. Our cylinder penetrated the. .wall of .a bu'clding 30ft distant. Apsey ancl Whit*rented two cool chambers, m which 1 they had £5000 worth of fruit. The insurances oii the building and - plant totalled £5000. m the Unil-ec? office. Apsey and White on the'u* fruil v j had £2000 insurkmco m the Ocean office. j Other insurances' aiid estimated loss arc r not yet avjitikjbj'e. „*. ", -„,.. ; ;