THE DANNEVIRKE FIRE.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XLIV, Issue 14437, 25 October 1917, Page 6

THE DANNEVIRKE FIRE.

Diirhi^ tbb bf^fVfu'tJ/rit t)aQtievirkfe the luwii gas niipply was evil off : o<i-iijg to tliO/.dama^e-to.theTgafi niailis the themselves^' just 'escaping the . general destruction.

The~ streets, where they were not devastated,,, presented an interesting .and curious .aj>p£ararfte during I He** progress of the fire, the stocks irv trade of many various kinds of .businesses being heaped up mi manyjplat'es along tile footpaths ready tit be taken away to safety. Many of thp/^bmpelitorK atthe motor cycle sports "lost all their fuggage and .personal belougfnj^,' which they had loft behind m one or 6,theV of the hotels which Were burnt. While they were rading their beiorigings were going up m flame and smoke literally before their eyes. Labor Day, 1917/ is a day that will be- remembered m Dannevirke as long as it is a town. There; are many heavy losers amongst those whose premises ' have . been burnt, out, and even- where we^U' insured the insurance will prove- quite inadequate to replace buildings and 'stocks at the present' high pric«£v Many have also suffered severely on account of navmg got m specially heavy stocW' for the Chmtmas trade. . Mr A. C. Webber was the biggeet loser having had three shops J burned 'Which had been jiist^^byate'd and filled with stocks m anficTpation -'«f -^*lie Christmas trade. ■„ ..,.,„• v'/v .- Andrews' Hotel saved' nothing but the books. . ' , , ''•''There was an enormous .-number . of \vveakages owing to the 'hurried removal of goods \jf iHjo.i'gaHised' bands of helpers. . ."" ' . .

The firemen had some narrow escapes. Some of them-^re <>n ;Andre\v»';;veraTidfch vhen tha'i ; 3of fell^lt/ Hilton Reed^j. Woodville. fell through a windo^;' TraF'csc'afoecr serious injtffy. Tlie gas Myß%i# a lttftrdw escape, tlie empkyees pdffiig up a gi'eat' fight an 4 liist maila^fg tb make a good Have. The fire B«gade fought strenuously and haffl, tftft \l \ete against bveifw.helming odds, Ahe rapidity of the spread alid the terrific heat; and the inadequacy of the e<iuipment m otfmpafisottttt- the size of the coiiflagratioli Mdc their task one of oyerAvhetming rfiffi-culty. Btavely and gamely they stuck fo it, hwerer, aiid with the assistance of the Railway Fire , Brigade did all' that was possible for men % to do The very roadways .jjprang into flames, the tar dresshig^.blazmg up and injuring the already inadequate hose. It was a 'mighty big relief to the Dannevirke firemen . when a car dashed up with a contingent of the. Woodville Brigade and plentiful supplies of h6se ; mdi" it was soon thereafter that the brigades could be said to have got the upper hand. . . . ' .....■■■ A later report states : Over six acres of the; centre of '"the town is a ... smokine ruin. : , , ■f u (ireat credit must be given to. the Dannevirke aiid Woodville Fire Brir gades, who woiFked like Trojana'agamst fierce odds m their endeavor to check thy vaging flames. Luckily the fire hend was brought to a. full stop 'at the brick wall of Mason, chemist, thus saving the large block right down to the Bank of New Zealand.' „ Part of the back garage of Ransoms caught fire but wa« stopped from spreading thr.ough the brick premises of. the front shop, but all the . stocks 'was removed, also that from Takle and .Go., booksellers. , In Ward street and pavement, goods from quite a number of premises were piled up against the brick wall at Bains corner which was evidently considered a safe spot and many willing hands from the large crowd that gathered . rendered Maluable ( assistance. Being a, holiday, most of the townspeople were out at the racecourse seeing the motor, sports while several whose premises were destroyted were away at Hastings and Wanganui and knew nothing of the catastrophe till it was all

over. > ..'. , It is impossible to estimate the loss at present, and it is questionable whether somp of the sufferers will start again owing to the high price of building material and the difficulty of procuring stock. . Messrs McDowell . and Power, who carry an immense drapery stock, had a miraculous escape, and had begun to remove the stock. James Club Hotel, adjoining the railway, was partly burned', but Was saved*. Luckily the fire happened m the day time, othenvise the loss of life might have been appalling.