FIRE IN HALCOMBE.

Rangitikei Advocate and Manawatu Argus, Volume XLI, Issue 11697, 17 October 1916, Page 6

FIRE IN HALCOMBE.

S From Our Own Correspondent. At abont 5.45 a,in. on Sunday Mr Todd, an employee of Mr Feeney’s, found that fire had a big hold of the bakehouse and back premises of the confectionery and grocery departments, and he at once sounded the alarm, which ronsed Mr and Mrs Feeney and son from their Sunday morning’s extra snoose. A salvage corp consisting of many willing hands doing all that was possible to save the contents of the front part of the buildings and succeeded in rescuing a portion of tho stock and furniture from the flames, including a new £75 piano. Seven tons of burning coal were keeping things hot when four boors later I looked upon tbs scene of destruction that this fire had wrought. An adjoining building owned by Mr J. Fraser, was also totally destroyed, the insurance upon which was £SO. The premises occupied by MrfcFeeney were owned by Mr Farrell, and were, I’m told, insured for £4OO. Mr Feeney bad £l5O on his stock, the value of which be estimates at close upon £SOO, and be will therefore suffer considerable loss, which he philosophically accepts and he wishes to warmly thank all those who worked so hard to save his belongings, among others of whom are Miss Smith, Miss Anderson, Miss Whale and Messrs Franklin, Saywell, Anderson, Gillatt, Thorby, Bolt, Bradly and Osborne. § An incident connected with this fire shews how the ludicrous is often interwoven with the tragic. The piano, safe on the opposite footpath, attracted the attention of young Alphonso, wbo, while the lire was eating uji his parent’s property, laboriously worked out a tune closely related to “There’s a hot time in the old town,” This reminds me not only of Troy but also of another boy wbo, with his mother and numerous brothers and sisters, escaped in.their night clothes from the burning building. The mother, much distressed at the total loss of everything the fa-mily possessed, was feeling and looking Very sad when her eldest boy somewhat relieved the strain by anxiously asking “Mother, where now can ns have breakusV’’