UP IN SMOKE

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXX, Issue 57, 23 October 1914, Page 5

UP IN SMOKE

MUNICIPAL BUILDINGS. TOTAL DESTRUCTION OF THE CHAMBER AND OFFICES. EARLY MORNING SCENE. The most serious loss by fire that Stratford has sustained for years occurred in the early hours of this morn, ing. The alarm went at ten minutes to two, to be precise, and owing to the peculiar circumstances prevailing there was sooner than usual a very large crowd on the scene of the conflagration. A Masonic function had been held at the south end of the town, and the Fire Brigade dance was in full swing at the Fire Station. At the latter, place the alarm had an amusing side if it were riot for the seriousness of the affair. With one accord, the dancers rushed to the door, leaving the musicians dumbfounded and full of fear. The members of the Brigade were, therefore, soon on duty, and under Captain Grubb they worked with a will. But all their efforts were amavailing against the great body of fire which they were up against right from the start. The water pressure was not all that could be desired at first, but an improvement was noticeable later. The fact that the fire was confined to the municipal buildings is cause for congratulation, and is mainly due to the precaution in the by-laws in the erecItion of brick walls between adjoining structures. The premises on the north side, occupied by Mr Lewers' drapery establishment, appeared for a time to be sure to suffer,, but luckily, there was not a breath of wind, and a lead of water effectively I kept down the names. On the south side, the right-of-way between the Bank of New Zealand provided an avenue of safety—all conditions being equal, of course—and things happened as anticipated. The fire started in the centre of the building, at the rear, it seemed, of the premises of Mr Sparwath, cabinetmaker and upholsterer. Appearances point to this conclusion, at any rate, as the back was a seething mass of fire when the Brigado arrived on the scene, and this portion was down long before the front of the building collapsed. After two hours' hard and determined work, the Brigade were playing on a mass of smouldering ruins, with all danger of an extension of the fire out of the question. SEEN IN THE FIRE. / "Onlooker" writes: "The clang of the firebell at any time is not a pleasant sound, but those who didn't hear last night's challenge from the Fire Fiend, or were too comfortably ensconced under the bedclothes to raise sufficient energy to proceed to the scene of the fire, missed a fine "blaze." Residents on the south side of the bridge found a difficulty in locating the site of the outbreak for a time, and the hotels in Kte rango of vision all came in for their share in the game of hazards. Somo idea of the hold the fire had may be gained from the fnct that simultaneously with the alarm, flames were seen shooting out above'the roof. Within five minutes, the whole of Broadway was lighted from end to end, the flames being at least sixty feet in the air, accompanied by dense clouds of heavy black smoke, such as kapok and other inflammable material incidental to the upholstering trade only can produce. That the place was doomed was apparent to the least unthinking, and the only "learn of hope was in the saving of the adjoining premises. Mr Lowers' I shop was threatened for a time, but. j fortunately, the premises of Messrß I Webster, TDobson and Co., did not provide fuel of a nature for flames of any magnitude, and finding itself

beaten at this position, the fire* ato its way south, finally enveloping the jewellery shop of Mr Stone and then Mr Pivac's restaurant. The latter, however, was but a circumstance in the trend of events, the danger heing practically over before this occurred. I INTERRUPTIONS. i The crowd viewed the conflagration with awe and silence, which was broken now and then with an opinion sometimes more indiscreet than truthful. "I thought as much," or "1 told you so." came out with sinister effect, 'and before the listening unit had time 'to grasp the danger of trifling with 'suggestion, an incident in the fire ' would cause an interruption in the !conversation. All the time there was the roar and crackle of the flames. .With a crash and roar the roof tumblied in, and a shower of sparks shot up 'towards the sky and danced upon the 'clouds of smoke until inanition came, and they were noticeable no more. Every now and again there were discharges like the shooting of explosives, and the big windows on the bottom storey crashed noisily outwards. At one stage the idea of an inferno was grandly depicted. The reading-room above was one big flame, and the windows, relieved of their weight, danced a fandango and then collapsed.- At twenty-nve minutes past two the frontispiece in the centre of the buildings, after burning merrily, threw outwards on to the roof of the verandah where it blazed away till the end, providing light for the continuance of the Brigade's work. The flames seemed particularly fierce when in the region of the Library. "Dickens-Howitt-Bums!" grinned a man with a bookworm's countenance as ho threw this shaft of wit and then escaped among the crowd. The staircase acted as a flue, and the flames took full revenge upon the authors. Not often is there an opportunity for retaliation upon the scribes I • SOME REGRETS. With mixed feelings the crowd witnessed the scene. Lovers of art saw in the ruined pile the destruction of lovely specimens- of artistic furniture, historical pictures framed in rich designs, or jewellery the work of the artist's hands most precious and beloved of women. Others, again, bemoaned the possible fate of the town's municipal records, or, perhaps, gloried in a bare outside chance of the rates being dodged this year! One remembered that never again will the same old portraits of "past Councils look down with kindly and benevolent eyes upon those prosaic, yet sometimes -electrifying, discussions. But none more than the epicurean among the onlookers bewailed the fate that deprived him of his favorite omelette or the more popular fish and chips! Not seldom, it is said, has Pivac's resounded since the outbreak of the war with martial strains, when loyalty threatened to take the roof off! It is a truism that man is most loyal when he has, had a substantial supper! Who., will say that among the crowd were not some who had, perhaps, a couple of hours before, sat down at the hospitable hoard in those self-same rooms! All these thoughts and more crowded thick and fast upon the imagination as the fire rushed upwards, master for the .time being of the situation. There were the usual stories floating round of this one and that one having passed the place only a little while before the alarm was given without noticing any sign of fire, but in these matters mere man is not considered—the Fiend executes his will and man must command success.

THE LUCK OF IT! Amid the desolation there was one lucky man. He was Sir Pivac. Not three weeks ago under a friend's persuasive influence, he took out an insurance policy, after having run the 'gauntlet of fire for years past. Then, again, after the danger was over, it was found that his front shop was practically undamaged, and he coolly went in and from the till pocketed several pounds representing the takings which he had left there on the previous evening. His hooks were not even scorched! Some people cling to the belief that, it is better to be born lucky than rich, and after this who can gainsay it? The more sensible among the crowd went home, and, no doubt, were fast asleep again by half-past three, but many were on the road at four o'clock. Then, only a heap of debris emitted smoke and steam, and a thick dank fog came down and covered up the sight as if ashamed of the destruction wrought so quickly. People will talk, and if half of last night's dreams come true, there will arise from the ashes, Phoenix-lik'e, a noble structure built in s°tone and iron which will be known as the "Stratford Town Hall." THE FIRE BRICADE.

The alarm was given by Fireman Henry, who had been attending the Brigade's social, and who observed the dare when proceeding down Regan Street to his home. The Brigade turned out smartly, and soon alter the alarm had been given there was a lull muster of members. When Captain :>iubl) arrived on the sceue, the fire had a strong hold, and he at once recognised that it would bo impossible for him to save the building, and the efforts of the brigade were therefore concentrated on stopping the fire spreading. There is every indication that the fire started on the ground floor near the middle of the building, though at an early stage the flames found their way to the roof, having travelled, probably, up through the lining. Five leads of hose were run out, the total amount of hose used being 1700 ft, which constitutes a record for the town. One lead was taken through the space between Pivac's and the Bank, thus enabling the fire to bo fought from the rear, and another was taken up Lewers' right-of way and up

.on the roof of Levers' premiss, giving ja good vantage point from which to |attack the flames. One of the leads of hose was a ve»- long one, coming from the Stratford Hotel corner. At the start the water pressure was far from satisfactory, caused by the .lamming of the bull in the plug, but when this was remedied the pressure improved, and still better results wore obtained when the supply was cut off at certain points, concentrating the pressure on Broadway central. The efforts of the brigade were devoted largely to the northern end, and they were successful in stopping the flameß spreading, though the tire got through a ventilator into Mr Fussell's premises, only a very small space being scorched, however. By 4 o'clock the fire was practically extinguished, though a good number of men remained on the spot during the day. The electric light wires in front of the building were quickly cut by the Electrical Supply Go's, staff, as they would be a serious source of danger to'the firemen. This morning the staff was busy repairing the lines. THE BOROUGH'S LOSS. The building was erected in 1900 by Mr F. Brown, the then Mayor, Mr F. J. Steuart laying the foundation stone on May 3rd, 1900. This is the third time the Municipal Buildings have been destroyed by fire, each time on the same spot. The Town Clerk (Mr P. Skoglund) was a busy man this morning, making arrangements for carrying on the Council's work. This morning nothing definite had been arranged, though Mr Percy Thomson has kindly placed a room in his premises at the disposal of the Council. The building is. practically a complete loss, only a small portion of Pivac's premises, the verandah and some of the front being sav ( ed from total destruction. The Town Clerk states that there was nothing in the Council's part of the building which could lead to a fire. The Borough books aro placed every evening in the strongroom on the ground floor, rind they are, therefore, intact. The Council will lose i considerable gam in rents until the shops are reinstated. \ THE INSURANCES. The Borough insurances were held oy the State office. There xvas £IX6O on the building, the books in the, library wore insured for £IOO, and there was £l5O on the furniture and fittings. Mr J. K. Stone, jeweller, was insured tor £4OO, on his stock, tools, etc.; but he estimates his loss' at £SOO over- that amount. A very small portion of his ,tock was saved. Messrs Webster, Dobson and Co. had their fittings and Jurnituie insured in tho Fnifcedv office ror £175, but of course their loss will >e considerably over that amount. Mr tV. S. V. A. Sparwath had his'stock injured for £SOO in the Victoria Office, though he estimates the value of his •tock at £BOO, and in addition he lost cools valued at £7O, Mr S. Pivac tad a cover of £2OO in the Queensland office, but he estimates his actual loss it £3OO over that amount. ... WHAT OF THE WATER? A fire of tho magnitude of last ught's finds out any defects there may be in the water pressure, and when the brigade started work the pressure ivas far from satisfactory. It is stated that at one time the pressure vas as low as forty pounds per square . •nch, whereas 1001 b is a fair average : or fire-fighting purposes. There was practically no wind last night, but tho

general opinion is that with a high wind the brick division walls would not have saved some of the neighbouring premises, leading to a widespread conflagration. It was no longer ago than Tuesday evening, at the Fire Brigade's annual dinner, that the Mayor spoke of the necessity for an improved water supply.* He claimed that the present supply was quite inadequate for fire-fighting purposes, and that i n Lhe case of a serious fire only the brick division walls would save the town from a general conflagration. It is almost generally admitted that town's water supply could be improved, and no doubt steps will now be taken to set things right. RE-BUILDINC. There has been, at various times re■ently, considerable argument about ; the Town Hall and the Municipal Ohambers and the destruction of the Municipal Buildings should clear the ground to a great extent in forming plans for the future. The complaints regarding the position of the present Town Hall are not without grounds, and it seems reasonable' to presume that a place of entertainment in a main street would be a better business pro(>osition than one in a by-street. One scheme muck spoken of is to erect a new building on the Broadway site, the .rent portion to'be used as a theatre jtrid the back portion for the municipal offices, it being suggested that an jrcade could be run through to the offices. In any case, wherever tb> building is erected, ratepayers should *ee that a substantial structure is put up in brick or concroto and ouo that will serve the needs of the town for the next thirty years.