BIG FIRE IN HARDY STREET.

Colonist, Volume XXXIV, Issue 6000, 3 January 1891, Page 3

BIG FIRE IN HARDY STREET.

About half-pciai one o'elook this morning & fir« ocoarred at the Kftyai Blue Honse. in Hardy street, owned an*, q wupfetf by Mr J. P.Gooke, painter, glazier, hofae decorator, &o, t the upper" portion of whoae premises waß oooupiea by the Young Men's Christian Association, their hall oooupying the front portion, and a committee 'rooal, $0. being at the rear, In a short time the fire spread to the premises ooonpied by Mr Georga Haslem, the Nelson Boot Bazaar, a portion of his building being used as a boarding establishment:. On the other side of Ut Cooke's premise^, the eastern side, was » wide passage leading past the entrance to the V.M.C.A Hall to a cottage owned by Mr Cooke, and also to his oil and paint stores. To the east of this passage was a large two storey building of somewhat remarkable design, owned by Mr C W. Moore, builder. In the centre of this building was an' open passage way, providing access for a cart to Mi' Moore's workskops at the back. On the western side of this passage vras the store of the newlyformed Nelson Industrial Co-operative Society ; and on the eastern side the consulting room, &g, of Mr Olapham, medical herbalist. The fire was practically confined to the buildings already enumerated, but the shop of Mr I. B. Hnflam, music seller, etationer, and dealer in pictures and musical instruments, was endangered, and notwithstanding the wide cflrfc entrance to the back of Mr Haslem's premises separating the latter from the buildings belonging to Mr Sigley, these last mentioned were in some danger, as also indeed were the buildings on the opposite side of Hardy street, notably those oooupied by Mr B. Prater, and by Mrs Lloyd, boarding house keeper. So great was the heat, indeed, that all the windows on the street side of the last two mentioned places were broken, and the buildings themselves were only caved by means of wet blankets and by water being played upon them. Apparently the fire broke out in the back portion of Mr Cooke's premises upstairs, bat at all events only a very short time oould have elapsed before the fire spread to the downstairs portion of the Boyal Blue House, and the contents being of a nature to feed the flames and to cause their rapid spread the headway made by the fire vraß not surprising. When first discovered the fire was making its way through the partition in the upper part of the building known as the Boot Bazaar, and most of the members of Mr Haslem's family only esoaped in their night dresses, the boarders being, however, more fortunate. Before the fire got a firm hold of this building there was ample assistance available, and the greater portion of the stock of boots was got out, while a great deal of the furniture from the lower rooms was saved, including a piano, but there was very little got from the upper rooms, and Mr Haslem will be a serious loser, in the way of clothing especially. At an early stage attempts were made to get out the oil and paints from the store at the rear of the Boyal Blue House, and some 40 or 50 drums were got ont, but a deal had to be left. Very little too, was saved from the Co-Operative Society's store, and only damage was done by the hasty removal of Mr Huffam's stock, though at one time his shop appeared in great danger. The Fire Brigade got to work with most commendable promptitude, but the pressure of the water was unaccountably weak, indeed this is a matter that demands enquiry. The firemen devoted their chief efforts to prevent the fire getting a hold to the east of the passage between Mr Cooke'a and the Co-Operative store, and some of their number having mounted on to the verandah of the store directed the water from their commanding position, but so weak was the pressure for a tin.o tbttt the water barely readied the par tpel a'o g whioh the fire crept, also making il^ v , t y from the sida walls. It was nob without much ri?k that these men worked, and when the ornamental summit of the parapet fell on to the verandah, they only just managed to get out of the way. They stack to tudr work manfully, however, aad slowed skill and judgment in their fight, which was practically over soon after the day dawned. The Boyal Blue House wis burnt to the ground, but portions of tbe other buildings still rermin. Tbe principal loss BUBtained was at Mr Cooke's large building, which with its contents belonging to Mr Cooke alone, could not have been worth less than £2500, but in addition to this the Y. M. U. Association and the Good Templars whose lodge room was also above the Bhop, owned valuable property and furniture. Each of these bodies owned an organ worth about £50, and in addition to furniture there was a considerable library. At Mr Haslem's practically nothing was got from upstairs, but the boots were nearly all got out of the shop and Mr Haelem, who is District; Secretary of the Ancient Order of Foresters, saved all the property belonging to that Order whioh was in his custody, including a safe containing about £100 worth of regalia. As to the aotual damage done to stock, &c., in Moore's building wa were unable to gain definite particulars, but the total loss by tbe fire will probably amount to between four and five thousand pounds. Mrs Lloyd's boarding house, on the north side of Hardy street, was damaged by heat and water, and some of the contents were damaged by water. The members of the Salvage Corps and volunteer assistants are entited to much oredit for the way in whioh they worked. As far as we oould ascertain them the insurances were aa follows : Mr Cooke's stock, £250 South British, £250 New Zealand, £250 Sun ; Royal Blue House, £400 South British; Mr Cooke's cottage, £100 South British ; V.M.C A furniture, £100 Boyal; Haslem's furniture, £100 North German, stock £200_North German; Haslem'e building, owned by T. Poy, £375 National; Nelson Industrial Co-Operative Society's stock, £250 Liverpool, London and Globe; Huffam's stock (partly damaged), £250 Sun; Moore's building, £300 Norwich Union; Mrs Lloyd's boarding house, owned by Mrs Betts, £200 Liverpool, London, and Globe; Mrs Lloyd's furniture, £200 Sun. Both the last two mentioned were only slightly damaged.