A FIRE IN TOWN.

Taranaki Daily News, 8 February 1916, Page 4

A FIRE IN TOWN.

CHATSWORTH HOUSE CUTTEr (i ROUND FLOOR SAVED. LITTLE PROPERTY RESCUEP Chataworth House, a boarding t» *Th nshment in Powdcrham Street, wft, almost completely destroyed yesterday by the second disastrous blaze to occur in New Plymouth within twenty-four hours. When discovered about 120 p.m., the (ire had a good hold, and it Mas nearly two o'clock before the efforts of the brigade succeeded in. extinguishing the outbreak. Chatsworth House was a two-storeyed building comprising thirty-two rooms, and it was owned and occupied by Mrs. C. A. Howell The fire was not discovered until seve. ral rooms on the top floor were ablaze, for most of the occupants were at lunch on the ground floor. On coming OH t of a sitting-room one of the maids saw smoke coming from a bedroom and on opening the door, .flames burst through the opening. She immediately ran downstairs and gave the alarni, but - when some of the boarders attempted to rush up the stairs they were met by a ' dense volume of smoke, for by thij time, the fire had spread from room to room with grea-t rapidity, and the stairs gave an outlet to smoke and flames. Tt waa soon apparent that the top floor was doomed, and attention was directed to removing furniture from, the grounj floor. TWO NARROW ESCAPES.

The rapidity with which the flames wrapped up the top portion of the building demonstrated the peril which would have faced the boarders had the fire broken :>>it at night, but though the only itvro persons on the top storey got awav safely, the desire of some of the boarders to rescue their belongings led to some exciting experiences. One of the boarders rushed upstairs to his room immediately the alarm was given in tlje hope of saving his personal effects, ffe had no sooner entered his room, however, than he discovered he was shut off by the flames, which swept along the passage, and he had to make his *xit *

through the window, and with the aid of blankets, which he tied together and made fast to one of the pieces of furniture in his room Another your.;; mar also had an exciting experience. Ho got on to the balcony, and had just entered his room and was gathering ton some valuables when the flames droVo him back, and he had to beat a ha9tv retreat. FTGHTING THE FIRE. The brigade, under Superintendent V. C. J. Bellringer, were quickly on ih" scene, but the fire then had a complete hold of tlir, ton storey. From all point* the outbreak was attacked, but defiantly KJie flames burst out . from every window and through the roof. * Inside, the flames could be blazing with great fierceness, whife a dens* volume of smoke rolled away from the burning building. .Tets of water were" played into the front bedrooms on the balcony, and the sides were also swept by the hoses. Flames eould be seen eating up voraciously the contents of die bedrooms, and for a time it seemed that the somewhat weak supply of water would not conquer the fire. Presently the force of water increased and while the top storey,was beyond saving, the fire was prevented from spreading to the ground floor. When the fire appeared to have considerably died down the centre portion of the roof collapsed with a loud crash, and this enabled the flames to shoot out with renewed activity. Steadily the firemen poured , water on to the charred shell of the top storey, and by two o'clock the fire was extinguished. An inspection of the building showed the top floor to be completely wrecked, but the ground floor was saved from fire, though considerably damaged by water.

THE INSURANCES. Mrs. Howell's insurances total CI3OO ( £9OO on the building in the Imperial (Alliance) Company, and £4OO in tlirsame office on the furniture). Mr*. Howell is therefore a heavy loser, whilst many of the boarders also sustained considerable losses. The majority lost everything except the clothes they were wearing, and only two or three of them had policies over their personal effect*. These were in the State Fire Office, and totalled about £IOO. A small quantity of furniture was saved. Chatsworth House was originally V" Windsor Castle Hotel, situatedi in Tliilrr el Street, and the building was transferred to its present site over twenty-live year 5 " ago. The structure was added to and improved, but the main part of the building must have been easily fifty years old, and this no doubt account* for the extraordinarily rapid way iu which the fire spread.