CHEAT FIRE IN DUNEDIN.

Taranaki Herald, Volume XXVII, Issue 3221, 8 September 1879, Page 2

CHEAT FIRE IN D U N E D I N.

FEARFUL LOSS OF LIFE.

TWENTY PERSONS PERISHED.

FKARFULDESTRUOTION OP PROPERTY.

[BY TELEGRAPH.]

At about half-past two o'clock this morning one of tho most disastrous fires which ever occurred in Dunediii broke out in the building known as Waters' cafe, situated at the corner of Boss's buildings, and adjoining the drapery shop of Mrs. Wilson, wife of the Editor of the Otago Witness, who, with her husband and a largo family, occupied the upper portion of their premises as a residence, Twenty persons are supposed to have perished. The Cafe and other parts of the block were also densely peopled ; the former alone having some twenty-five boarders, while the rooms over all the places of business were occupied, the computation being that at least fifty persons were sleeping in the block. Of these, some dozen persons are unaccounted for.

Mrs. Wilson, with her whole family, bato and except two daughters, ono of whom is badly injured, are lost. How the fire originated is at present a mystery, and with the intense excitement which at present prevails, it is impossible to ascertain anything like reliable information. One man who jumped from a third story was killed, and Mrs. Wilson's servant-girl, who also, endeavoured to escape by that means is injured. One of the men who occupied a room on the second floor in the cafe. and who escaped by lowering himself with a clothes lino from ono of the windows, supplies us with the following facts. He says that the fire broke out in the second story; that he was awakened by a dense smoke, and endeavoured at once to make his way downstairs, but was forced back by the smoke and flames. He then rushed to tho front part of the building, but, being unable to get on to the stairs there, ho climbed on to tho spouting, and, crawling along it, got to a window which ho opened, and, on entering the room, found a clothes lino, . which was attached to pullies. This he cut, drew the rope through, shouted to the men in the adjourning room to follow him, and slid down into the street. He says that while groping the upstairs passage he passed over several bodies lying on the floor, apparently suffocated. He got as far forward as Wilson's, i and heard tlie childron crying, " What shall we do ?" but was unable to render them any assistance. About nine other people, he says, escaped by tho same means that he did. The scene during the latter part of the fire was something terrific. The screams of women and children, who could be seen through the dense smoke, clinging to window sills and parapets, without tho possibility of getting noar them, was something awful, and appeared to quito paralyse the crowd, for although ladders could bo — and were eventually — obtained at the now Town Hall buildings, and some three persons were rescued by theso means, not one at first seemed to think of them. We have also heard that only thirteen of tho persons sleeping in the Cafe are accounted for. The building was insured for £1,000 in the Standard, and £1,000 in the National, of which £600 was re-in-Bared in the Union and £500 in the United. Mr. Waters, tlio. restaurantkeeper, was insured, wo beliove, for £760 in the Hanseatic. The operations of the firemen in searching for bodies of the victims of the conflagration were pationtly watched, aud definite information hb to the

exact extent of the disaster so far as human 'life was concerned was anxiously anticipated. In the meantime most vaguo and unreliable rumours were in circulation as to the total number originally in the house, and tho number saved or burnt. In tho last named, Mr. and Mrs. Wilson, their eldest boy, and their other three children were removed from the room in which they were found all huddled together near to where the bed had stood, and together with a body supsupposed to bo that of Bowman. From a comparison of various statements it would appear that while the whole of the inmates on the lower flat escaped with slight burns, from tho upper stories about seventeen succeeded in effecting an escape. Ten of these let themselves down by means of the clothes line ; amongst this number being Anthony Callain, Charles Uro, and John Dean. Three escaped by a ladder, two wero brought down the staircase, and two fell down from the exterior of the building. Of the latter ono was tho man Thompson, who was kilted by the fall. The # t.wrt Miases Wilson and the servant girl, Margaret McCarthy, all of whom escaped, were more or less burnt, one of the Misses Wilson being severely injured. It is conjectured that over twenty victims perished. Tho Brigades are now busily engaged searching for bodies amongst the debris. Eight persons aro already found.