FIRE IN A HOTEL.

Taranaki Herald, Volume LIV, Issue 13488, 31 July 1907, Page 4

FIRE IN A HOTEL.

THE TERMINUS NARROWLY 1 ESV CAPES DESTRUCTION. The Terminus Hotel, bad a very, narrow escape from destruction by fire.early. t \ this morning. ' The fire was "discovered in the linen press, just in -the nick of time. It was quite a chance discovery, and. one that bears out the old sayiug, "It's an ill wind that blows nobody good." A child' stricken with sickness was the means of making' the conflagration, known. The child's mother got up to attend to its wants, and saw through a crack in her door a glare which excised her curiosity.. She opened the door to investi* gate, and to her, horror saw that the house was on fire just across the passage from her room. She called out with all her might, and her cries of "Fire, fire," woke Mr. W. Peterson, who was sleeping in a room close by. Mr. Peterson took a hurried survey of the fire,/ and, thinking it hopeless, to attempt to put it out, decided to arouse the househqld. This he did as quietly and quickly as possible, waking the iaUiesF'-first^WheW* Mr: 4 -Peterson wM satisfied that everyone . was awake, he returned to the place where the fire originated, and found that several of the gentlemen boarders had by strenuous efforts, and to his great surprise, succeeded in checking the flames to such an extent that there seemed hope of saving the building. The men worked w,ith\ a will, and at last got the • fire ont^ but not before a good deal* -of damage had. been done. The fir© was discovered at aboufc 4 a_.nv^ The origin is unknown, bnt it is thought? that a . candle might have been left alight in the linen press. There is no gas jet in the press, and a candle was always used by anyone going to it. A candle-stick was found among the debris. V? U^.,-J, t Quite £50 worth of damage was done, carpets, partitions, ceilings^ linen, etc*, being injured or destroyed. Had the premises been destroyed, the circumstance would have been very, unfortun-. ate for the present proprietors, since today is their last day 1 in the house. The? loss had the house been totally destroyed, would have exceeded, £2000. It would have been borne by the present proprietors. While the fight with the fire was at its height another fire was accidentally caused in the kitchen. Someone running down to get water lit the gas, and in the hurry pushed the jet over against the wall. The wall took fire, and an ugly hole was burnt through into the dining-room.