DESTRUCTIVE FIRE IN THE KARAKA ROAD.

Thames Advertiser, Volume XII, Issue 3234, 3 February 1879, Page 3

DESTRUCTIVE FIRE IN THE KARAKA ROAD.

The fire-bells sounded an alarm shortly after 1 oMo-j't om Sunday morning, and residents who look the trouble to look outside their abodes ha I no difficulty in ascertaining tli-ifc a fire of some magnitude was raging in the vicinity of the Karaka district. At first it was thought the blaze would speedily subside, and indicate that the fire had been confined to the building in which it originated, owing to the number of isohted dwellings in this locality; hut its continuance with unabated fury alarmed Ihn people, and there was soon a stampedo for the spot. Some little time seems to have bpen lost in giving the alarm, and the fire had evidently secured a firm hold of the building in which it started before any alarm was raised, or the bells communicated with. It appears that Mrs Campbell, widow of the Into Drum-major Campbell, of the Thames Scottish Company, kept a small grocery on the right-hand side of the Karaka road, nearly opposite the Claremont Hotel, Mm Campbell had remained up rather later than usual on the Saturday night, having been detained in conversation with her brother and a friend of his until nearly half-past 11 o'clock. Shortly afterwards she extinguished the embers of her firo with some water, and retired for tin: night in company with a nurse girl, who slept on the premises, and took care of her only child, Between 12.30 and 1 o'clock she was awoko by a suffocating smell of burning, and soon saw that flames were issuing from the shop, and reaching through the partition to the cot where the child lay. To awake the girl and snatch up the child were the work of a moment, for the unfortunate woman was too much bewildered even to stop for any_ portion of her own or her child's clothing, and she left th.s house vainly attempting to scream out fire. For a little time she stood opposite, clasping her infant in her arms, quite regardless of her position, and attempted to call out assistance, but her cries were.so feeble and indistinct that some' delay must have occurred in consequence, for it was not till the sky was,well illuminated with the glare of a conflagration that the bells sounded an alarm. In Grahamstowu the Blarm was given about 1.15,' by the night watchman, Mr Cartwrighfc, Vho was not long in satisfying himself, from the character of the illuminated sky, that a fire was raging, and help needed. At the foot of the Earaka.the bell; was rung about the same time by' Mr George Cooper, who, in company with . Scrgt. Mulville, discovered the Sre whilst standing in Pollen-street. The alarm in Shortland was given a few minutes afterwards, but the hose-reelfrom the Shortland shed was the first to reach the scene of the fire, and had been at work some ten minutes before the engine fromtheGrahamstown shed arrived. Long before this, however, a number of willing hands were at work passing water in every available utensil, and a house near the store in which the fire originated was, with the assistanceof a number of persons, dragged out into the road-way in order to check the progress of the flames. Mr Hugh Fisher, who lived next but one to the grocery, had not retired for the night at the time the fire was first discovered. _ Mrs Fisher states that she heard a faint alarm, and called her husband's attention to it, but they both believed it arose from some neighbours quarrelling, and took no farther notice until it sounded like an alarm of fire, and oa looking out discovered flames issuing from Mrs Campbell's store. IVir Nicks, of the Claremont Hotel, was similarly alarmed, and on going outside saw Mrs Campbell standing with her child in her arms gazing at the fire, The cottage next door was the property of Mr Heebie, and was occupied against his will by a Mr O'Neill, who had refused to give up possession, and was a terror to the neighbourhood. O'Neill has, it seems, undergone fourteen days' imprisoument for detaining the key of the cottage, and after his release he again took possession, and refused to leave the house, asking Mr Heebie for payment as an inducement to give up quiet possession. Next to O'Neill's was the dwelling house of Mr Hugh Fisher, blacksmith, whose business is in Grahamstown. He succeeded in getting out a quantity of furniture, but it was very much knocked about. His wife and four children were taken in by neighbours. Some of the next cottage, before reaohing which was a vacant space, was pulled down. It was occupied by a miner named Glasson, with his wife and family, and Mr Deeble very kindly placed a cottage in liolleston-streafc at the disposal of his family. He saved a few things, but very few. The next building was the butcher's shop of Mr George, and here a bold stand was made. Mr Samuel Young, ex superintendent of the Grahamstown Fire Brigade, was on the spot, and saw the necessity of saving this building in order to check the progress of the fire, and prevent its extension to a number of dwelling-houses beyond. He mounted the root, in company with Mr C. Brcwn and others, and battled with the flames as they three times caught the sides and roof of the building, Double lines of people passed full and empty buckets to and from the water-race, alittledistance away, and by thealmoatsuperhuman efforts of M rYoung and his assistants succeeded in keeping the building from fairly starting during the heat of the fire at the adjacent building. About this time, when the danger was over, the large engine of the Grahamstown brigade got into play. This was at 1.45, aud when the flames were dying out. They continued to play on the burning embers for some time, and then gave up the custody of the debris to the sergeant on duty. After they had departed the flames sprang up,' and some persons on the spot had again to form a line and pass buckets of water on the embers. The street looked desolate, and the houseless families wretched and miserable as they guarded the few household goods which had been scattered along the opposite side of the road, until they were taken care of by kind neighbours, Mrs Campbell and her child were escorted to the house of her mother, Mrs Bums. Fortunately for her only a few weeks previously she had becoino insured in the sum of £250, and she valued her stock at about £200. On Ihe Saturday night she had a sum of £25

in her dress pocket, whioli she intended to pay over to Messrs Brown and Barrett's representative tliia (Monday) morning but it was destroyed with all the rest of her clothing, furniture, and stock-in-tra-'c, She had gold and silver medals, some jowellery, an' other valuables, but non.' of those ilii'ijp were saved, After fcho fire the rounins of one of tho medals was fouud in the embers and restored to her, but sli*' lias 1»4 everything she possessed in the world, even to the books of her business, and narrowly escaped with tho child from tlit burning building. None of the others we/e insured, Mrs George is an invalid, and is 81 years of age, therefore the shoek to hor was very great, but she succeeded in dressing herself, and escaping with her crutches and her Bible to a place besido the goo 'm taken from her house,,and at near"' three o'clock, when our reporter lel>, she remained in tho cold nigh', air guarding her things, thankful for tho narrow escape. Other dwellings were stripped of their goods, and in many cases the latter were severely handled, in anticipation of the extension of the fire, The wind was blowing up the creek, and so the buildings on the opposite side, and near Kolleston-street, were saved from igniting. Fireman Basham fell on a fence and cut his lip very severely, but this is the only casualty we have heard of. Superintendents Price and Hollis were on tho spot, and did all they could under the circumstances to check the fire, but it had far too firm a hold before any apparatus arrived, and the services of the brigades were consequently not so valuable 011 this occasion as usual. To Mr Young great credit is due for unwearied exertions in a most trying situation, and the wonder to all was how he stood tho intense heat of the burning buildings, The police were there, and rendered every assistance in their power. The water supply u;ed by the engine was obtained from tho raco which supplies Bull's battory, and this was convenient to the scene of the (ire.