GREAT FIRE AT WELLINGTON.

Timaru Herald, Volume XXX, Issue 1478, 17 June 1879, Page 2

GREAT FIRE AT WELLINGTON.

[By Tbleqbaph.] Wellington, June 16. There wore two or three stage Lands working m the Opera House last night, when they observed fire just above the sun'ight m the auditorium dome, between the ceiling and roof and extending back towards the upper circle Simo cf the men got the thoatro hose to work at once and the others gave the alarm. The water from the hose made no impression, and the half dome was quickly ablaze. The piano and other instruments m the orchestra were got out, and the stage being the last part which caught fire most of the wardrobe m the dreesing-room with books an:l other things were saved. The flames rapidly broke through the roof, and m a very few minutes the beautiful Opera Hous« was a cauldron of fire. The Brigade was soon on the e:>ot, but there bring only a fire inch main m Manners street, and four hose being attached to this, there was Fcarcely i»ny pressnro on the fire, which quickly spread to the Workingmen's Club on one side, and leaping over the vacant space on the other, srized on the ornamental wool work of tho Bank of Niw Zealand, a brick building, but so thoroughly as to completely gut it. The wind then began to rise, and great bodies of flame erosssd tho street and began to lick the spire of the fine Wesleyan Church, ju3t. opposite the Opera House. Soon it caught fire, and presented a grand eight. As the church caught, the fire spread right aad left amongst the business places on tho Wesleyan property. Graves and Fleming's corner drapery store waa soon a mass of flames, and tho Nag's He'id stables were the next to go, twentytwo horses, however, being safely got out first. Emeny's Royal Oak Hotel, at tho corner opposite Graves and Fleming's, then caught, causing a splendid mass of flume on oue Bide of Cuba street. The Market Hall and Williams, Cameron und Co.'s saddler's shop quickly caught, und the Nag's Ho.il Hotel, at the corner of Cuba and Dixon streets, next ignited, spreading the fire beyond it round to the several small cottages m Dixon stree . In the meantime, Stratford's corn Bloreand mili, m Manners street, had been completely destroyed, and McCarthy's malt house and the other premises nearer the sea bad also gone. At the oorner of Dixon and Cuba streets, opposite Williams, Camoron and Co.'s premises and the Nag's Head hotel stood Whitehouse's, grocery store, and Smith's Te Aro House, a drapery establish ment, and for a long time it teamed that these places were sure to catch, m which case the fire would have swept up each side of Cuba street, and hive done great damage. The fire brigades, naval brigade, and Te Aro House employees worked heroically to save that establishment, and by means of wet blankets, and by showing great during, succeeded m saving Whitehouse's, and the next place. Minto house was several times on fire, but it was saved. For a long way up Cuba street tho people were removing their goods, so little chance did there oppear for checking the fire extending towards Tnranaki Place Faotory which wbb for along time m great danger, and had it caught, Courtney Place would probably have been swept away. Tbe scene was a very grand one, and the burst of flames at times was terrific. Fnlly 15,000 spectators were present. There is a good deal of salvage from some of tho places, but all is greatly damaged. There was also a good deal of pilfering. The Bank of New Zealand was not insured. The strong room when opened to-day was found to have preserved all the documents perfectly safe, although they wer* blackened by (-moke. The danger was all over at about a quarter-past eleven, but the ruins are still smouldering. The insurances are elightly over £25,000, and they represent considerably less than a third of the loss sustained. The fire is believed to have originated by tbe iron feed- pipe to the sunlight of tho Theatre getting heated and igniting some of tho woodwork of the roof. The sun-light had been burning from 2 pm. to midnight on Saturday, as there was an afternoon performance. The buildings destroyed are as follows: — Opera House and Working Men's Club, with Ingleman's and another shop m front, brinch Hank of New Zealand, Wesleyan Church, Eddie and Jack's wine and Bpirit Btore, GruYCB and Fleming's drapery establishment, Mrs Ed-.r'a confectionery establishment, Eiekman's boot shop, McLennan's boot shop, Margutt's tobacconist's shop, Simeon's tailor's shop, Old Market House, and Williams and Cameron's saddler's shop, Emeny's Hotel, Brown's upholsterer's establishment, Nag's Head and stables, Dixon street Schoolhouse, Hogarth's timber yard?, Warcup's biotmaking estub'ishment, Smart's oyster shop, some sheds belonging to the Opera-house, Scott's ironmongery establishment, Young's oyster saloon, and four or five cottages m Dixon street. The following are the insurants : — ln the Victorian Insurance Company, £750 on Graves and Fleming's stock, £600 on the Nag's Head Hotel and stables, £210 on McCarthy's. In the Transatlantic — Opera House, £1000, Stratford's machinery buildings, £300, Graves and Fleming's building £500, and stock £200. In the National— Eddin and Jack's building* £150 ; £350 on toe Working Mens's Club furniture; £100 on the Wesleyan Church j £250 on Bickman's bootmaker's shop ; £100 on Scott's etock ; £250 on the Opera House. In thn Colonial - Opera House, £500 j Eddie and Jack's, £400 ; Graves and Fleming'^, £500. In the Royal — Eddie and Jack, £250 ; Boval Oak Hotel, £200 ; Graves and F.eming, £250. In the Transatlantic — Grave* and Fleming, £500. In the Imperial Company — Opera Houee, £500, Wesleyan Church, £1000. In the Hamburg Company — Working Men's Club building, £500 ; m the South British, £3400. The nett loss or the Insurance Companies is bb follows : — Standard, £2500 (of which £500 is on the Opera House) ; National, £500 ; Sun, £475 ; North British and Mercantile, £1250 ; Land on and Lancashire, £950; Norwich Union, £1500; Union, £2030; Manchester, £150 ; Guardian, £300 ; New Zealand, £2000.