THE WELLINGTON FIRE.

Timaru Herald, Volume LXII, Issue 2889, 14 December 1898, Page 3

THE WELLINGTON FIRE.

From special messages to some of out contemporaries we learn that the Boyal Oak Hotel fire is considered a severe commentary on the methods or the appliances, or both, of the Wellington Fire Brigade, as the Brigade station is almost next door to the Hotel. The building was only a brick one m name—that is, the outer shell was brick, and the interior was mostly a network of wooden rooms and corridors. ' Mr O'Regan was sitting up late chatting with an old friend whom be happened to meet m the hotel two others, and it was fortunate that they sat up late, as they were able to give an alarm promptly. The four men were chatting m a room down stairs when at 12 30, the barmaid, m her nightdress, rushed past the door shrieking, "My God. the placfc is on fire." She then- rushed upstairs into a bathroom and became quite hysterical. Mr O'Kegan urged her to get out of the building, but she objected, saying she could not go without her clothes. "Oh bang your clothes," replied IflrOTtegah, and he forthwith bundled her downstairs and deposited her on the footpath outside. .No doubt but for his prompt action she would have been burnt to death. .Rushing back upstairs, he found another girl m a state of great excitement, and he succeeded m getting her out. Meantime Mr O'Regan's friends had done good work m rushing from room to room, banging doors and shouting, "Fire! fire!" Some extraordinary escapes are chronicled. Two barefooted waiters were endeavouring, ineffectually, to wake a boarder m one of the rooms. Mr O'Regan, with one or two well directed kicks, smashed the door, and on entering the room he found its imate still asleep. But for the timely bursting of the door, the man would have been roasted alive. One of the coolest men m the building was Mr Sharpies. Finding all other outlets closed, he went to the 'room farthest from the fire and proceeded to tear up the bedding with the object of lowering himself to the ground. Before he had completed his rope of bedclothes, a safer, though still very risky, means of escape was provided for him by the firebrigade. The foot of a ladder was placed on the cross-pieces at the top of an electric light pole, and the other end on the ledge of the window at 'which Mr Sharpies could be seen. Mr Sharpies had meantime come out of the room^ and was patiently waiting, sitting on the window ledge, watching the preparations being made m his behalf, lie had carefully closed the window behind him, and through the panes the smoke could be seen curling up m the room from which he had just escaped. At length the ladder was fixed and held tin the post by several firemen, and down this somewhat risky fire escape 'Mr Sharpies made his way to the street, "Mather a close thing, wasn't it?" a friend of his remarked to him afterwards; "Oh, no, I ' he replied coolly, " I reckon I had about ten minutes;". Mr Faulbaum, who dropped from a window 25ft on to the galvanised iron roof of a coal shed, had seen his means of escape before the fire, when according to his custom he had looked about for escapee m case of fire. It was not of the best with such a drop, and he bounced off the roof into the yard below, .■