FIRES.

Timaru Herald, Volume XIIC, Issue 13680, 24 August 1908, Page 5

FIRES.

OUTBREAK AT TKMUK A.

FOUR SHOPS DESTROYED

The reputation earned by Teniuka, for tires during the past twelve months, .was added to yesterday morning, when ti serious conflagration broke out in • King street shortly alter 2 o'clock, and the row of wooden buildings on the wait side occupied' by Messrs Prosser (bootmaker), C. Vincent (saddler), D. Jacobs Ifancy goods), and W. Carl (chemhit) were destroyed. Being situated in {he centre of the town, the outbreak eauved considerable alarm to property-owners in the immediate vieinty. :. '. The alarm was given by Mc F. Wallace, of Christchurch, who was Visiting friends at Tumuka, and attracted by the glare through his window he .quickly rang the bell at the main station. When discovered the tire had a good hold of Vincent's shop, and all the buildings, being of light wood thei (lames rapidly .' spread. The brigade mustered in good force,, and the -hope was laid on at three -different points, but owing to the absence of hands) for the manual eng'ne- there wan a lapse of a few minutes before wa'.cr .Mas ready. Once, the engine was fully manned, there, was a, good supply of water. It -was, however, apparent 'thai'' the flames would run their course, and could be checked only by the liuge brick wall of Mr T. Edwards' premises on the-south side and by the Stella Cycle Company's brick wall on the north side. ~ From, Vincent's shop tin? flames eoon had', hold! of the adjojning premises of Prosser's and Jacobs', and once the latter caught its • inflammable contents helped tio bring speedy destruction to Carl's chemist' shop adjoining. The- Brigade made a 'good attempt to save this place, and while they were fighting from the front entrance, the roof fell in and two of the. iiremen were lucky in tucaping. Willing hands salvaged a good deal of slock from Prosser's, but nothing was saved from the other premises. Luckily the morning was still, scarcely any wind prevailing, otherwise there would' have been further damage to relate. 'As it was theplatelglass windows of Mr James Sim's, (jeweller) premises, together with thos« of Mi' James McLean (confectioner) and Mrs Agnes Butler (stationer) on the opposite., side were cracked by the heat, and several pounds of damage thus done. The .shop occupied by Mr Prosser was owned' by ■Mr T. Edwards, and the remaining three* lihops were the property of Mrs Hayes. .

THE PUBLIC CRITICISED. Some exception was taken to the conduct of the public, who' persisted .in crowding round the. firemen and hampering them in 'their work. This has been a complaint made at the recent tires "at) Temuka, and yesterday's outbreak emphasised it. People in their eagerness''lo salvage goods smash down doors and:windows. At the. last lire in.. Tcinuka infront door to a business place was ekoppedi down before ifc was at all necessary, and yesterday morning a similar occurrence took place, the front entrance; to a brick establishment being prized open though i* was not in danger. • Thanks to the'early arrival of Constables Gillespie and. Glaste, however, this kind of conduct was nipped in the bud, and' better order prevailed. Complaint was also made bell at the north end 1 of the town .was out i>f gear and could- noli be effectively ■ ruilg, and as (i consequence many of (he firemen at that end of the town were not a\v/are that their services were required. •:;; A word of praise is due to Captain'-Henry and hia men, who were lighting the flames for fully two hours. ':'■'■ ../..-.■' THE INSURANCES.. • As far as could be ascertained, last evening the following are. .the insurancesBuildings—Mr T. Edwards' shop -.'and p'remis>es, £2OO in the Manchester pfh'ee; Mrs Hayes, £SO .on each of the shops occupied by Vincent, Jacobs and' Cai'J, fn th« Norwich Union (in all £150). Stock— Prosser £4OO in the State office, Vincent £IOO in the South British, Jacobs £2OO in .the Standard 'office,. Carl £4OO in* the Phoenix; total, £1405. Menus Carl and: Jacobs lost their books .in the fire. ■

The only person residing on the., premises was Mr Prosper jun., who retired soon after closing time,, when 'there \yaa no signe of. fire about the*, premises.. He was awakened by, the crackling ,<>f tho . flames and the heavy smoke in- his room and on getting outside saw the flames shooting through Vincent's roof. They had got a hold on the adjacent wall of his own shop; •■■";. A crowd of some. 400 people was in the street by 3 o'clock and the fact that the four business premises then being, destroyed made thirteen shops gutted by the flames in Temuka during the past eighteen months, was much eourmented, on. ' The. shops destroyed' some time.ago were HoriibrookVs two, Bates' two, Evans' thrtec, Hancox's two and the four previously; mentioned. About 3 "o'clock a, north-wesfi wind sprang up , driving denser smbk'e and sparks in a slanting' direction /acrossthe tstreet, but by that time the strength-, of the fire was exhausted and no fui'tlw-r - harm was done. ; The verandahs .remained standing till near the last, but by ' 4 o'clock two chimneys surrounded by. glowing smoky embers marked the site where the shops had been.. The. shelves in the hcemist's ehop running along the wall next to the Stella Cycle Coy. 'also remain, the flames - were stopped here, being just able occasionally to lick a bottle off''.to provido the explosion wliich- invariably followed!; PERSONAL STATEMENTS.. ' Mr Vincent said he heard the bell:abolib, 2.15 and ran over to sea where the fit<v wars and found his shop in flames/ Tha tire seemed to be situated in the front of his shop, and he. at''once recognised, that, the affair was hopeless and ; turned, his'attention to helping:' liis . fttv .' Prosscr) to get; out. his stock. 'Mr Vincent on being asked as to the probable: . cause of the outbreak said it was" > mystery to hhn. He left his shop about 9.16 ~ and after putting out. the kercseaelainps walked through to the workshop, in the back to see that everything was.;, right. He was certain that no trace 'of:fire -or• caus<* for it was .there. He had a stove alight- in his workshop in the morning, but this he had allowed to go, out" becausw at 11 a.ni. ho had wanted,to heat something, and on going to the stove the tire was dead. He k'new-.that on?U the old" wooden building caught it would .bpVfliflk;... cult to stop the flames- His built a, few feet from the ground;-iaiid; after the last' lire in Temuka lie ed casing along the rear of the building., to minimise the draught in case of • an; outbreak. He had fortune to .eayahiii books, because he had them home with him"- at -night during<tna many years he had beien in. btisjn€tes.:; Though his insurance was £IOO, he;; eßtif" mated his loss at about •' £BO abovo'thatj: but the 'dislocation of his business, was;';al| so a heavy item, "'ji ■'.■'.....- Mr Carl estimates his loss at. about, £250. He arrived at the fire/when; Wji. : ; cent's and Jacob's shops were y-elKnligfttj;.. and at once tried, to; get but his wofcfi,;. but owing to the heavy smoke intense heat, Jie ;fiil«l*to do so. . Heiyiv-. tends to get "g'oihg^giih.as soon as-pps-i' sible. Mr Jacobs estimates lijj loss ail ( about £9O; he had just received'..!),', consignment of £2B worUi. <m Prosser 'considered, .that■ there .wa>J ; aboj;t; £2OO worth of • ered. He said- that a fair"a^O^Mfe,%|*, « had bi'en saved, and he'. in the course of a ; few Hancox, the latest member to >. brigade's roll,.- performed> duUe's'; ; brought forth encomiums' from , ca||^ f ?'- i tain. '■■.,- .'i'^w^ai'--'-"' 1 ' ',■■:■'.■■'■'■?•s<&""