Destructive Fire.

Thames Star, Volume XXIX, Issue 8616, 22 March 1897, Page 3

Destructive Fire.

A fire occurred in Pollen street yesyerday morning, the alarm being given at almost 3.30 o'clock, when it was dis* cover*!'.that a. two-storeyed building owned- by ,M> W. S. Wylie, draper, and ciocttpiqM>y.W. An Chee, grocer, was in jhjftrti'Tbe Stcudtor* is situated betyf*enjß^>rtnliaw of Mr Connelly, butcher, *wf Mr N. Pearee, tinsmith, and It j* .forhmattt for the latter that hie wwtohop w only of one storey, for the Saiueffcamed very fiercely in the. three upper)rooms, of Ah Chee's premises. Iff protecting Mr Connelly's* shopftwn harm, the, interposition of an ordinary cart traok proved useful, *b the fiiemen were enabled to discharge ■ the water betwetn. The fire apparently started downstairs, andwhendwcoveredhadafirmhold. Mr #as. Sawyer, who lives near, states he wa3 awakened by falling glass, and get ting up to discover thecauseof the noise found the shop in flymen. fh> earliest arrivals who were awakened by Mr Sawyer's cries of " firo " all state that the flames were fast making way to the top, of the building, and such « hold had the blaze that Adam Norries, gas works employee, who endeavoured to save-the meter in the front of the building, was unable to do so. The Chinaman, Youck Chee, who was on the premises at the time, says kbat at about 155.45 he locked the front door of the building and put the. gas out, first lightings candle with which he J saw his way to bed.. fle at once went to sleep, and was awakened by a noise of fallingglass, finding at the same time the room Ml of smoke. To reach his clothes, scramble into them and out of a window to the ground occupied only A minute or so. Youck Chee cannot in apy way account for. the fire; He seems to nave put Qut the candle, he did not use matches between turning out the gas and lighting the candle* and there was no fire in the grate in the building. A special word of praise is due to the Fire Brigade for the way in which they fought the flames and saved the adjoining premises. When the, Brigade came on the scece —and they arrived in ejtceedingly quick time- Mr Hetl.eringtpti had a smill 1 jet of water ready in h.» business premises either to protect his o^n shop or to cope with the flames in the burn- j ing building. Ten minutes of precious time elapsed, however, before the Brigade'hoses could obttfin a sufficiency of water Irom the mains, but immediately that the supply was forthcoming, the firemen set to work vigorously and systematically. Owing to the aWnce from the Thames of Supt. Paterson, the Grahamstewn and Shortland branches were under the joint control of Captains Wakh and Waterman. Four jets, were soon in operations-one from Ah Chee's verandah, one.from theopening of *he. right of way/another ,fr»m the back of- the building, while a fourth was carried on top of Pearce'a premises. Before this systematic onslaught the flahies were speedily conquered, and thoughi the fire, shootin" through the centre of the building, left it a mere shell, all damage to Pearce's premises, which were tor a time iv danger, was averted

The origin of the fire is a mystery. The building was insured for £175 in the Royal Office and the stock for £350 in the North German. It has not been decided whether to hold an inquiry.