FIRE IN DUNEDIN.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 57, 20 July 1868, Page 3

FIRE IN DUNEDIN.

(From the Daih/ 7V»mj», July 18.) Tlicro wno a largo destruction of property by firo last nlfidit. At ltd boKlnning tlio flro wiih, perhaps, tlio most uliirmltipf that Jmfl ovor occurred in DitndJii \ but, forluimtoly, tlio vuluo of tlio property burned was but mimll no compared wit)) that whloh ho porltthcd on tho night of April 1, 16(17, in PrlnocH struct north mid lti( neighbourhood. If thoro who, up to hint cvonlng, nny pornon in Dumidiu ' iinronflonlug enough not to admit tlmt tlio Water VVorka Company-— whatever faults or blunders may bo finggOHtcil, or inivy bivvobotii connnlUciJ— havoconfori'od iui IniinenHO boon upon tlio cHlzoiih, that purAon miiflt miruly now bo oonvlncod of. hit into fltaio of unraiHon, lint for tho supply of water which wnn proourod from tlio (Jompnny'f) muhiH, Ihoro would Ililn morning ha iv hldooiirt Kftp, lli'O-wrockcd, In tho very heart of UuiiQriln. Tlio flro commenced in a loft in tho Commoroi/il Halo Yard, fonnln/t part oil wliloli CfltahllHlmiont woro tlio Htablon o£ Mcrhi-h Uoiuiy and Williams, Tho yard and otnblofl woro cntorod from Itatiruy Htrcot and from High Htrcot. Tho flro took fur ito ccntro, a point whonco it might oanlly havo radiated, no m to luiyo doftroyed tho entire bloolt, boundtd by IMiiooflft Htrcct, Haltray wtrct-t, Miwlftflfl«n fltt'oct, tho Aroado (Ifloet otrool) and High ntreot. Not to bo mlnuto in dotallH tho blook inoludoii tho Kmplro hotel, tho Crown hotel, tho Club, the iiunlc of Anntrivlnsliij and tho wivrchowaofl oU McHnrH TluUovwoftU Drolluiro, and Moflflffl .1?, Jlaynmn and Co. To' tlioso wbo havo thought of tlio poHslbllltlofl of tho rava/joB of flnmo in Dunodln, it hns been almost the ohluf ciuihu of uncaolncNH to think what would happen if a flro oiico j^ot hold within thin blook. It cannot bo doubted that, with flucb a body of ilamo as thoro wao Innt ,iilfflit, boforo tho alarm bull wan rung, and at bucli a point within tho block, tho onMro dofltruoUon of tho block could not luivo becu provented in tho days'.boforo tho Water Works Company's mains oxlotcd. Thort was dolay In giving tho alarm, Ao

wo understand, tho watchman of tho Firo Hrlgado, does not go to his post on tho Doll tower until eleven o'clock j and tho lire was discovered before a quarter after ton, . The neighbour who ran to the tower, had to find iho keeper of tho keys boforo tho boll-ropo could bo reached. Tho Commorelnl fliilo Yard comprised two rows of stalls and lofts, with offices, running In lino from tho Uattray street ontninoo i and fitablo.l and coach-houses which were nearer to High fit root, Tho flro commenced in a loft luinr Ilattrny street, nnd on tho easterly flido of tho placd t^omo of tho»o who first rushed in, when Ihoro wcro orlo) of alarm, begun to romovo bugglcH > hut hoiuo vehicles wore burned before they could bo aolzod. Tlkmo connected witli tlio Htabloa thought of tho numerous horses i and tiiotnllc last night was, that nil Hftvo ono horito was got out— that Topthi/rno, in his terror, klckod wildly, hitting iv groom on tho brciiAt, and then ruflhed into tho flro. That tho flames gained lie/ul whh n horriWo haslincsa, will bo be* I loved by nil who know tho oxtent of the woodwork of tho place, and tho quantity of hay and straw which was necessarily in it. Tho Voluntcor Flro Brigade commenced their nttnolc unon tho Iflrofroin Knltray street. It happened that there was no delay in finding the water-plug Micro — happened, beoniuo Hattrny B».rout was chosen as for tho Drigariu'n prnctloo on Wodncudny evening, and six men then apont forty minutes in finding tho plate ofl tho plug. Homebody will, perhaps, now 800 thaitho plugs generally aro /reed from Uio ooYoring of road motnl with vrliloh thoy lihto boon hid lon j ivnd somebody will, perhaps, ivlso civu»© board* t<> bo affixed to promlricfl so no to Indicate tho exact position of ei'ch plug within tho city. T« thoao who first apiiwmuhcd tho flro from ITlnh strcat, it Hooniod a cruelly long timo— it was probably not «o— boforo nny mombiTS of tho JJrlgndo urrivod tlioro. Jiut n iiono wan jiltaoiioii to a hydrant in High ittrcct, and was taken down tho rlKht-of. : wivy between the Club mul tiio Bank at Aunltnlatia $ and another Jet, from a hydrant flxod to a plug in L'rlneoft Htroot, wao carried down a narrow nponing just abovo tho Kmpiro ilotol. Then onalncß wovo got to work, At first, thoro scomod to bo ft strong northoriy brcezo npringing up, no that tltu threatened Hno of march o£ the flames wa« to tho High Htrcot jiromto fl. But tho water speedily gave a olioclc in that direction, nnd tho norihorly flaw ccoflcd, It was followed hy a stronger flaw from tlio wc»t or southwost, no that liattray street was most throutonodi Dc^ilto all that could bo done —and tlio Hti'oamH of water from tho mains wavo fluo onjfl— tlio flro got into tho shops fronting Hattray Btroot, and tho flamcn wero then Ht their wornt. That tho fihnj)kcoporfl in tho block had abundant causo for alarm, is certain i but it was, novorthulosa, lamontablo to hod with what destructive Irnsto good* were removed, It may bo said, generally, that, from nit the shopn that could ho supposed to bo In danger, tluj great bulk of the stocks had boon removed boforo tlio flro had travelled boyond tho stivblcfli When bulldlngfi in Hattray otrcct were burning, tlio hasto to gut Hhopn was liitonHl/lodj and in suvocal oases oven flttingii, which wero almost wholly dostroyed by being pulled down, wero pulled down with tho viow of H'lving thorn. Ah rogards the warehouses of Mortars Buttcrworth and Co. and McflflM liaymim and Co, which aro of! brick, with itMii shutters at tho back, thoy wero olosoly watched an ngainst flro, by tho ropro« flontjittvos of Insuranco Companies, and Uioho gontU-mon p cvontcd any removal of goods, Mr Mooro, of iho Kmpiro Ilotol, also refused to allow anything to bo taken from his houso; but tho Crown Ilotol was ton lnrgo oxtont cloarcd, Tho Hhopkocp'jrs and others, as a rulo, woro olthor not insured, or were under Innurcdi as tho ofllcofl have of Into l:eon rc■fiifllng to renew, or have boon rod uclny, Insurancos. An euoriuoufl quantity of goo'is and furnlturo was strown about tho strcuts, In addition to what was carted or carried away, Wo should not ho surprised to learn tlmt tho aggregate of losses by damago to goods roniovod, , was nonrly equal to that calmed by flro. When tho ilamos woro at their worst in liattray stroot, thoro waa litilo but tho buildings tlioro loft to bo destroyed hy them, The water told well for a llmo $ hut then tho flro gained froflli ntrongth, nnd thoro Boomed to bo no liopo of stopping it until Messrs Irnncs and Co.'h shop, at tho corner of Prinoos Btrcct, w/ih reached, unless Home placo was pulled down, Tlio Commluslouor of l'olico wag profiont noon after tho alarm was glvon i and lietwoon liulf.|)iist ton and a quarter to cloven, ho, as limpootor of l'lrcn, under tho Act of tlio Aituomblyi directed Uio pulling down of a couplo of. ono-nloroy bulldlii^v, ofloupled by Mr Vv, 11, Ilatiili, bootmaker, and Mr Lovy, pawnbrokci 1 . Tlilh wns so far dono in timo, that tho galvanised Iron roofing was brought down at an angle, so a» not only to form a tolerable barrlor to tho flumes, but to bo a shield to moiiiborfl of tho brigailo, who, from bonuath It, woro nblo to direct a jot most advantageously upon tho adjoining burning buildlngi JiVom tho flr»t, a jot had been kept at work from a ladder against tho shop of! Mr G. Dowse, mtddlor, which formed tho westerly sldo of tlio onir/inco to tho Snlo Yards. Mr Do who's plnco could not bo hiivoil from very cont-Merublo burning j but tho jot referred to did much to nlop the fire on tiiivt hMo, Tho following proniiflon woro completely dontroyod s—Tho Commoroial Salo Yards, and nearly all tlio stabling j Mr 0. Duncan, Hour and own nt«ro j MeHnrs Webb, Uussell, and Co,, wfno and nplrit morchantH ; Mr William Iluton, wntchmiikor nnd jowollor ( Mr M'Lnron, tailor ) Mr Ijovy, pawnbroker j Mr Ilatoh, bootmnkeri Tlio uliop lately occupied by Messrs Gardner and Dulo, hutcliors, wa* a good deal burned at tlio back j and so woro somo of tho other promises botweon that shop and tho Crown Ilotol, nt tho corner of liattray otrcot. But) ho iav as wo could ajcortuln, no shops or

stores not fronting to llnttrny street Buffered at all from tiro. When tlic flro was At Us worst, tho fronts of tho shops on the opposite sldo of Rattray street wero covered with blflnkots, which were easily kept wot by moans of small hand engines, or by tho small jets which shopkeepers and others are now enabled to use for watering floors, or tho pavement in front of their premised. Tho only statement- wo heard reliably as to insurances was, that Messrs Webb, H\mo\\ nnd Co. hold ft policy for Xi;so or j6780 j nnd that Mr Pinch, who owned tho premises which that firm occupied, is insured for XIOOO. Ah to tho origin of tho flro, wo hoard nothing ro'.iablo enough to bo put into print Hnggostions woro plentiful nmongat the crowd i but there could be no close inquiry last night. Tho lofnos resulting from tho firo will, wo aro sure, fall heavily upon some of the nniTorora, and they will bo nt least sympathised with, Taking the events of lust night broadly, it can only be fluid that Dunedin had a most merciful escape from n groat calamity ; ami that tho Water Works Company must be tlmnkcd for tho moitna which rendered that escape pos>iblc,