DESTRUCTIVE FIRE IN TIMARU.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 636, 7 June 1870, Page 3

DESTRUCTIVE FIRE IN TIMARU.

♦ -.. (From the Timaru Herald, June 4.) A destructive fire broke out in Timaru on Wednesday night last at the shop of Messrs Jenkins and Chandler, grocers, by which it, and the small block of buildings adjoining, belonging to Mr Cullmann, were utterly destroyed. It appears that about 8 o'clock, or a few minutes after, a police constable saw smoke issuing from the back of Messrs Jenkins and Chandler's premises, and at once gave the alarm of fire. In a few minutes crowds of_ people assembled in the roadway opposite, and about 20 or 30 men of the Timaru Fire Brigade under the command of Mr Cliff, captain of the Brigade, were also quickly on the spot. Mr Cliff, haying first sent his men" round the town to procure as many buckets as possible, then disposed of them to the best advantage, forming one line to pass buckets from a well in Barnard street, and another line to a well at McCaa'a, baker, a short distance down- the street. It was soon found that the utmost efforts of the brigade were unavailing to cheok the progress of the fire, as in a few minutes after it was discovered by the police constable it had taken a firm hold of Messrs Jenkins and Chandler's premises, and it was seen that the whole block of buildings must be sacrificed. Efforts were then made by the men of the brigade actively assisted, we are sorry to say, by comparatively few of the bystanders, to confine the fire to the one block of buildings, and prevent it spreading to the boot warehouse of Mr Bowker, or to the Albion Dining Booms and other buildings across the road. Fortunately there being but little wind the efforts made in this direction were successful, and although the warehouse and Dining Rooms were in imminent danger (the roof of the latter was on fire two or three times) they were ultimately saved by wet blankets being placed on the parts of the buildings most exposed to the great heat of the burning buildings opposite. About an hour after the commencement of the fire, the glare thrown by the flames was very great, and was seen a very considerable distance in the country. |

Very little property was saved from the buildings destroyed. With the exception of a few boxes of tea, and some trifling articles, the whole of Messrs Jenkins and Chandler's stock-in-trade fell a sacrifice to the flames. Mr Wadswortb, bootmaker, who rented the next shop, lost, we believe, everything, and he was unfortunately uninsured. The shop last in the row was unoccupied and did not contain any furniture. Soon after the fire started people began . to remove articles of furniture from the Albion dining-rooms, as it was expected that that building could not escape, as the wind was blowing the flames across the road. The building more immediately opposite the burning block, tbe printing office of Messrs Ball and Turner, was gutted of its contents, and the type, &c, moved into a place of safety. In about two hours after its commencement all danger from the fire was over, and nothing was left of the buildiogs but. glowing heaps of ashes and fallen chimney stacks. At present no origin can be assigned to the fire. On leaving business for the day Messrs Jenkins and Chandler left their premises as they thought in perfect safety. No fire was left in the grates, and no lamp or candle burning, and even the very common origin assigned to fires — loose matches lying about —cannot in this case be brought forward, for more than ordinary care was, we hear, taken in this respect. A heavy loss we hear falls on Messrs Jenkins and Chandler, who were only partially insured — £700 on stock and building in the London, Liverpool, and Globe. Mr Cullmann also loses heavily, being only insured for £325 on bis two buildings in the London and Lancashire. As the people* were dispersing from the fire, another cry of fire was heard proceading from the bottom of tbe hill, by the Bank of New Zealand. This arose from some passers by seeing in Mr Beldy's, tobacconist, a light, which in a few seconds increased in intensity. Failing to awake the inmates, the front door was burst open, and a flame of no little volume wai seen issuing from underneath one of the counters in tbe shop. Mr Todd was, we believe, the first person in the shop, and assistance being at hand, the fire was soon got under, though not without some little damage to property, some of which seemed quite unnecessary— the smashing of the front windows especially. The proprietor of tbe shop, Mr Beldy, who was in bed upstairs, was soon present on the scene, and was quite unable to account for the fire breaking out. The only surmise at present is that there might have been lucifer matches lying about on the floor which somehow or other got ignited. The newly-formed Fire Brigade on this occasion was of signal service in staying the spread of the fire, and although yet scarcely organised, it has proved the. great necessity which exists for the inhabitants of the town to provide further means for preventing the spread of fire — an engine. Had there been a strong wind on Wednesday night all the efforts that could have been made by means of buckets to prevent the fire reaching buildings near at hand would have proved unavailing.