A BRILLIANT SPECTACLE.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 8003, 5 May 1904, Page 3

A BRILLIANT SPECTACLE.

GALLANT BEHAVIOtfR OF THE BRIGADE. THREE FIREMEN INJURED. mooo damage. ■■ ■ ■ • j «► [Fsk Puss Association.] A GRAND SPECTACLE. AUCKLAND, May 5. The large warehouse of Messrs T. and S. Morrin and Co. and a valuable stock of ironmongery, were almost completely destroyed by fire last evening. The scene from the start was a brilliant one x andas the fire gofc a firmer hold at lighted Tip a wide area. The fire brigade got promptly to work 2 but had a heroclean. task before them. Though water was plentiful, and was poured on the building from a great many points, the warehouse was practically wrecked, and the bulk of the stock destroyed before the firemen got the upper hand. THE FIREMEN'S TASK. ; When;tie brigade arrived the flames were flaring out of every window on the top floor, and in spite of all efforts the fire soon spread to the floor below, and got * firm hold there, but #he efforts of tie brigade were successful in preventing the flames (from getting a grip of the ground floor, though the material stocked in that portion of the building was badly damaged by water. Further back^ towards Coburg JStreet, the building runs anto two storeys,, and finally into one. In this portion the fire was thickest, and had ft grip of the building from the floor to the ceiling. AMMUNITION' EXPLOSIONS. ; FIREMEN AND SPECTATORS INJURED. As the fire progressed, the presence of cartridges in tne building was indicated by a succession of sounds somewhat resembling volley firing, followed, irksome instances, by showers of sparks. Later on there were a series of loud explosions, showing that some quantity of explosives was stored, in the building. The explosions threw up conside rable quantities of wire 2 metal, bricks and other material, and several casualties resulted. Some of the firemen and constables engaged in the work of extinguishing the fire were hurt, as well aa a number of spectators. THE CROWD. Tie fine was witnessed by thousands of spectators, aa<i frequently tne crowd would cneer and applaud, as at a theatre, at some gallant deed by a fireman. Two men were aetaiied for duty at the top of the Lome Street end of the building. To the crowd looking on it was a moment of great anxiety, as the firemen were seen shading their faces from the fierce flames curling up in front of them. The tension 'Was tenable when the men were seen to disappear below a-.parapet, and yet the flames were drawing closer and closer to the front of the building where they had stood. At last they anade their escape by the roof, through. /a large door evidently, andi out fromfthe first floor window. THE BRIGADE'S, WORK. . About midnight tjhe flames began. to slacken, and the adjoining buildings were practically out of danger-. An 'hour later •theio was a considerable body of flames in tihe centre of the burning 'building, but both back and front and on both asides tne fire had been pretty well extinguished^ About (half-' past two tie central portion of the wall on the northern' side of the building collapsed, and .some hundreds of tons of bricks fell, with a loud report. Firem-erfGladding, M^Mulley and Ludlow were rather severely injured t Fireman Ludlow suffering most-. It was Fireman M'Cormick, not Fireman MAuley, who got two broken ribs. Foreman Gladding received injuries to his' back and leg, and the civilian Ludlow had his leg broken below the knee in the fall of the wall this morning. No other serious injuries are reported. s THE DAMAGE. The value of the stock anil building is estimated roughly at between £70,000 and £80,000. Probably the damage will run into £50,000. The firm's 'books were in the safes; and should he got out intact. The building belonged to the Bank of New Zealand Assets Board, 'but was -held' ■'by T. and S. Morrin, Limited, under a purchasing clause. It was valued at about £20,000. THE INSURANCES. The New Zealand Insurance Company retains about £60,000 of the amount covering the fire. It giveß the total at £59,920, but there ■is an' unconfirmed report that it amounts to £70,000. The gross insurance in the New Zealand Company's Office' was £56,020, including the building and contents. Every company doing business in Auckland, with the exception of the Alliance, and Royal, holds & reinsurance up to its full limit, but they decline to give details. Later. It has now been ascertained that the insurances total £72,480, and are as follow :—£{s,92o on/the warehouse and stock and £2560 on the Queen Street premises and contents. They were held in the first instance by the New. Zealand Company, but there are reinsurances in twenty-three companies, who have risks ranging from £1000 to £6000. A GREAT CONFLAGRATION i AVERTED. ' ■" • ■ The fact that the wind was light saved the surrounding property. Only the narrow width of High Street separated the burning* building from the Central Hotel, and all around were factories, shops and warehouse©. Next door to Morrin's warehouse are the premises of Mr T. N. Young, which were filled with a big stock of paper and oil, while facing Coburg Street is a row of detached brick cottages, over which blew showers of sparks. These buildings were to the leeward 1 of the flames, and here was an important fighting point. The Central Hotel was fortunately out of danger from ; the big sheets of flame, which blew over the high trick wall, and only a. few galvanised i iron shreds.were in immediate danger. A zone of several dwelling-houses were emptied, household goods being littered along the pav^nent. ■ ! [f FRESH OUTBREAK.. When .half the firemen were leaving at v four Q'clock, flames were seen rising from the roof of Morrin's retail shop and warehouse; opposite the larger warehouse, and fronting en Queen ' Street. Fiery debris from the explosions had set the roof wejl alight, and it burn&L from end to end. The brigade renewed their 1 work and in half an hour from thefresh. outbreak it was under ; control, but the shop was completely gut- '■' ted, and a couple^of thousand pounds' k ■worth of damage, done to the stock 1 of general ironmonger}', electric plate and ornamental gratis, bringing the total damages up to about £80,000. - A NARROW ESCAPE. fl^uriftg the progress of tl*e larger fire, Driver Page, of the City Brigade, had' a