TEA KIOSK DESTROYED

Star (Christchurch), Issue 16847, 25 September 1922, Page 9

TEA KIOSK DESTROYED

BLAZE IN GARDENS a MIDNIGHT FIRE. The tea kiosk in the Botanical Gardens. which was erected by the Christchurch Domains Board twelve years ago, was totally destroyed by lire early yesterday morning. The outbreak was not- discovered until the interior of the building was well ablase, and by the time the fire brigade reached the scene there was no possibility of saving the j building. Most of the furniture, comj prising stools and tables, was saved by the police and civilians, but the whole of the stock, which was stored in the interior of the kiosk, was destroyed . The police sergeant was one of the first to reach the fire Noticing a glare in the sky he went through Hagley Park to the cause and on his arrival kiosk at- about twenty minuted past twelve o’clock he found the interior portion of the building blazing strongly- He /sent a man to give the alarm to the fire brigade and together with a few onlookers who had gathered bv this time he did good work in saving the furniture. The alarm was received by the brigade at 12.31 a.m., and when the fire engine arrived the building was too far gone to be saved. Members of the brigade watched the •fire for a while, but principally owing to the difficulty of getting the fire engine into '.he Garden? no attempt was made to put any leads of water on tq the flames. Tire fire was allowed to burn itself out and the building is now a total wreck. The fire was seen first by two boys, who state that: at about midnight they saw flames breaking through the roof from the interior of the building. It appears that the building was securely locked up v. Iren the police arrived and the origin of the fire is unknown. The kiosk was leased by the Domains Board to Airs C. H. Cresswelh of 30, Armagh Street., who used it as tea rooms and confectionery and soft drinks stall. The insurances arc understood to amount to about £SOO, or which £3OO is on the ! building. I Surrounded by high trees in the Gari dens and Hagley Park and with the river alongside, the fire was a very pretty spectacle as it burned fiercely. About -100 people gathered along the river bank and watched the burning building and one man in the crowd played the bagpipes. Bv about one o'clock the roof fell in and soon afterwards the onlookers dispersed. Nothing of the building except a few heaps of snioulderiffg rubbish could be seen by the crowds which thronged the Gardens yesterday afternoon. At one period during the fire fears were entertained that it might spread to the trees a round the kiosk, but- for-' tunately the night was dead calm and the sparks were not blown about.