STABLES ON FIRE.

Star (Christchurch), Volume LXVI, Issue 20280, 14 April 1934, Page 13

STABLES ON FIRE.

Champion Horses in Peril. THREE YEARLINGS PERISH. The lives of many outstanding horses, including Chatham, Queen Helen, Golden Wings and Vista, were endangered whe portion of the Randwiek stables of H. Chisholm and Co., stock salesmen, was destroyed by fire recently. Three yearlings, two by Diacquenod (imp.) and one by Grosvenor (imp.), were burned in their stalls. There were over 200 horses housed in the stables at the time. The fire was discovered shortly after 3 a.m. It appeared to have started in the sale ring in which the yearling sales were held the previous day. When the discovery was made the oregon pine rafters were blazing fiercely, and when the fire brigades arrived the blaze in this particular section was beyond control. Members of the brigade and employees at the stable concentrated all their efforts on freeing the imprisoned horses, and although twenty-two yearlings were removed from the danger area, the rapidly-spreading flames made rescue of the remaining three impossible. Manager Hurt. R. May, the manager of the stables, suffered slight burns in releasing the Grosvenor filly, and was then forced to flee for his life, but the panicstricken animal charged directly back into the flames and dropped dead. As the strong easterly wind tarried the flames tow r ards other sections of the stables, considerable anxiety was felt for the safety of Chatham, Queen Helen and Golden Wings, whose stalls were in a building of similar structure on the other side of the yard. The horses were removed from their stalls and taken to the open yards. The fire brigade then concentrated on saving the surrounding boxes and stopping the spread of flames to the adjoining establishment of the well-known ex-New Zealand trainer, G. Price, wherein were housed such prominent performers as Sir John, Kuvera, Blixten and Whittingham. The flames reached the home of the foreman of Price’s stables, T. Sweeney, and set fire to the window boxes and curtains. Gave the Alarm. Cyril Heath, an apprentice jockey, who gave the alarm to the other employees, said he was first awakened by the frantic kicking and squealing of the imprisoned horses. He then smelt smoke and rushed to the corner from where the sounds were issuing. The rescue of the animals was a dangerous undertaking for the employees and members of the brigade. Fear-stricken, ihe animals lashed out in all directions, endangeerin the lives of those who entered the stalls. The iron bolts on the doors of some of the loose-boxes were hot, and it was necessary to use wet bags to open them. The splendid work of the fire brigades was directly responsible for the saving of other horses in the yard, as the strong wind carried the tongue of flame directly towards the straw and feed rooms. The two Diacquenod horses killed were the property of Mr R. Duncan and Mr P. Hyde (W.A.), and were purchased only the day before for 60 and 65 guineas respectively. Mr Duncan’s was a chestnut gelding out of Rightly So; and Mr Hyde’s a chestnut gelding out of Sambong. The Grosvenor filly had not been sold. The building was insured for £4900. Two Other Stables. The Sydney stable was the third within the previous fortnight to be burned. The others happened in Melbourne. Mrs Violet Murrell (26) and her husband, William Murrell (32) died later as the result of injuries received in an heroic attempt to save two horses, w’hich were destroyed when the stable at their home in Latrobe Terrace, Mentone, was burnt on March 24 Mrs Murrell was dragged from the fierce flames by her husband after she had tried desperately to save her favourite horse, Garryowen. Three days later Mr A. W. Cakebread received painful injuries in attempting to release thirteen horses which were trapped in a blazing stable at Ballarat Road, Pootscray. He succeeded insetting six free, but the remaining seven perished. THREE RESIGNATIONS. Timaru Trotting Club’s Affairs. TIMARU. April 13. The committee of the Timaru Trotting Club accepted this evening the resignations of Messrs W. F. Morton, Jl. E. D. Willcox and R. G. Kilgour from the committed, and decided to send them letters of appreciation of their services. The resignations were tendered at a previous meeting, following an acrimonious discussion in which the three men contended that a profit of £54 on the last trotting meeting was too small, and that the secretary and not the committee was running the club. A motion, sponsored by these three, to call applications for a new secretary was defeated, and the three resignations were handed in. The president (Mr J. Hole) said that Mr Morton, who seemed to be the leader of the opposition, declined to reconsider his resignation, and the only course was its acceptance. He paid a tribute to the services of all three, and said that he was not unaware of friction between the and them. Other members also eulogised their services.