Big Fire at Wellington.

Tuapeka Times, Volume XLIV, Issue 5968, 10 August 1912, Page 1

Big Fire at Wellington.

WIJITOOAIKE ANU TOMBS'S I WACTIOA LL Y DESTRO YKD. LVSUiRANCES OVER £-16,000. l'"m: broke out on Wednesday morning in Whitcoimbo and' Tombs'g large stationery and 'book shol> in Lampton Quay, Wellington. The building was practically destroyed in u short time. The Banta of New South Wale* on tho one side and the Commercial Hotel on the other were saved. This firm have been most unlucky, as shortly after the building was erected it was.destroyed in the 'great fire of 1906, and the other day it had a very narrow escape from fire, which broke out inside.' The building was owned by Mr J. R. Blair, and was insured for £lO,000, a s follows :-JGnardian, £2OOO ; London, aind Liverpool and Globe, Commercial, Union, and Phoenix, each £ISOO ) Australian Alliance, Standard, North British and Mercantile. e a<:li £1000; Victoria, £SOB. The stock was ,s insured for a total of (£35,800, aa follows :-State, £4,500 ; New Zealand, £3OOO ; Northern, £3OOO J; Commercial Union, Sun, Union and Royal Exchange, £2,500 each : Royal, London «nd Liverpool' and Globe, Guard an, Alliance, North British and Mercantile, and Norwich,

.£2OOO each ;' .South Knlisli ami Iritcd £IOOO each ; Queensland. Wild. A special i»<uraiiu' of £1:1711 wualso carried.

The tiro started on tin. top II • and worked downwards, the N, (ioiii'onti-aling on defendine the lower portion and the ndiarnil buildings. The wooden doors, eonsisiin.' oi Oregon beams with only a few st ■: I o-i-

dors, and the inttmiuibh -(aliiuierv and paper stock assisted the llames, The firemen were handicap, e.l \ ih,. nou-fireproof nature of the l-'iildiiej. and at the start by the weak water pressure. The result was that the

whole of this four-storied building was gutted by fire ©xicept the ground floor, and tli„ contents of the latter were much damaged by smoke and water.

The brigwdesmen attacked the lire from I.nmlrtoii Quay at lirM with two leads of weak pressure. Loiter the number of leads were d»ubhd, and Ihe pressure increased. Soun<l walls protects! the Bank of New .South Wales mid I'ouimcnial Hotel on either side. l Houses on '.\ellin,r. ion terrace overlooking the lire were , mhumTed, pnrliciilarly bom sparks, but the thmes were prevented iront doing uny damage outside oi Whitcombo and Tonibs's buildinL'. It seems clear that, the lire had a vcrv strong' hold before the Brigade arrived. Shortly after heme; s-ccn it mtade a general burst through the roof and enveloped th- im ■! us u umbiella fashion in wonderfully quick time. Before the lireHHfhterg L'ot properly to work the fire's mn-o-ry ( .f the lpper hall of the bnihliie- ■.• complete. A 'huncli-ed and lifty einplm- s are alFected by the lire.' The insurances total JCMjTJO.