GREAT FIRE IN WELLINGTON.

Wairarapa Standard, Volume XX, Issue 2061, 29 April 1887, Page 2

GREAT FIRE IN WELLINGTON.

THE POST AND TELEGRAPH BUILDINGS DESTROYED.

Yesterday morning a fire broke out in the Post, Telegraph and Customs Offices situated on Custom House Quay. Accounts differ as to the exact part of the building at which the fire broke out, but there "seems to be no doubt it originated in the Press room on the second floor. The alarm was given by the city bells, and the Fire Brigade arriving promptly, water was obtained about 10 minutes after the bells rang. All efforts to save the building were, however, unavailing. All tetters were saved from the Post Office and also the records, except such as were in the strong room, which was expected to be quite safe. Clerks were st once employed in making up mails for despatch this morning. From the Telegraph Office nothing of any importance was saved, the flames in that part making it impossible to get anything out. Mr Copeland, an operator, leaves early this morning for the Cable Station at Lyell’s Bay to send messages hence. The Telephone Office was destroyed, with the exception of a few instruments. The Customs offices were also destroyed and nothing was saved. Fortunately there was not a breath of wind at the time the fire broke out or a very serious conflagration would certainly have had to be recorded for large embers and pieces of burning wood rose from the fire to an enormous height and would have destroyed the locality. The Post Office was built of brick about three years ago, and was occupied in April of 1885. It cost about £26,000. It was uninsured, the Government taking their own risk.

FURTHER PARTICULARS. Dr Lemon, the Superintendent ot Telegraphs, was early on the scene of the fire, and was most energetic in his endeavors to save the plant. He succeeded in getting everything out of hie laboratory, and thus effected salvage to the value of about £2OOO. Among the articles saved were 70 sets of telephone instruments. The whole of the telegraphic and telephone apparatus in active use were destroyed, and the loss to the Department is set down at about £ISOO. Everything in the local postal department was saved, even to the letters in the private boxes. Bat in the (ieucrul Post Office all the records were destroyed except those in Unsafes, and it is not yet known how far they escaped demolition. At one time in the morning it was thought that the whole of the records belonging to the Customs had becu destroyed, but on examining the offices after the flames had been quenched it was ascertained that many of the books and documents were not in the least injured, the fire having fortunately not penes trated to that part of the public office where they were stored yesterday. Until other arrangements can be made the business of this department will be carried ob iu the Proviucial Buildings, where the department has had an office for several years. Mrs Mary Anne Davis, residing in Johnstreet, states .—" I am the head cleaner in the Electric Telegraph Office, in the Post Office, and my work calls mo to the office at an early hour in the morning. This morning I reached the office at 4.40, and on opening the side door in Panama»stre«t 1 observed a bright glare over the fanlight of a door at the end of a passage leaning into a small yard, lat once opened this door, and on going into the yard I saw a bright light through a window of the long room which is used for despatching and receiving the mails. As I looked 1 saw sparks rising from the floor of the room, and then 1 knew the place was on fire. I returned to the passage of the Telegraph Office, but before 1 had time to close the door, some glass in the window of the mail-room fell in with a crash. 1 ran into the street at once and called oat fire. A young man, the night operator in the Telephone Exchange, put bis head out of a window of bis office upstairs, and asked me where the fire was, 1 told him. Just then a mau came running towards the Post Office and a policeman also came running down Panama-street in tbs opposite direction. I ran upstairs and opened a door, so as to let the men into the Post Office. Certainty not more than three minutes elapsed after I first saw the glare of the fire in the mail receiving room till the flames burst out through the roof. The fitebells sounded very quickly after I gave the alarm. One constable ordered another policeman to go and ring the bell. 1 wanted to return again to the building, but the policeman would not allow me to go inside. Finding I would be of no use, 1 returned boms, and on my way I called at the house of Mr C. C. Robertson, the officer in charge of the Telegraph Office, and told him of the fire." Mrs Davis is confident that when she first saw the fire it was confined to the mail-shed and must hare spread to the floors above by goiug up the lift.