THE Wellington Independent "Nothing extenuate; Nor set down aught in malice." TUESDAY, DECEMBER 23, 1862.

Wellington Independent, Volume XVII, Issue 1807, 23 December 1862, Page 3

THE Wellington Independent " Nothing extenuate ; Nor set down aught in malice." TUESDAY, DECEMBER 23, 1862.

AN OLD ENEMY IN A NEW DRESS. Thb eye ofthe journalist, always on the look out for matter suitable lor comment « extract, instantly catches a paragraph like the followAn enquiry into the cause ofthe late fire on /the premises of Mr Zioiiß, No 4, Hunter-street^ has been held. The verdict was as follows: "We find that there is no evidence to show that the J?tftl»iies, No 4, Hunter-street, were wilfully set on fire, but we consider great Mame attaches 'to Mr Zions in allowing lucifer matches to lie about in .an unprotected state, and also, according to his 4>wn showing, in thiowing down the unconsumed portion of cigars which he had been funokinz."— JS. M, Herald,

Tbe present dry weather and the peculia liabilily of wooden buildings to catch fire,' a once point out the advantage of such a text fo c an editorial, especially if tbe editor happens tore » member any of the details of the English firere ports. How that, for instance, there were upward of fifty fires in 1861, wholly attributable to tb carelessness of smokers, and that an alarminj increase has for years been taking place in cou sequence of tbe negligent manner in whicl lucifer matches are kept and used. But sue! a subject rarely helps an Editor. It is stale . people know enough about it already or fane; tbey do ; and the conviction that " it wont gi down" obliges it to be laid aside, alMmportan as it is, for something that bas a fresher anc more inviting appearance. The last Melbourne papers present tbe sub . ject of " fire" in an altogether new phase, anc one wbich, in addition to its novelty, combine, tbe great advantage (in an editorial sense) o harrowing details with applicability to ourselves A large fire has taken place in Ballarat, destroying upwaids of thirty buildings and pro perty to tbe vaiue of £50,000, nearly the whoU iof whicb may be attributed to tbe storage o; Kerosene. Tbis is tbe first fire that bas come under our notice in whicb tbis dangerous article has played a part, and as such deserves the attention of our readers. The Ballarat Star ol tbe 30th November says : — As before indicated, the fire acquired additional powers of destruction as soon as it reached the premises occupied by Mr Mitchell Creighton, and known as the Victoria Oil Stores. In thh building there cannot have been less than sixty drums of kerosene oii deposited, the explosion and consumption of which caused an immense increase to the body of flame, and led to the destruction of several valuable properties on the opposite side ot the road. This fire is the first that ever fairly crossed the road, though there have been very many narrow escapes beforo ; and in this case, the great intensity of the fire may be judged from the fact that several of the buildings destroyed on the opposite side were built oi brick. The water, never supplied in sufficient quantities, did not seem to have the slightest influence in reducing the flames arising from this dangerous oil, and as drum after drum exploded, either on the premises or on the roadway, it was found that no other course was open to the firemen but to allow the oil to blaze away and expend its fury. Several members of both brigades were rendered insensible for some time (in one or two cases picked up out of the water channels) by inhaling the fumes of tho burning oil ; and Hugh Reid, one of the most serviceable members of the Ballarat West Fire Brigade, was severely scalded by the boiling and blazing liquid on the right arm and left leg. We have no means of knowing whalqmntity of Kerosene is stowed in Wellington in anyone place, but presume tbe quantity must be altogether insignificant compared with that at Ballarat- 60 drums or 240 gallons. Still the effects of smaller quantities in a town like this, and more especially at the head of the Bay, would be of a most lamentable character; for, if the vehemence witb wbich the Kerosene sent the fire across the wide road of Ballarat and fastened on to the brick buildiugs, be borne in mind , We may form some idea of what a comparatively Insignificant storage might produce on a mass of warehouses, protected only by such narrow barriers as Farisb, Custom House, and Lombard Streets present. It would not be an ordinary fire that had to be extinguished, since it will be observed tbat water was not only powerless, but actually became the medium by which sheets of flame were communicated to opposite buildings. Leaving the storage of Kerosene to the consideration of the meichants and others, we have only to make one modest reference to the " text"that is to express the hope that in consideration of the consequences, smokers will exercise extra caution out of doors this hot weather; aad that the police and otbers in charge of ths engines will exeicise ihem as frequently as is necessary to keep them in readiness for efficient and instant working.