OTAGO.

Wellington Independent, Volume XVII, Issue 1829, 12 February 1863, Page 3

OTAGO.

THE ESCORT. The Escort from the --Duns-tan and oidet fields arrived in town yesterday afternoon, with the following quantities of gold :— * Ozs. dwts. Dunstan 8,368 5 Tuapeka 2.579 10 Wailahuna ..' 579 10 Woolshed 530 .0 Total 12,075 5 The Wakitapu Escort had been delayed by a breakdown of cart. The Witness of the 7th f inst. says: — " It will be remembered that our take corresponden t states that the quantity of gold to be sent by this Escort was over 22,000 oas., so that the fortnight's receipts will ekceed 34,000 ottuces. FIRE IN DUNEDIN; A fire which might have been infinitely mow serious in its results broke out in Dimedin on the 4th instant. The foUowing are fche details in.fnll from the * Otago DaUy Times': There can be no doubt that Dunedin had another fortunate escape from ah extensive conflagration as a resulb of fche fire near Princes-street, early yesterday morning. The buildings actually destroyed closely abutted bn the bay side, upon one of the wooden portions of Dr Burns' church ; apd it, once on fire, would havo served as a connecting link with gre^t piles of buildings, including Messrs Dalgety, Rattray & Co's warehouse, Rattray-street. . The churoh was pretty severely scorched ; but the Volunteer Fire Brigade got a supply of water in time to prevent the flames extending to the church. . , On the Princes-street side, there was between the building of Messrs. Butement and Co., iv connection with which the fire commenced, and the back premises of Messrs Wilkinson and Dixon, of the Medical Hall, only the one storey erection belonging to Mr Arnold, photographer, and known as Solomon's Potographic Gallery. Had this building not been pulled down, the fire musfc have run through ib to fche Medical Hall, and then any amounfc of premises right and left, in Princes-street, would at least have been most seriously jeopardised. Bufc Capbain Rees saw the imminent danger on this side ; and axes having been procured, some of the brigade, vigorously aided by several gentlemen who were amongst the first arrivals, set to work, and they speedily had the Gallery levelled to the ground. Mr Arnold loses more than £100, and must have lost it any way, fbr his place could nofc have escaped ; bub we have heard it frequently suggested that the Insurance Companies, under the circumstances, would only be acting gracefully, if they considered his case with a view to some compensation. It seems thafc on Friday night, Mr John Butemenb, with two other persons named R. M. Wright j and John White, slept on Messrs Butement and ! Co's premises, which were used as a manufactory i for soda water, cordials, &c. They had been some time in bed when they were roused by a constable who was, we believe fche first to discover the fire. Ab thab time the flames were confined to a small place in which there was a boiler, and which up to about three weeks ago was used by a carpenter named Payne, as a workshop. There had been shavings left about. None of fche three persons named pub out the boiler fire on Tuesday night. Ifc was leffc fco die out ; and bhe only suggestion as tp thfc origin of the conflagration is that a spark from the boiler got amongsb the shavings. The first efforts of Mv Butement and the police constable were devoted to getting some horses and light carts oufc of the stable adjoining fche main building ; and this was safely effected. iVe described in yesterday's Times how quickly the fire disappeared, after ifc was discovered that, the tide being high, there was a supply of water available from the JBay. It would astonish any one not used to the immediate locality, to see how close Dr Burn's church is to the line of Princessstreet; so thafc in fche first moments after the ar-. j rival of the Brigade, it would very naturally escape I the attention of the officers how comparatively : easily they might use wator from the Bay. I Only the admirable order kept by the police, I and the really excellent working of a large number of thoso who were attracted to the spot, can | account for the wondeVful " save" of fche stock of j the Medical Hall, pearly every bottle and jar on the shelves and in the windows were hastily removed and carried to the oppo&ite side of the, street ; for-the destruction of the premises seemed ab first to be inevitable. Men left the shop loaded with as many bottles as they could hold within their arms, and had to deposit them on the pave-, ment; drawers and packages could be more, roughly dealb with. Yet, taking breakages, mis- | sings, and allowing for considerable damage done , by the rain, it is probable that the loss, when stock has been carefully taken, will not much ex-, eeed £300. Messrs Wilkinson and Dixon are in-: sured in the London and Liverpool, the Imperial, and fche Australasian Offices, to an amounfc considerably exceeding their possible loss ; .and repreBenjativei? of the insurers were engaged going through the stock yesterday, from the time when it had been replaced in the shop. The warehouse of Messrs Stamford & Co., adl joining Messrs Butement & Co's place, was burned down, with lamps, glasses, etc., therein, sufficient to entail a loss of about £250 to that firm. Nofc a drop of kerosene, or any ofcher oil was, we are assured, destroyed by fche fire, all having been safely removed before the flames caught the building. This place was nofc insured. .As regards the stock in the shop, however, the firm are insured in the London and Liverpool Office for £500; and Mr Bates, their manager, roughly estimates tho loss here, by breakage, etb., consequent upon the hasty clearing out of the shop, afc something Hke MOO. In Messrs Butemen's premises there was a safe, which was stated to beaworrh «• £1000 as ifc stood ;" and fortunately all the contents were yesterday, tound to be perfectly uninjured. But there were also in the place some carboys of sulphuric acid ! and one of theso being broken in the attempts to remove it, two or three men were hurt about the feet by the burning liquid. This building is understood to have been the property of Mesrrs. Jones and Bird. Ifc was worth £250, and ifc is doubtful whether ifc was insured. 'Messrs Butemanfc were certainly not insured, and fcheir loss is set down afc fully £700. The total damage done by the ' fire may thereforo he stated at £1,850; aiid, as we have before slated, there is reason for congratulation that it did nofc amount to ten times as much. The Volunteer Fire Brigade worked -zealously and efficiently throughout. Captain Rees and the other members have received a letter of thanks from the citizens.