FIRES IN INVERCARGILL.

Western Star, Issue 835, 16 April 1884, Page 3

FIRES IN INVERCARGILL.

Shortly before one o’clock on Monday morning, a fire broke out in the well-known drapery establishment of Messrs E. D. Title and Co., Tav street. The first symptoms of the trouble were observed by Constable MTntyre, whose attention was attracted by the heavy and peculiarly dense black smoke. He had passed the shop only a quarter of an hour before, when everything appeared to be right. When he discovered that the place was on fire,, ho tried the front and 1 ack doors, but found both securely fastened. lie immediately gave the alarm, and ere long the brigade arrived. The fi”e seemed to originate right in the middle of Tide’s shop, and thence it rapidly spread until the adjoining buildings, east and west,, were in flames. The shop occupied by Mr Allen, bootmaker, next Messrs Yule’s warehouse, and in ihe same building, was, by reason of its contiguity, the first infected, and it passed the mischief along lo Mr Bailey’s chemist shop. By that time, however, the greater portion of both Mr Alien’s and Mr Bailey’s stock had been removed. On the other side the detached house, occupied by Mr Scott, upholsterer, also joined the conflagration, a- d altogether there was rather a big blaze at the time. The brigade worked we’l, and had an arduous task in preventing the spread of the flames. The adjacent Courthouse was not at all safe, and probably had it not been for the well-directe d efforts of the firemen it would have at least had something of a scorching. How the fire originated is a mystery ; how it could possibly have been started, a most profound problem. No one was in the shop for 26 hours previous to the fire breaking out, unless their presence was unknown and unauthorised by the proprietors. No fire had been used in the premises since the Thursday evening before, so that the convenient spark cannot on this occasion be theorised into culpability. The block of buildings was one of the oldest in town, most of it having stood there for about 22 years. None of Mr Tule’s stock, valued at £7OOO, was saved. It was insured for £4500 altogether, the amount being divided among the.different officesas follows: Northern, £1000'; Nortli British, £1000; Colonial, £SOO (£250 re-in-sured) ; New Zealand, £SOO ; Norwich Union, £500; Royal, £SOO. The buildings, including Mr Allen’s shop, were insured in the Royal office for £SOO, and Mr Tule’s fixtures in the Hamburg-Magdeburg office for £350. Mr Bailey’s stock was insured for £SOO in the Northern, and £350 (£IOO reinsured) in the Colonial, and his building in the Northern for £350. Mr Bailey valued his stock at £1250, but, as already stated, a great portion of it was saved. Mr Allen’s stock was insured for £260 in the Royal. Early on Sunday morning the old building at Avenal that wus once the Governor Grey Hotel was totally destroyed by fire. On the previous day a fire was alight in the kitchen, and was being used for boiling pigs’ meat. Further than the supposition that this fire was in some way the cause of the conflagration, there is no explanation of the cause. The building was insured for £2OO in the Union, but the stores aud furniture in it were uninsured. The goods in Mr Gillespie’s grocery store adjoining were considerably damaged. —“ Southland Times.”