FIRE AT WELLINGTON.

Waikato Times, Issue 12180, 15 September 1911, Page 5

FIRE AT WELLINGTON.

♦ GOVERNMENT BUILDINGS ENDANGERED. (Per Press Association.) WELLINGTON, Friday. A fire broke out at '-'.50 last night in 'an annexe to the Government Buildings, which is occupied by the I Stamp Department. The fire had a good hold wk:n t!. e ' brigade, arrived but was subdued after I an hour's hard fighting. Safes containing valuable documents were unharmed. The exttent of the damage is not yet known. AN EXCITING HALF-HOUR. SMART WORK BY BRIGADES. (By Telegraph.—Own Correspondent.) WELLINGTON, Friday. The alarm of fire at the Government Buildings which sounded at 9.45 o'clock had a very ominous meaning for those who know the big three storey wooden building" one of lliß largest of tlijat 'materia 1 in the weld. An easterly , gel'e was blowing and the fire was in the Stamp Department, an annexe at the rear, so that the smoke and flames were driven directly on to the main building. appeared at first as if serious trooble was going to be experienced, hut prompt work by the firemen and the Government staff, with a splendid supply of water enabled the danger to be overcome after an exciting half-hour, Just about 9.35 p.m., as the watchman was turning a corner at the north end of the building, he heard the big alarm bell ringing near the main entrance, and rushing to the indicator saw that the centre of the trouble was the annexe occupied by the Stamps Department. Before he could get to it thjere were others on he spot, attracted (by the clouds of pungent smoke which had burst through a broken window. The automatic alarm rings simultaneously in the central police station, and it naturally brought to the ispot a ibiig force of firemen and conetJaMes. They saw big 'bl'acl: clouds of smoke proceeding, apparently from the centre of the main building. The smoke was blowing over the roof at the back but the fire- waa confined to (the ■ (annexe standni? at leest 5H feet clear of the big building. Apparently the outbreak started in the cefntne of this one storied annexe, which was built over 25 years ago and was used ior work of the Stamp Office, fcrsth duties assessment. company bulling society, industrial and provident societies, registration a nd for the embossing of stamps on cheques. It must have smouldered in the r a loner time before discovery, judging, by'its ra|»'d i!r.\ tlopment. At 00.10 p.m. a 'big volume of flame burst .thpqtiris the n-| o f ard flared angrily toward the rows of windows on the three storey building to leeward. The fire-men were then at work on the roof and inside the building. A glimpse of the inside wias caught at this moment. The fire was roaring around the space (between the eadr'ng .and the. iron roiof. It hsii partly eeteu its way through the celling boards and it nuickly completed the'r destruction, allow me flaming fragments to drop into pools of water on the floor. Attacked from above and below, the flames subsided like magic, only .1 f?w stray outbursts beinsr s r en und"r tha e.ives at the south end 'i the bu'ldintr. Within half an hour of the disvery of the fire tjhe <bripaHes the tore off the roof and stamped out the last remaining :sigTis of trouble and bv 10.45 p.m., an exciting business was over. Parliament adjourned for half an l uur while the fire was in urn-re-, there beintr considerable excitement. THE DAMAGE. The damfje by last night's fire' in t>he C."vrnmpTtt bu'Min warc chiefly no.MF'id 'iv V"- 1 ,-,- in small room in which the originated. T|.- m : ,'n h'"S suffered v°ry little and \ f-*r have v--n seru-iflv r—t-.^.