The Great Fire in Wellington.

New Zealand Graphic, Volume XXXIX, Issue 25, 21 December 1907, Page 8

The Great Fire in Wellington.

PARLIAMENTARY BUILDINGS DESTROYED.

(me of the most disastrous con Hag’.alions in the history of tile Dominion occurred <»n Wednesday, Decoinbor lltli,

when the greater part of Parliamentary Buildings were entirely destroyed. How the lire originated is a mystery,

but for over four hours—from shortly after 2 a.m. until (> o'clock—the firemen struggled with a roaring mass of flame, which was finally subdued, with only the library and its priceless contents remaining, out of what had been the home of the lawmakers of the Dominion for close on forty years. The fire brigadesmen were quickly on the scene with all possible appliances, and poured water into the fire from all avail-

able points. It was attacked from Syd-ney-street, where the fierce heat made the work one of endurance. It was attacked from the Molesworth-street entrance, whence the onlookers could see that the interior of the fine building was doomed. Notwithstanding the volume of water with which attemps were being made to drench the flames, the fire spread rapidly,

till tlu- narrow gables of I he section nnniediateh behind the chamber of the House of Hepresentatives stood out lik ' tangled wire frames amid the Inrid light a showers of sparks. The lire spread rapidly over the neighbourhood, but the isolation of the buildings ensured comparative safetv for the surrounding premises. Ihe hose, however, was turned on to Government House, over which the sparks were principally living. By halfpast three it was quite evident that nothing could save the wooden portion of the building. There was not a great volume of tlame visible from without, but the seat of the lire was well in the

middle of the wooden mass, and the volume of smoke issuing therefrom and the tongues of Haute that leapt to the sky showed plainly what was the nature of the fight within. Following the lead of hose up the main entrance of the building, up the main staircase, and along the corridor towards the wooden portion, one came upon the full fury of the battle. Framed in lurid vermilion, in the doorway of the Chamber. where the Speaker's gallery is approached. were the fig-ares of tlnee filemen. rigid and set. clinging to the powerful nozzle that wrestled to free itself from their clutch. So far the green drapery only of the Chamber had been swept up by the voracious tongues of the Haines

that lapped the whole of the walls, but from drapery to walls was a short step, and within an incredibly short time there were showers of splinters and pieces of burning matchwood falling in all directions. The destruction was complete, the wood was ready to the •.natch, and nothing could have made a fiercer blaze. The whole Chamber was a solid mass of tlame. impenetrable even when a chance breath of air. passing along the corridors from some open doo?, blew its deepest volume away from ttie doorway which framed the struggling firemen. The House of Representatives was completely wiped out. as far as human gaze was concerned, for there was no hope that the tire could be got under.