FIRE AT INVERCARGILL.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume III, Issue 526, 5 January 1882, Page 2

FIRE AT INVERCARGILL.

Invercargill, Y esterday. A tremendous conflagration occurred here this evening, resulting in the destruction of a large amount of valuable property. It originated, it is believed, in a shop on the western side of Dee

street, occupied by Mrs Hannah, and rapidly spread to the adjoining buildings. For some time the extensive warehouse at the corner of Dee and Spey streets was in imminent danger, but, thanks to the almost superhuman exertions of the fire brigade and others its destruction was averted. The warehouse is now the property of Messrs Paisley and Co., and was formerly occupied by Guthrie and Larnach’s Company. The windows, although they were two chains distant from the burn-

ng buildings, were nearly all broken by

the heat, and considerable damage must have been done to the stock. The building was on fire several times. Other buildings on the same side of the street had narrow escapes. The fire broke out at ten o’clock, and at midnight, when the telegraph office closed, the following buildings had been destroyed ;—The City Butchery (occupied by F. Campbell), Mrs Hannah’s grocery store, the Hibernian Hotel, Mr D. Roche’s grocery and wine and spirit store, an unoccupied building known as the Red Lion Hotel, M'Liskey’s boot shop, Hannan’s Temple of Science, W. Brown’s drapery store, and Cooper’s jeweller’s shop. Cooper and Brown occupied a portion of Hannan’s building. At midnight the fire was still raging with unabated fury, and in order to save the remainder of the block strenuous efforts were being to pull down the shops occupied by J. Rogers (tailor), W. Patterson (bootmaker), and A. Raeside (pastrycook). It is hoped

chat, by having adopted this course, White Swan Hotel will be saved and the buildings to the northward of it also. The brigade worked well, but were hampered by the scarcity of water. Great excitement prevailed and still prevails. The loss must be something enormous—at a rough guess L. 25,000. The insurances fall far short of this, but the amounts are nut obtainable tonight

Further Particulars.

[bt telegraph.] Invercargill, To-day. By 1.30 the fire was got undersufficiently to ensure the safety of the White Swan Hotel, which was several times in imminent danger.; The wooden buildings between ut and Hanan’s Temple of Science were cleared to a large extent of their contents and partly demolished before the flames crossed the roof of the Temple, a substantial brick structure. The insurances were—North British, 1,1,400 (portion of which was re-insured), distributed as follows : Li,ooo on Roche’s stock and T.,400 on Hanan’s Temple of Science 3 in the Hanseatic; Ll5O on Rogers* stock 3 in the Transatlantic, L3OO on the Hibernian Hotel; Colonial, L7OO. on the stock and furniture in the Hibernian Hotel, L3OO on Roche’s stock, Li,ooo on the Temple of Science, Ll5O on Raeside’s buildings, total L2,iso’, in the Northern, Ll5O on Raeside’s shop; in the Liverpool, London and Globe, L2OO on the Hibernian Hotel, LIOO on Campbell’s butchery, LBOO on Mrs Wilson’s stock and building 3 in the New Li,ooo on Roche’s building and stock 3 L3OO on Hannan’s stock, and LSOO on Brown’s (draper’s) stock, total Li,Boo, of which L3OO is re-insured in the Colonial ; South British, Lis© oil Roche’s buildings. Total insurances, so far as known, Ly.aoo.