A NARROW ESCAPE.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume V, Issue 1421, 20 May 1886, Page 2

A NARROW ESCAPE.

[Per Press Association.]

WELLINGTON, May 18

Information has just leaked out that Parliament buildings had a narrow escape of destruction by tiro on Saturday night. At a few in nutes bo'ore se. en on that evening, the messenger on duty at the Speaker’s private apartments had occasion to enter tir Maurice O’Rourkes sittingroom, when ho, discovered the wooden mantlepioce to be oa tire. Ho immediately called for assistance and had one of the hose reels, kept on the premises, run out and the fire extinguished before any senous amount of damage was done. Had tbo lire not been discovered at the moment it was, the probability is that the*svhole building would have been destroyed, including the valuable library, as within live minutes after that time it is usual, on Saturday nights, for the Speaker’s apartments to be locked up. Considering the severity of the gale that was blowing, the terrible results that won d have followed are apparent, had the lire not been discovered in its incipient stage, as the flames could easily have passed up the adjoining staircase and spread through the whole building. An examination has since been made and shows that the fire originated through defective workmanship, as only half an inch of plaster divided the wood work from the liame passing up the chimney. Boarding that the llames had not touched showed signs of having been charred by tiro on previous occasions.