Valuable Instruments And Stores Lost In Fire

Chronicle (Levin), 4 September 1947, Page 5

Valuable Instruments And Stores Lost In Fire

(N.Z.P.A.-

-Reuter,

Copyright)

CHOFU, Sept. 2. The damage done by yesterday 's fire at the headquarters of the 2nd N.Z.E.F., is now evaluated- at approximately £66,000^ Of this £50,000 is reported as the loss of the Kobe steel works. The remainder is eomprised of losses of £10,000 by the 16th N.Z. Workshops and £3000 each by the Garrison Engineers' "workshops and store and the Y.M.C.A. bullc store. Besides extensive damage to the buildings the Kobe steel works suffexed mueh through the destruction of thousands of sheets of duralium, each about four feet square with an offieial value of £1 stexling. In the. 16th New Zealand Workshops the ehief loss was that of the huge workshops and store truck which alone was worth thousands of pounds. In addition the workshops had six brand new truck engines, several motor cycle engines, two lathes and a mass of delicate instruments and equipment of instrument- makers, all of which is now a pile of charred wreekage. Cement and paint aecounted for the bulk of the Garrison Engineersestimated loss of £3000. Fortunately a fair proportion of the materials in the section was dragged out before the fire had progressed too far. The loss which will probably cause most disappointment to the troops generally, was the destruction of ' the Y.M.C.A. bulk store. Approximately £2000 worth of canteen stores eonsisting of such things as tea, sugar, milk, meats and ice cream powder went up in smoke. Even worse txvo pianos, a brand new refrigerator and all the pipes belonging to the Pipe Band, were a total -writeoff. Fortunately most of the personal gear in the store ivas saved. The most exeiting time during the fire seenis to have been the experienee by a group of people who were cut oif by the fire while attempting to save some of the equipruent in the instrument shop on the second storey of the 16th Xew Zealand Workshops building. They were Major E. C. Mathews, of Auckland, Statf Sergeant K. Hotter, oi" Xew Piymouth, Hergeant R. Maxwell, of Auckland, Privates J. Smith, of JMasterton, E. A. Keeffe, of Wellington, ton, J. J. M. MeAfee, of Wanganui, J. Mynott, of Auckland, and A. C. Trabridge, of Christchurch. The first. warning they had of their danger wa? when Staff Sergeant Hotter started down the stairs with a loatl of equipment and was partially choked by a sudden uprush of smoke and fell to the oottom of the stairs. Private MeAfee, who is an instrumentmaker by trade, had been working in the shop when the fire started. He carried some of his near out and then came back for mnre.

When he tried to leave again he was met at the door by billowing flam.es which caused slight burns. He was the only casualty. When he saw the position Major Mathews ordered the men to leave by the window. They jumped from the window to the roof of a smail lean-to structure below aud from there to the ground. Xone appeared this morning to have sufi'ered much from their experienee, even Private McAfee being quite' well enough to walk around and laugh about it but ail felt that it was just as well there had been a convenient window.