THE RUINS.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 68, 13 December 1907, Page 7

THE RUINS.

VALUABLE DOCUMENTS MISSING.

Crowds still visit Molosworth and Sydnoy Streets and gaze upon the jaggttt ruins of.-the. Parliamentary Buildings. Tlicy can do no - more than gaze, however, for tho main entrance gate to tho grounds, which alone remains unlocked, is guarded by a. policeman, and those who would wander wondnringly through tho ruins must bo concent to conjure up memories from afar oft'. Tho sight -is not a pleasant 'one: the building has beon divided without senso of proportion, ' and groat smudges of smoke bcgrinio the khaki colouring of tho part that remains intact. Inside the builciings men wero busy yesterday clearing up tho debris. Their task was not an easy one, nor entirely free from danger, especially in the ruins of - ,thc main lobby and Bellamy's, whore beams hung loosely, and portions of brick walls threatened to topple over. Bellamy's, particularly, is a pile of confusion, siul yestorday. the reminiscent camera was freely used there by many who were fortunate to' gain an entrance to the buildings. Portraits, half-burnt, of early legislators,parliamentary papers, fire-grates, portions of chairs; I 'charred'remnants of Mr. M'Nab's "Murihiku," which have fallen from his room labovo, litter the floor.of the lobby. Good'-work, howevor, is being done by tho workmen, and tho upstairs portions aro already clear of litter. Among the rooms totally wrecked was that of the Leader 'of tho Opposition (Mr. Mas6oy), but it is unlikely, that much .boyond furniture and parliamentary .journals and statutes wore destroyed , there. .The public library was closed to all comers during the day, tho librarian.being busy arranging order out of chaos. .Fortunately little damage has been .donje there. .Several of the books removed on the "morning of the firo wero carried with other volumes to tho Government Buildings, and' these wero yesterday carted back.

•Yesterday afternoon, Mr. Smith, Public Wbrks Overseer, directed tho demolition of the .most dangerous of' two chimneys that ;rero left standing-on tha Sydney Street side' of. the niins.i A rope was flung over the chimney-top, from the roof of the buildings, passed round, and both ends wero hauled upon. by a number of men, whoso efforts were 'watched by a considerable crowd of people. - About twenty feet of the top of tho pile.,came away with tho first pull, and fell with a . great crash, and then -. tho line was passed over the remaining portion, and this time the rest of the chimney fell. ■