"A HUGE FIREPLACE."

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 114, 6 February 1908, Page 7

"A HUGE FIREPLACE."

1 A SHELL OF BRICK WITH; WOODEN E ' - PARTITIONS {DT , TBI.EOUJrn—SPECIAL COHUKBrONDENT.) -v . .1 • - Timarii, February 5. Destruction sudden and completo overtook | the principal premises of tho Canterbury I Farmers' Co-operative Association this even- ■ - The Company, who. arc the "universal ■ providers- oLSouth Canterbury., have stores ami other buildings scattered 111 different j parts of Timaru, but. their, retail business m ' hardware,' •groceries; drapery^■• and .similar .> departments, as ? well: as the firm's book- ■ ' keeping branch, have been housed in tho ' handsonie Tunning "between' Strnthallan • , and Bcswiok Streets, and 'flanked on either j sido by vacant sections. - 1 Tins block >vas erected about six years ago., at- a cost of some .-£15,000. Now' only the folir walls remain standing, while inside i a .heap of. ashes is all that is. left of the . •> varied njld valuable stock. The astonishing feature of the outbreak . . was i the rapidity with wt.icH it spread from " street to street across the upper story of the ■ building, niul tho utter inability of tho Brigade to: get it under, any control. The explanation lies in the structuro of the building, which was-nothing more than a huge, •fircplace filled with the most inflammable of ) material,: from muslm to gunpowder. In- ■ sido: tho ,sholl .of brick und stonci wliich was <aftcr->tho . firoo.had. done ■ its • • work, • tliero was not a singlo incombustible obstacle to chpck the progress of the flames 1 . -. 'for. an instant. ■/.: ' < A PROPHECY. Everyone now is marvelling at the ap. r parent- want of foresight in design which , 5 -ltjft.'"tlie interior so entirely, at tlfc mercy , of.an outbreak of fire. One contractor is ' ; said to havo declared, when the building was completed, that if a fire should : occur 3 there all the brigades in the world would 1 e'xtingii'ish it; and fivo minutes'" after 1 th 6 oiitburtt fras 'discovered : this evening i it was evident that t-lic propliocy was to bs ' verified. • '" Nothing will'stop it was a common ex- - • pression among tho crowds of spectators, who neglected.{their dinners to Watch the « dense volumes of tliickv'pungent smoke pour, ing out from: the'eaves all round the building,and driving back the firemen who trieo -'to 'filgh't their; way; to the seat of the flames. ■ . From the Beswick Street front round to thr oilier street the flames burned brightly, cat-i-ing up all 'the.,'inflammable fabrics in tin ■ -drapery'department, and sweeping away the light ivobdon partitions which separated one ■ ■ department . from another. The firemen wore busy at tho windows 'pouring streams'.of Water into tho burning mess, but their work was useless, and soon they had to' btreat,'though some fought the ' •flame?, till the very ladders on x whicU they ' • -stood were'aliaht! '"A*" vet the lowpr store - ■

i . .! 1 was untouched, but streams of molten load , ran down the front, and bnrst in ruddy fountains on the- bottom-floor.-Kooilkardy. Soon'the firo began to eat its way through > ,tho ceiling,' and flaming debris threatened to , sot the ground ,floor- alight.- Just-then -the • spectators were hbrrificd to see a number of - young fellows' rush into tho; open'door and i disappear into- the dark interior, whilo tho --:-..".<.blaang*niass' above .-was on', tho-.point of col-1 lapsing'Upon-them:. One by one'they rushed back-to -safety,'-dragging • .variousparticles' of; .;r; .i salvage, theyloss'of which would 'have been.nnnoticed' in-tho general' ruin. ■ • Having thrown -thorn-on- the street; several - of- theso ■ ovcr-danng''porsons - plungqd. again :v into the danger , zone. < A'.-pobdeman• rushed to the -door, and drovo > away othors, whoT-- woro preparing to follow- thorn, and the ; jorowd grew tense with' oxcitomeut as tho : officer shotted to..thoso -within.to come out ■■■■■■.' before ;ic was too.'late, v.- .-Fortunately all o':-'.'-;-.-escaped,-but they ran <v narrow riskj of their :- ' lives for no purpose- . •.' v; v ■ Close upon thoir heels the roof of the building and • the . floor ,of the second story Collapsed, and ■ all- hope of: saving anything ;'*••• \from'the'ruins 1 was -at-'an end.""The'flames ;• roared upwards, .and-volumes of smoke roso ' to the sky-in iWi almost perfectlystill atmosv . The absence of wind ■ and the completely ... detache l d situation-of the building removed • cause -for, anxiety as to the safety-, of a.number , of wooden- structures' m tjio: neighbour-, hood. It needed, but- avhish; wind* and a ■■..y, -great part - of• Timaru- would| ill 'all prob-ability,-ha ve ( .been -swept out of existence..:,