EXPLOSION AND FIRE.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 723, 24 January 1910, Page 6

EXPLOSION AND FIRE.

AT WANGANUt. RUTLAND HOTEL MUCH DAMAGED. MAGNIFICENT BRIGADE WORK. (By Telegraph.—Special 'Correspondent.) \ / Wanganui, January 23. ' A serious 'fire;' occurred on Saturday just before midnight, by - which the upper portion", of the Rutland ' Hotel was burnt out. • The, fire was caused by an ■explosion of gas in the premises of Davis and Company, fancy goods dealers, who occupied one of the shops on the ground floor of the hotel's .avenue frontage. It- appears that Mr. Hynes, one of the firm of Davis and Co., was in the shop all the evening at work on his books, and finished shortly before twelve. Ho turned off the gas, and then went into . the alley-way at the rear 6f the shop to seo that all was .«afo before locking up. He then re-entered the shop and struck a match to see the' way to the street door. At once' a terrific explosion occurred,. hurling Mr. Hyncs backward, but/ fortunately, he was only dazed and slightly- cut, and. managed to make his escape. The cause of the . explosion is unexplained, but it is surmised that a leak must have suddenly developed. The force of the explosion; was to .one side, and the solid brick wall dividing the. shop from the office of : Lewis ; and Co., land agents,,,split, and bulged, but did not fall. Ttie wall seemed to deflect the force of tho explosion towards the front of the shop, the .window and, stock being literally hurled out into the street, which ivas littered with fragments in all directions. Thence the force of the explosion apparently travelled across the street, oompletely wrecking the window of Mr." Goss, tobacconist, opposite. The explosion was immediately followed by an outbreak of fire, which, after banting Mr. Davis's -shop out, appeared to get into the gas-pipes, and travelled with extraordinary rapidity, up to and all over the upper portion of tho hotel. The offices, of Lewis and Co., Ashton and Co., land agents, and Gatenby -and Thompson; insurance agents, win oh: adjoined those .of D.avis and-Co. were.flooded with water, but, beyond ■ a little; scorching suffered' no damage by fire. • The flames, however," wrought havoc in the bedrooms and drawingiooins above, and,' in "a few minutesj mounted' to the • third- story o£ the . central: wing, and seized on the. corner :. The:'fire brigade "were promptly on' the scene,' and set 'to work with a willon .what looked like a hopeless.and impossible task. Lieu- . tenant Perrett, who was in, charge,. showed; however, fine, skill, and.judgment, and soon had his. men ;at work attacking the flamesfrom all sides. For.. . some- time the - fire,' continued to ; r sprcad ;' till .'. it caught- the upper : part. of the ' tower, which ' wis mostly wood, 'and whicli burned furiously.' Extra leads .were then played on this, and, in. about threequarters' of, an hour from, the outbreak, it was seen'that .the brigade, was beginning. ..to: make an impression. (The men, who had worked throughout : with, tho utmost pluck . and determination,' ,were : now- : able., to get. thai . ladders' : to. .-the . third story, , whioh was a regular furnace, and some of them got on to the roof.' From this out, the ' danger of, the fire spreading 'was' oyer,, and, in "an hour and' a; quarter after, the alarm was given, the. blaze was practically out. Fortunately the. night was'perfectly oalm, "or the, wooden; buildings in close: proximity must-'have'eaught, ana 'a disastrous conflagration would have ■followed.;' " :

; The boarders :-aiid hotel; staff wcre. all aroused .bv ,the', explosion,:;and got sifely •Out .in quiok 1 time, while willing hands, salved, a'. quantity'> of '. furniture, ' etc.* The western wing 'of; the hotel-"was almost ' completely gutted, .but the central .wing, .and., the. 1 ...ground and' first' floors escaped damage by fire, though everything in them , was, completely soaked by water. The fire damage in this part consisted ,of the., gutting.'of the' top floor, and the destruction , of the corner of ,the. tower. The. building and contents .were well covered by insurance,, but. the.details and .tho .estimate- of .the damage, done, are-not yet, available..; _, f .; Tho.ontstandißg foatufe'of .the' Art was the -magnificent work 7 of_-- the" brigade, whoi' haying. Jhe'advantage' of a .splendid pressure of water, .obtained',the, upper hand in remarkably, quick timej' though hardly anyone in the large crowd 'of spectators gave them ' a hope of»beating the flames.. ~