PETONE WOOLLEN MILLS FIRE.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1356, 6 February 1912, Page 4

PETONE WOOLLEN MILLS FIRE.

GOT UNDER IN TIME. At six o'clock Inst evening a firo broke out in tho drying-room of the Potunc Woollen Mills, and completely consumed the contents—principally dytd wool. The drying-room is situated on Hio eastern si'do of the main factory, and the walls are of brick, but, inside, arc womliMi racks and stair?, and these were much charred by the fire. The manager's sons, Messrs. A. and C. Ki\!iis(!<>]i, were the first to di-oover tlio outbreak, and rjuirkly got the steam ]uiiii]), with throe loads of lio<c, working, thus putting ii speedy chock on the fire. ]n tlio meantime the Petone Brigade, mid the Petone Workshops' Brigade, arrived, and in n very short time tlio blaze was extinguished. The fircini'ii and helpers experienced sonis difficulty in coping with the Work in hand, owing to thu dense smoke, whieh belched from the eeenc of the fire. Mr. C. ltamsden, who hud been working ill the thickest part, collapsed, and hail to be removed to his home and medically attended. The firemen also hail to be continuously relieved, in order to keep the water playing on. The damngo was inconsiderable, and was slated by the manager, Mr. Hamsden, to amount to only about ,EIOO. Tlio fire will not interfere with tho working of the mills.