NEWTOWN FIRE.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1444, 20 May 1912, Page 6

NEWTOWN FIRE.

4 THREE HOUSES BURNED DOWN 1 TWO OTHERS DAMAGED. OCCUPIERS I.OSK HEAVILY. A destructive fira occurred at Newtown Oil Saturday morning, three residences being destroyed and two others dumuged. The scone ol' the fire was Ktksell Terrace, and it broke out at about 11 o'clock in the morning. . Tiio outbreak commenced in No. 16, which was occupied by Mr. Walter Potts' mas-eur, and it is believed that the aci. eidentai ignition of methylated spirits was the cause. It had a good hold before it was noticed, and Mr. and Mrs. Potts were unable to save their belongings, "All 1 managed to save," said Mrs. j'otts, "was my bird. It all spread hi quickly. Mr. Potts said, 'Get out at once. "You haven't time to save a thing.' " No. 18, the residence of Mr. John Turner and Mr. William Turner, corporation labourers, was very soon ablaze. Mr. John Turner was at home looking after three of his brother's children while their mother was in Wellington shopping. Mr, Turner knew nothing of the conflagration till one of the children ran to him crying, "The house is on fire!" "If the people next door had told 1110 of the fire,~ I might have saved something," said Mr. Turner, "but 1 knew nothing about it till tho little one coin© running in. Then I got the baby out and tho oher two, and that was about . all." There was no insurance 011 the Turners' furniture— about .£IOO worth.

At the same time No. 14, which was used as a boarding-house by Mrs. Rachel Ackroyd and hor daughter, Mrs. Ethel Kelly, caught fire, and tho flames soon numbered it among their victims. Liku tlioit neighbours, tbo occupauts of No, 11 are heavy losers. Among tho beionginga which went in the blazo was a new stock of bedding for the establishment. Meaiftime the brigade was at work, toiling hard in the face of the heat and tho smoke, much hampered through lack of water pressure. Making the best of a disheartening task, they dribbled the streams at their command, where they calculated would be in the best interests of the houses not yet seriously damaged. These were No. 20-and No. 12. No. 20 was occupied by Mr. Charles Edwards, and No. IS: by Nurse Bellworthy. Furniture was bundled unceremoniouslv out of these places; and, after a long fight the brigade saved them. Both were damaged on tho walls and roofs.

The five houses concerned were owned by Hon. Hamilton Gilmer. All were twostory buildings, and were insured for j£GSO. There was 110 insurance on the Turners' furniture, and none on the belongings of Mesdames Ackroyd and Kellv. Mr. Potts's furniture was covered by 'a policy for .£IOO in the Norwich Union office.

The cause of tho delay in getting sufficient' water pressure is reported to have been the breaking of a servicc pipe. Purine the heavy ram on Friday night the sules of a trench which is being due in Nnirn Street in connection with the layin? of the new eighteen-inch main from Wainui-o-matn, came down. The twelveincli main from Karori reservoir runs alongside the trench, and a one and a half-inch service nipo crossing the trench was exposed. When tho sides of tho trench collapsed this pipe was broken, and was under repair when the fire broke ont. When the five was reported the repairers were ordered to plug the main, so as to facilitate a heavier pressure bein» obtained.