A CITY FIRE.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1666, 5 February 1913, Page 5

A CITY FIRE.

IN EXPRESS COMPANY'S STORE^I BUILDING PARTLY ftS ALL THE'CONTENTS' DAMAG^E^^j Tho New Zealand Express ' CompanyJfll l : *:;'.;i\;; store, in Edward, ■. Street,' was•pui'^ally;;''(:» ;guttiod by firo last night.' The ; buiidinij- .;:., is situated in the .centre of a -block l)ouiid'>Y •..; eel by Manners Street, Herbert Street, mid>.,v);.'' Edward Street, and onlookers; hadi-yerylvv little jdea of tho serious damago'doh'b'by .;' '■ tho bum, Tho'saino chuiscs. : \yliichj L .i»re-'."i; --"; ; ;. vented curious, people :frbin yiewiiig'--'a' / . 1 - ']);■ good spectacle hampered Firo ' BrU'.v').'', 1 . gadc in th'eir wait, very considerably.■;>•';•,;/;.v At 10.45 tho nlarin was given',', but; res)';;'-,: 7. dents in. the, locality 'etntxd; later ; (hat:; /'.;, they Had smelt fire as early , as; 'JO;'.;. o'clock. The outbreak , niUst, 'inv'fact, .';'/ havo originated quite as, early,- as tl-atr..,.' «■'; for. when the firemen; at length work the fire' had ilfcady gathered; co'ii- ',•>;;';' siderablo strength, 'arid' it, Was hour "before, the brigade had it Beatoli''.*' • out. Then tho water was kept, playing.-; ; ;;;j; on for another liour'.pr thereabouts,;;,- il; extinguish the remaining flames,-' a'nd^io cool tlie burnt debriß-. down -to■ 'a 6lfe;;;' .-'-, temperature/ . ■ .■.-•;. :. ■ ;',' '-' \,!;'^j'',.' v '-: : The Express Company's,prebises ' consist of a largo'brick building in tlirep'.;'V. >' ! storeys,' extending;' from 'Herbert', 1 Street; fy;A to-Edward Street,.'-It-'Was that"scction:'of;-;'f'*i ;thb store,;tho back;portion. abutting ' on;; ;*,:. Edward Street,.:that was damaged.; ■ It v ;.);>;: 'was packed to-tho roof with general nier-'-r:;.; 'chahdiso and furniture, and as a. great',:''- ; -' quantity of-the goods stored on thcitx>p\ ;:>"V' Hat wero alight and burning' strongly .lie- "'„>.-v;; 'fore the brigade 'arrived/ they found;tho,- ■}%.■ 'task'before" theni by 'no 'means''ail cttsy."2-"-. ( 'one. . • ' ~; ~.,■■ ;'■ ■•:l:'^ : :-

.'.As most of tho furniture and other* 'goods'aro'held by tho company on bolialf/J of clients,' it is inipOssiblo'even to esti- : •, mato their value, or the extent of the'; damage. Oh'the top'floor, was'a big 6hip T ■'■'- ;mcut <■ of soft -goodsif6r. Mackie,-' Logan.;:-, Caldwell • and C 0.,; warehousemen, , aji'd.-.v there Was also some furniture being packed, i Some-fluid matter .'on this,iiat, sup- ;; posed to have' been sheep-dip, gave the :, '.firemen a good deal of annoyance. Practically all the contents of this, story, wcrb -i'.! totttlly 'destroyed, "and tho . roof; of„ ,tho. ■■ ■: .building was badly burnod.'Oil.tho.'sccond-.;; ! floor thero ...was,■ nothing.bht,' furniture,'-, uh'd'it'w'ns damaged htoro by water, than, ;, by fire. Tho .bottom floor contained ftu'iu- ' turo'nnd machinery, libnb of which reached by the fire, but all of;which .was/ mado very wet. 1 ., v v'..:':' : ,i. : , -.' ■'-The'front, or, Herbert'.Street'.section':. 'pfl 'thb/istor'e, 'was.' saved from-vae-V igtruction';■■.,by ,'a brick . ,partitioh,' iaiid--' fire-proof -.''dobrs. :.''Scverar:. times', tlio' 'flames';, crept; '.alorig the ,;.'cor- ! rugated Iron-'roof, bitt a liuiely. deluge, of. '■■ 'water'aiwriys checked-them. -.The .saving of tho btlicr. half of ..tho building,;-and;,: 'indeed- of other buildings jn the, block;'; was made 'limre easily: jwssiblo■:by','.tilt)','.•Raininess of the liight.: There-was riot a,breath of.'windii'.-; : -.- ~v . ; -. -\:, t O >•■ ;..■'••*. .'Tlio bdilding was- insured .in the Now.. Zealand-Insurance- Office,- and-tho:ambuiit ~>.. ••of''tho' , ;'ri'sk,''so-, 1 last, night is tC2soo.:,;Mostj of tho-cAn-,.'' tents,' being held, : bn behalf .of clients of 'the eolnpahv,'.are-insured by those clients.);-, 'Poople'-stbringi.'gbbds- With . the,; -Express, ; ; Company',' must, carry :\tl)cir, i i«sur r , ~; Woo,, for. the cbmpany/is'not liablo.fpr':. daihagoby fife.,' Sbnio'.'ownerS, howoyet, 'allow the company to/effect tho ius«l-tfhce< v 'And, to nccdmniodate:such' ch<!utii' r ns: "nsV to- safeguard 'thbmsolves.-.the \coinpauy;' has a floatilig policy Ver- ; tho tontehts of,-; Ui'b 'etere. This 'iloatank risk is held-jiir-r> the Victoria oUtee, and it is believed, that ; 'it covers ■■ most iof v,the' jjoods destroyed.,- ■; It is; ofebunse,-' impossible to,:,say, yet;, Sviiat. .;.-hia'y f 'ho .'recdvcrablby under tho.-;. ' P Viio"l)i ; iga(le Wk'ed A'aliah'tly 'u'lider.tli'b \ -j difficulties'alre'aay.,.ihentiofied.,:,To matters 'worse. for 'tlicni ->'■ section.;xvaa,' to; inVe.s,tigat©*iiiiother..aJarl«r.; but it turned out.to be.a false one;;.'A, 'drunken;inali had broken-aii nidipator_ii>; v "Victoria Street. Twelve,of the fire;pplico:', were oh thesoe'no wider. ■ Cdptalhv WHglitiv Lieuteiiants -,'Ballingef.,,,-Cusaek,-,: Ashbf, arid they hko.did, good.wdrk-i.iV:.. 'contTOlliiig. tho tra'ffii -Mid-;keeping'.the ' -ways' clear.'''.Whilfe:'thc:.fi.ro;was;im,m'o'gress no vehicular traffic, ■ihclUding; that ; of tramcars,,^as:allbwbd;.to pass,throiigli. ■■"Mannors^treet;'-,.-.■,!■:■ '■.''■•;•■.-:'.' ■]''!■'■', ,' '--!•■'■ \ ' ■'';.;:'', HOTEL. DESTROYED/'f ; (By Telegraph.—tress; Association.') -'-■-•' ( '-' . ; ;',.".■-. |hvißrcafgi'lli\i ( <!umry.i.'V ; i'.; : ' !'; Earlv thiS inbrning: a combined: hotel-,; and refreshment rooms, belonging to, Mr.; ; Gebrgo Fbster, ■ at Thbrnbury,, wero.,cOM- , plctcly gutted- by. ;firo.- v ;.Tho, Wilding IS ■ situated at.tho tlie Otnutau, and Rivcrfoii railway lii\cs, : hi\d.is :Unmv., suwd; Mr:; PbsWrJs loss-will-to'hcavyt!.^