VILLAGE ON FIRE.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1725, 16 April 1913, Page 10

VILLAGE ON FIRE.

HOMELESS FAMILIES. REFUGE IN CHAPEL AND WORK;. HOUSE. Twenty-nine lioa?es were burnt down and twenty-fivo families rendered homeless by ft firo oil Monday afternoon (March 3), which nearly obliterated'a largo portion, of fsiva.'e£ey, a Cambridgeshire village, with less than a thousand inhabitants, neair St. Ives. The firo broke out shortly after two . o'clock in a pair of cottages' known ne Amen Corner, occupied by families named Hcpher and Eryne. Mr. Heplier, returning home, noticed that suioko was coming from tho roof. Ho rau upstairs, but could find no trace of fire. By tho time ho got outdoors again tho roof'wns in flames. Tlio inhabitants of both cottages barely had time to escape, and Only n few of the most valued picces of furcituro could la removed. Tho wind increased in force, and soon other cottages' and buildings were ignited. Villagers hurried iu from the fields to endeavour to copo with tho fire. Tlie small fire engine proved of littlo use, for the cottages for Iho most part were very old and fell a ready prey to tho flames. Within half an hour eight buildings were ablaze, and then tho flumes spread across tho street to a little cottage which was occupied by an old nian named Rocklifl'o, with his invalid wife. Willing, helpers succeeded in getting Rocklift'o and his wife out of the building, but. the of their savings, which they had kept in the house, were lost in the fire.; Soon a batch of farm buildings was in flames, and a cycle shop-rtho .proprietor of which was in London—was burnt down. Four'empty houses which had-been condemned were'among tha .buildings demolished. A butcher's "destroyed, and tho cottage of an <>lu policp. pensioner was burnt to the ground.- Meanwhile the fire bjrigado from St. Ives jirrive'd with their engine, and they were followed by a steamer and a. manual engine from Huntirgdon. Within two •hours twenty-five inhabited houses and four uninhabited houses were burnt out. The work of rescuing the occupants and their goods was carried on at'great rislc by villagers, farm labourers, and people who came from the surrounding district in response to messages for .assistance. A carrier who was at' St. Ives market received an urgent message to return home. When he i cached- Swavesey ho found that his cottago had been burnt down. Tho end of the village street -winch had been swept by the firo was littoied with articles of furniture and beds winch 'had been thrown' indiscriminately into tho roadway or over hedges,'while cherished ornainents were scattered everywhere." Nevertheless, out of the contents of the whole of tlio cottages not iC2O worth of 'goods was saved' from destruction, . ■ About seventy people were rendered homeless. Many of 'them wero accommodated in the little Primitive Methodist and Baptist Chapals. Others wero sheltered bv neighbours, and four of 'tho oldest people, including one or two who aw over. 70, were taken to St. Ives workliouse. ■ The self-sacrifice of the more fortunate villagers,4'as striking. Many galvo up their' balding to tho sufferers, and sent meals to. them at flio schools, while tho vicar, of tlio parish' supplied food to a number of the victims at tlio-vicarage. One old man, refused' for some titue to leave his cottage, although tlie flames had already attacked the roof ' Ho said ho had i 10s. Gd. there which ho had' saved to pay his rent. A relief fund Ims been opened in the ! village for the homeless families. . The fire engine which failed to render ■ anv help at tho firo was purchased by' the i village in 1827, and even then was second--1 hand. ,