MYSTERIOUS FIRES IN CAMP

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2849, 14 August 1916, Page 6

MYSTERIOUS FIRES IN CAMP

TWO SUNDAY SENSATIONS AT

TRENTIIAM

MORNING AND AFTERNOON

GOOD SAVE BY CAMP POLICE

Trenthani Camp was the scene of two. outbreaks of fire yesterday, one occurring during tho forenoon in the paint-siiop. It made a clean sweep of that and other stores, as well as guttins t;he officers' mess. The second outbreak, which took place about two o'clock in the afternoon, was in the bin supply store, one half of which was completely destroyed with its contents. The buildings in which the fires occurred are about thirty yards distant from one another, and there is a camp rnad and railway crossing between them. Up till last night nothing had been discovered as to what caused the fires. Bugler Gives Alarm. At half-past eleven a headquarters bugler sounded tho call, giving the alarm of fire. Almost at the same instant flames and heavy black smoke burst from the roof and sides of the paint-shop, which was of galvanised iron, with a roof of tho same material laid on felting and wooden sarking. It happened that when the alarm was sounded the assistant-camp adjutant, Lieutenant Luckham, came out of headquarters. Ho at once seized a fire-extinguisher, and dashed down the street to the'fire. In using tho extinguisher, the smoke from the paint and oils almost overcame him, and it was some timo before he fully recovered. Tho Camp Police, who aro trained fire-fighters, were no less prompt in running out tho manual fireengine and pumping water from an underground cistern, provided for such an emergency, on to the flames. With only one jet, good though tho pressure was, it was impossible to extinguish the blazing paints and oils. The flames' spread with, amazing rapidity along the felting and sarking of tho roof, and tho box t store and saddler's shop wore soon enveloped. . The best, that could l>e dono was ,to isolate tho block the firo was in, and this tho police succeeded. in doing, though the camp staff officers' mess and most of the contents were burnt. The latter loss will have to bo borno by the .staff officers. Thero was no wind at the time, and tho spioke rose in a straight column, with scarcely any sparks from the firo. This fact was considered important in view of tho second outbreak in another part of tho camp, about an houi after the first blaxe had been got under control. The Second Alarm. Tho second alarm of fire was sounded by the bugler about 2 o'clock. Instead of the single call, which was given, ill tho first outbreak, the bugle sounded tho stirring notes again and again, and thero was an urgent ring •about them, which brought officers and n.c.o.'s and men hurrying from all quarters. The firo was in the supply store, a largo and lofty building adjoining the camp railway siding, and having a roofed shelter, similar to those of railway goods sheds, for unloading goods under cover. As in tho case of tho paint store, tho flames and smoke literally hurst through the roof and walls. Men who had passed the place a few minutes previously were astounded, on turning to tho alarm, to see the flames and smoke pouring out of the western end of the big shed.

At this end, chaff, straw, and other forage were stored. The building was divided by a partition— part of which still remains—and in tho eastern half clothing and other soldiers' equipment <wero stored. This half and practically all tho valuable contents, were saved, a fact which reflects great credit on the herculean efforts mado by the camp police with their limited manual engine and equipment. A light southerly wind had come up, which made tlio fire-fighters' task more difficult, and threatened a number of smaller' offices and stores near at hand. But these were saved. Some railway wagons standing under the awning were pushed clear by men acting under the orders of the Camp' Commandant, Lieut.-Colonol H. R. Potter, as soon as the fire was discovered. Colonel C M. Gibbon, Chief of Staff, who had motored to the camp on receiving news of the' first outbreak, had scarcely returned to his homo before he received word that the second fire had taken place. He again motored to the camp. Burning Debris. A Dominion reporter arrived at tho camp shortly aftor the second fire : occurred. Heavy smoke was yet rising from the debris of the first fire. That portion of tho supply storo that had been saved was smoking and smouldering at the end. Where the fodder had been was a blazing, glowing mass, sur-. rounded by the fire-blackened skeletons of beams, posts, and rafters. The camp police, some of them wet through, wero plying the water with good effect. Now Rud again a beam would fall upon the smouldering heaps beneath, sending sparks and flames higher again. On the line a little distance away stood the railway stock that had been moved by man-power; and leading down a street and round a corner ran the hose that was being loaded to its full .capacity by tho clanking manual engine. Tho engtne-beams that work the pumps had room for ten men to work on each side of the machine. Standing above the underground cistern, the little, red-painted engine rocked on its wheels to the hearty lift and dip given by twenty sol. diers, who worked at top pressure Near at hand were many squads of ten men each waiting to take their turn, or resting after a strenuous spurt. In all probability no manual-fire-engine ever achieved so much aa diy the Trentham engine yesterday, and the credit for the splendid pressure of water available must go to thu volunteers in khaki, who made the pump-beams jump. An Empty Gamp. It happened that Trentham Camp was almost empty of soldiers when the fires took place. In accordance with the suggestion of Surgeon-General Henderson, Director-General of Medical Services, to give tho camp a week's rest for fumigation purposes, the Nineteenth Infantry Reinforcements left Trentham yesterday, the first trains leaving for Featherston at 6.30 a.m. As a consequence only the Sixteenth Infantry were in camp, apart from tho Engineers, the officers, and n.c.o.'s of future drafts, and the headquarters' staff. Tho number of visitors from the city was smaller, too, and this was a fortunate circumstance, as it was not advisablo for any civilians to be admitted while the fires were still a menace to tho camp. Those whoso soldier friends were under canvas, near Herctaunga station, wero able to soo them, but the friends of soldiers in tho nain camp wero not so' fortunate, except in a few instances when the soldier was free to come to the gates and talk to them.

Valuable Equipment.

The saving of one-halt of the Supply Sforo and its contents was considered {0 be a good piece of work. TIIO clothes and equipment were stacked in raclCs reaching to the lofty roof, and re])resented the outfits of many hundreds of'mcn. Colonel Potter centred liis efforts on saving tlicso, and though

aomo wero soaked with water, nono wore burßcd. The partition between tho two parts of the store looked liko a trellis after the fire. The flames had nearly, oaten a way for themselves ere ftley were clieckcd. In his efforts in lighting the two iires, C'olonef Potter was ably assisted by the Camp Adjutant, Captain W. M. Hell, the Camp Quartermaster-Major Mounscy, and the other camp officers.