OLD LANDMARK TO GO

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 2946, 5 December 1916, Page 5

OLD LANDMARK TO GO

MANNERS STREET FIRE STATION RIVAL BRICADES OF THE PAST. During tho nest few days Mr. John *lookton is to vacate-tho premises tormorly known as the Manners Street i'lre Brigade Station (where he has court- tr *!}? business for some years), .lYhich will bo the prelude to the disappearance of a building that haß stood lor nearly half a century in the central part of Wellington, formerly more generally known as Te Aro. When 1 this structure was .erected it was considered to bo the last word in fire-bri-B»do stations, and was an architectural triumph of u hich the whole of Wellington were proud. Its lofty look-out tower dominated the whole of Te Aro flat, and from'the-glazed eyrie the watchman, whose duty it was to keep & bright look-out all round throughout the night hours, was the guardian of the city from the. arch devourer—fire. , uhab the old building was a fine station, according to the ideas which then prevailed,- shows what great advances navo been made in the business of lire-suppression: In those days it was necessary to keep a look-out, because there were no telephones,' and, of course, no electrical street alarms These aids to safety are but of yesterday. It was tho watchman, knowing the "lay" of the ordinary lights of tho city, who could detect any strange light or reflection, and having done so, it was his duty to ring the bell for a few; seconds continuously, and then by means of distinct gongs, indicate in which .ward the fire was raging— Thorndon,' To Aro, Cook Ward, or .Newtown. ;The plant, too, that, was i ■ used would not serve tho city to-day. v There were a couple of reels, whioh v were as often as not run out by the , on foot, and a manual ' « - .engine that was horsenJrawn, for their was no elaborate high-pressure water Supply then, and the water that was t wured on to the burning building had •.'•;' fo.be pumpedby man-power from the Nearest supply available,. which might i ;nave_ been the sea (nearer to the residential portion of the town then, -as , . Jittle reclamation work had been acifomplished), a neighbour's well, or an ppen; ditch. In those days firemen ; 'had to work hard. .Those who havo ■ 'taken, a spell at a manual engine will . '.know that "picking up_ water" is no .' easy task, particularly if it came dux- .■' ing the night after a. hard day's work. _ In the late sixty's and the seventies • ; (Wellington had the' benefit of the ser- ._■■■-'■ vces: of two fire brigades, between whom existed the bitterest rivalry, a condition of things that can only compel laughter now, but which was a concern of the keenest interest to the majority of the residents, who were almost divided 1 into factions according to the brigade with which their sympathies lay. One, the writer, has been; informed,-' the oldest was the Wellington Fire Brigade, which was responsible for the erection of the : building'now to be razed to the ground, : and the other was the Central Fire Brigade, which had a station in Grey Street, next to Gibson's the ironmongers, on the corner of Featierston and Grey Street, (now the G.P.0.),. and ■which subsequently built; itself a station in Brandon Street (now Brice's restaurant). Captain Whiteford had oharge of the Wellington, and Mr. kewis Moss the Central,: : Brigade.. When an alarm was given there was always a;race between the two brigades as to who would get to the scene first and "get the, water," whilst at the first stroke of. tho firebell.it was customary for all .Wellington to wake up and "see the fun," for the rivalry between the two brigades wa6 as exciting as-horse-racing,'with none of ; its risks.. ' - One or the other having "secured the water," both brigades worked honestly, in; fighting the flames, 'and if a member of one brigade'did accidentally train the water on to a rival, it was all in the game. ' Most of those who were members of those fire-fighting forces have passed to the Great Beyond. Among the members of the Central Brigade were the late Mr. F. Cohen, while Mr. Asher . Asher, of Vivian Street, was messenger, and Mr. James Ames (City Valuer) was treasurer. Names connected with the Wellington Brigade were Messrs. Thorn-1 , as Ballingor and Woolcott, still residents of Wellington. It-will'not be without mingled feelings of regret that some of the old residents will see the .-.).. ancient Fire Brigade Station in Manners Street less than the dust/