THE CANTERBURY HALL FIRE

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 42, 13 November 1917, Page 7

THE CANTERBURY HALL FIRE

BUILDINGS IN RUINS

f AMOUNT OF THE INSURANCES

By? Telegraph.—Press Association

Christchurch, November 12. ' The fire at 'Canterbury Hall was disfcbvered at half-past 8 o'clock last n:ght in tho roof of His Alajesty's Theatre. It had ft good hold when tho brigade ar- : rived, and by .11 o'clock tho wholo of the j Canterbury Hall block was completely gutted. Tho building was erected in 1900,. over | a 'million-bricks being used in its construction, and was first used for the Jubilee Industrial Exhibition in that year. It included tho main hall long known as Canterbury Hall, but lnttcrly Ins His Majesty's Theatre, besides two 'smaller ones—tho Victoria and Alexandra . Hails—and these are now ruins, the only part to escape total destruction being th 6 front ground iloor of the building, mainly occupied by entrance halls and email-pfHccs. Part of the building, was used as offices for the Canterbury Agricultural and Pastoral Association. The •contents and safo were removed, with all the association's records nnd a number of valuable cups. . Nothing was saved from the committee room, and the chief less there was tho library aud a valuable series of framed photographs of past presidents.. . ■ ■ The main hall of the building had a special interest for the citizens, as it iis-aJ to shelter the great electric organ presented to the city by the Government, ■ mainly through the efforts of tho late •Eight Hon. It. J. Seddon, and when installed was the second largest of its class jn the world. It was purchased in England for tho International Exhibition held at Hagley Park in 1906, afterwards being installed in the building just destroyed. The organ was valued by tho ■ City Council at about .£6OOO, and was insured for .£3750. ■ The Canterbury Hall block of buildings was twice offered to the citizens for the purposes of a Town Hall, but on each occasion the ratepayers at- a poll refused * their consent to' the purchase. For several years His -Majesty's Tiiea■tre had been used for Hayward's Pictures, but on the defeat Of the proposal for the purchase by tho city at the beginning of this year it was leased by Fullers' for ten. years, since .being used •as a vaudeville theatre. _ The origin of the fire is a mystery, but the caretaker, who -was all round the building' in the afternoon, inclines to the belief that it started upstairs or ; in the roof. ._ _ The fire presented great difficulties. for the Eiro Brigade, tho building being of great width with, only narrow passages round. A breeze was blowing at tho time, and carried! sparks into other buildings in the vicinity, several minor outbreaks being only caught in time. The insurances are:—Canterbury Hall, .£12,000, including .£IOOO on the company's furniture. ; This is divided as follows: North British Mercantile, .£4000; Liverpool, London, and Globe, >03000; British Dominions, Victoria, Imperial, New Zealand, and Union, £1000 each. •It is probable that Fullers were separately insured, but the amount is not 'available. The Tent of the building was a little over .£2400 a year, and the company was assured fully for tho rent in the National office, Brigade Hampered by Shortage of Experienced Men. Warner thinks the Government should give earnest consideration to the question of exemption from military servioo ofl the firemen in the cuief centres. The brigade was hampered in its work- at last night's fire by . ;want of experienced firemen; The. question of the purchase _of the Canterbury Hall site by the city has been revived already, some citizens expressing themselves as favourable to the idea of securing it as a Town Hall site. The matter was mentioned to the Mayor, ■who expressed the opinion that. it was us yec premature to discuss the proposal. ■The site was not under offer, and it was not known yet what the Fuller Propriety, .intended to do. •;