TERRIFIC CONFLAGRATION AT AUCKLAND.

Evening Star, Issue 3297, 13 September 1873, Page 3

TERRIFIC CONFLAGRATION AT AUCKLAND.

FIFTY-EIGHT HOUSES BLENT TO THE GROUND. NEABLY HALF THE WEsT SIDE OF QUEEN STREET IN ASHES. (From the Star Extra, September 8.) Fire ! wind ! and no water ! The great calamity we are called upon to chronicle this morning is unparalleled in the history of Auckland. In the short space of two hours and a-half— that is to say, between a quarter to twelve on Saturday night to halfpast two on Sunday morning—nearly half the west side of Queen street was reduced to ashes.

At a few minutes before twelve on Saturday night, when the streets had just been cleared by the police of the Saturday night out scourings of the public-heuses ; some time after the respectable portion of our inhabitants had gone to their homes ; when the broad thoroughfare of Queen street had completed its nightly change from “the busy hum, the throng of men,” to its midnight appearance of solitude and desertednes* ; when scarcely anything was to be seen or heard in the clouded moonlight but the roaring of the jj.E. wind and the clouds of dust borne on the air—the fearful cry of “Fire” was heard, followed by the clanging of the bells, bearing their noisy witness to its truth. U early every one on hearing these indications of a conflagration ejaculated the one expression —“ a fire! and such a night!’ And well they might, for the wind was blowing a perfect gale from the N. E., and it was morally certain that any fire once getting a strong hold would spread destruction far and wide. The fire first originated in the house of Mrs Fowley, milliner and dressmaker. It was first discovered by a shopman named Plante, in the employ of Mr Smith, draper, who was purchasing some provisions at the shop of M r Fairey, grocer, next door. The first warning given was a smell of burning. The shopman detecting this ran at once to Mrs Powley’s establishment, which was closed, its proprietress, who resides in Wakefield street, having retired with her husband to their home some time before, leaving no one in charge. At first smoke and then flames were seen issuing from the building, which was, like all the adjacent premises, of wood. An entrance was quickly forced, and the alarm raised. For some minutes the explorer was unable to ascertain the position of the fire. It was then found to be in the room outside the shop. By this time the bells were ringing out loudly, and the flames, which had merely been irritated to greater violence by the few pailfuls of water thrown upon them, had now burst forth with uncontrollable fury from the roofs of Powley’s and Jamieson’s premises, and there appeared already hut faint hopes of confining their ravages. The shop of Mrs Mathieson, confectioner, was the next to succumb to the devouring element. Only a portion of the stock had here been cleared out, owing to the rapid progress made by the fire, which in about fifteen minutes had now sealed the fate of three entire buildings. The scene in she streeet was now a most extraordinary pne. The which seemed to increase in fqrqe, fanped fhe glpwing flames to an intense and reflected a lurid glare far qnd wide. Showers of brilliant and scintillating sparks filled the air, and were carried to a distance of several hundred yards, threatening new destruction. Up and down the street on each side of the burning mass Were hundreds of persons frantically engaged in removing their property from the adjoining houses, which it was most palpable were doomed- Here might he seeu numbers busily throwing from upper windows furniture of every description, irrespective of its fragile nature, fots, pans, basins, and even looking-glasses were shot indiscriminately ipto the street. Put it was a case of Scylla pnd Cfiarybd’s—'they escaped the fire, but brpke in pieces fropa the fall. Others were popducting their forced exodus with a certain pmount of These, however, fared but slightly better than their more impetuous neighbors, for the rapid spread of the flames |eft little time for plans or deliberation. On the opposite side of the street the intense heat rendered an outbreak there by no means improbable, and various were the expedients resorted to as preventives. At thp windows, on which the red glow played with flickering gleams. °$ fae verandahs appeared men apd wptnen with buckets and jugs which they used indpstriously to keep the parts of the buildings saturated with water. The atreams which ran off fell copiously among the furniture apd shop wares, which lay in piled confusion underneath, as well as on the heads of the respective workers, who however had no leisure to attend to so small a matter. It was now ten minutes past twelve, and the anxiously expected cry was at length raised “ The engines, the engines 1” They came up at a gallop, scattering the people right and left. Superintendents Asher and Matthews, with their respective brigades, arrived within a few minutes of one another, and did all that lay in their power to do, but engines are of very little use without water. It was a long time before a supply of this could be obtained. When at length the hose was at-

tached to the mains, the flames had obtained such mastery that it seemed ridiculous to direct the puny jets against them. At 12.15 in addition to the raid the flames had made ori the houses to leeward, they had spread in the opposite direction, and were now enveloping in their fiery embrace the business premises of Mr Fairey, grocer, Seymour, greengrocer, an empty house next door, and Caiman’s boot and shoe-making warehouse. On the other side the flying sparks and flakes had kindled Webb’s buildim.’s in Wellesley street east, where 0. (jrhiloui and Co, had a few hours before opened their waxworks exhibition. The buildings were quickly levelled to the and the flames continuing their course of destruction, which now took three directions ■—north and south and west proceed-d to wreak their fury on the houses higher up the hill. These belonged to Mr Wall; Posseniakie. tailor; Muir, grocer; Francis, tinsmith ; Black, shoemaker ; Eobinson, shoemaker ; Mr Wallis, and others. In a northern direction down Queen street, the Central Hotel, Meumegen’s pawnbroker’s shop, and Schwartz the watchmaker’s were now added to the devoted list; while to the south the premises of Broad, the locksmith ; Grey, confectioner; and Blair and Lambert’s, grocers, were blazing fast and furiously. Meantime the excitement became greater and greater. The crowd in the streets now amounted to five thousand persons. Three times did the blazing flakes set fire to the shingled roofs of houses at the corner of Cook and Albert streets, and every time did watchful eyes detect the danger, and avert it by their timely interference. At half-past twelve the United Service .Hotel completed the extension of the flames southward to the end of the block in which the fire broke out. Here it was hoped it would be stayed in its progress by the intervention of Wellesley street. For half-an-hour the excitement here was intense. It was seen that if the opposite premises occupied by Morris Marks, pawnbroker, and Mr Bartlett, photographer, ignited, nothing could possible save the long block extending from Wellesley street to the Anchor Hotel and the new market, containing the business establishments of some of our first-class tradesmen. Strenuous efforts weve made to prevent this tremendous addition to the already fearful havoc caused by the powerful element. One of the engines was brought round to this spot, and streams of water poured by the firemen upon the- threatened buildings. But the hotel burnt with a fury that seemed to foretell the uselessness of their efforts. Long and sturdily the unequal fight was sustained, —long enough to enable much valuable property to be saved. But a diabolical intelligence seemed to animate the flames. Beaten back in their straightforward attack, they adopted the example of good generals in the field, and turned the flank of their At 1 a.m. a deep roar, half groan, and half execration from the crowds whose attention was concentrated on this exciting scene, told that Ooupland’s hay store in the rear of the premises had caught tire from a descending spark, and was bursting into flame’. Not yet, however, did the firemen give up all hope. The flames were now in full possession of tb* disputed ground, and further efforts to restrain them were unavailing. At the lower end efforts had been made to check the conflagration by pulling down one of the houses between Neumegen’s and the Thistle Hotel. The means however were not sufficiently effective to allow of any barrier gap being interposed between the flames and the untouched premises. Currie’s (blacksmith) shop went first after Neumegen’s ; then followed in slow though sure succession Young, the buicher’s, and Smith’s greengrocery store Vnd now the question was asked—will Whitson’s brewery go ? At half-past one the scene viewed from the high ground in Elliott street was most imposing. The whole extent of the ravages of the fire conld be taken in at a glance. The lower ground looking towards Queen street to the extent of some six or eight acres was a glowing mass of fiery embers, flanked at each end by the still spreading flames, which had now reached the Thistle Hotel on the one hand, and nearly to the Anchor Hotel on the other. In the middle towered the brewery, and away beyond, the lurid fronts of the houses of the east side of Queen street. An element of the ludicrous was introduced by the light of the flames shewing men and even women sitting perched up on the roofs of the houses over which the sparks were flying. But our tale of destruction is not yet complete. From the time of the ineffectual attempt to confine the conflagration to the north side of Wellesley street, it was palpable that the whole block must go, and, as far as possible, the buildings were gutted of their contents. But an exception to this was the Anchor Hotel. For some reason nothing was allowed to be removed from this establishment up to witnin a few minutes of its contact with the flames. At last its turn came (about 2a. m.) The sight ; as surveyed from the base of Wakefield street, was indescribably grans, Now was the critical moment. Lendrum’s livery stables stood between the notel and the new market. The danger now was that the flames from these would set fire to the market. For full ten minutes while the hotel and stables were burning, the fate of the newly erected building was in the balance. On the other end by this time the Thistle Hotel was reduced to ashes, and the gap here formed by the site of the Old Market Place prevented the further progress of the fire. From the, outbreak to the time of the last building taking fire was not more than two hours and a quarter. In that space of time, no less than fifty-eight houses, comprising property to the extent of L 60,000, were destroyed.