FIRE IN CUMBERLAND STREET.

Evening Star, Issue 3367, 4 December 1873, Page 2

FIRE IN CUMBERLAND STREET.

A lire broke out a little before four o’clock this morning in a store-room attached to M'Leod Brothers’ soap factory. Cumberland street, aud resulted in the destruction of the building in a very abort time. A nightman named Keats was the first to discover the fire. H,e passed the premises at 3.35. hilt did not notice anything unusual about the place j yvhep lie again passed, ten minutes later, he found tpe gpeff U P lire. He immediately gave the ajarm by ffi,eking at the house of Mr MVeod, ouo of the firm, whose cottage faces the street, aud is only a few feet distant from the locals of the fire. One of the earliest persona ou the spot was Fireman Davis, in the Water Company’s service, and he bad the plug ready for the hose w-hen it arrived A little delay w# s paused by a hurst, but it was not long before two strong branches Avere playing, aud the Brigade then made short Av°l’k.of it. At the end of the shed was jthe soap factory itself, and pn the Ayestern side was Wilson’s iron f.aptmy, bpt the brick wall of the latter prevented the flames spreading ip that direction, and they never reached the factory at all- It was fortunate that it Avas so soon got under, as, if a quantity of tallow in the shod had ignited, it would have been hard to say how far the tire Avould have spread. Mr M‘Leod expresses the opinion that the tire Avas caused through the forge tire in the foundry adjoining. After the fire Avas extinguished, Robert Wilson, a moulder, got into the foundry, and b.e states that no signs of flames in the forge w.epe observable. Messrs M'Leod arc insured in thp Np>y Zealand Company’s office for L 1,500, which amount fully covers their loss..