THE STAFFORD STREET FIRE.
A fire broke out at twenty minutes past eleven o’clock last night iu Mr G. F. Reid’s store, Stafford street j the building being a two-storey one, the upper part occupied as a warehouse for the Mosgiel Woollen Factory’s goods. Mr Beid had left the premises, in comp my with Mr Morrison, of the Factory Company, at about five o’clock, and Robert ■'■immo aud Peter Thomson, clerks in Mr eid’s employment, remained at work till about half-past nine At that time a friend of Thomson’s called for him, and the three left the store together, a fire which had been burning in the office grate being very low and almost out. The outbreak of fire was first noticed by Mr Lyons, jun., of the Union Hotel, and some men who were in the bar, the glare of the flames being visible through the large windows of , the store. Mr Lyons ; immediately gave the alarm at the Fire Brigade fetation, and the members were quickly on the spot, and had two or three lengths of hose playing upon the building, through the front of which the fire had now burst. The fire had also been noticed by Albert Byford, night watchman at Cobb and Co ’s, who turned the horses loose, in case of it spreading up the street. There was a large stock of inflimmable goods in Mr Reid’s store, and the flame soon got a strong hold in the centra of the building, for a long time resisting all the efforts of the Brigade to master it. Their power, however, was continually being reinforced by getting additional hose to bear on the burning mass, the reel from the King street station arriving about half-an-hour after the alarm being given, and a length was carried over the roof of a small draper’s shop in Princes street, and others from the ; >ack of the store. These did good service by restraining the flames from spreading to the backs of the corner buildings, and those facing Princes street. After nearly an hour’s hard struggle, the fierce glow began to sub side, and the tire was evidently under the control of the Brigade, who deserve great praise for the energetic manner in which they worked. The large crowd that assembled was very well behaved, but seemed rather chary of assisting the firemen to run the reels up the street, though ofteu appealed to. At one o’clock, all danger of the tire spreading was at an end; but the pile of burning goods was a long time in being entirely extinguished. Soon after the first signs of fir-, Hudson, the storeman, who knew there wa a keg of powder inside, went m and earned it safely out. There were also 100 cases of kerosene in the store. There is a brick wall between it and the adjoining premises (occupied by Messrs Houghton and Co.), but che fire caught the roof of the latter, and a considerable amount of damage was done in it. The insurances are as follows :—Mr tteid: Building, Lsoo—Norwich Union; stock and fixtures, Ll,ooo—South British ; stock, Lsoo—lMew Zealand ; stock, Lsoo— istimates his loss at nearly L 6,000. Mos4el Woollen Factory Go : Stock, L2,0u0 - 'lew Zealand ; stock, LI,OOO South British; in all L 3,000, estimated loss LI,OOO. vlessrs Houghton’s building, belonging to the trustees of Mrs Brown: Lsoo—South British.
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Evening Star, Issue 3526, 11 June 1874, Page 2
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561THE STAFFORD STREET FIRE. Evening Star, Issue 3526, 11 June 1874, Page 2
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