LATER PARTICULARS.

Feilding Star, Volume VIII, Issue 100, 1 March 1887, Page 2

LATER PARTICULARS.

. . Wellington, February 28. The water pressure at the outset was 3.01b8 iwhich afterwards i improved to 60lbs and increased to 901 bs. The Fire Brigade numbered 28.

The services of the Nelson's men are to be suitably reognised. Relations between them and the Brigade were attained < at times, v

The Blue jackets went to work in their, owu' peculiarly free and easystyle. Once qn the roof they scornfully, discarded boots, and were afterwards to be seen travelling about the house tops iii bare feet, apparently enjoying .themselves hugely. A : feafc performed by -one of the midshipmen and two very able seamen, deserves mention. They, were the first to scale the wall, and wheu they: reached the top of the ladder, they : found . that that they were fully s.ix feet from the guttering. Xii undersized • seaman, with .indications, of : an . abnormal, development of muscle, produced an axe, caught the guttering with the blado, and then calmly clambered up, followed in methodical fashion .by the Bther two, , . ; ■ '

During the time when the fire was at its hottest, some lengths of hose were required ' at Parker and Co. 's. Cjaptain Hamilton stood at the corner and gave a signal' with his hands. The message was taken up where the sailors were 'working' At the -pumps at the end of the street, and in a minute or two all s the 1 required material was available. ' Discipline- with a vengeance!

One result of the ■ fire ' will be to deprive a large number of people of employment. About a huudred persons were employed in Messrs Thomp- 1 son and Shannon's factory; t»nd it will no doubt be, some time before they are started agftin. A number of iihe machines were saved from the factory, but it will be impossible to start work again at oiice. ' ; ... ' A house in Btite »treet, owned by Mr Mousson, was also destroyed rby fire on Saturday night. ' '^ A case of attempted incendiarism was reported on Sunday. Some shavings in a boardinghouse at Customhouse . Quay £ were; found on fire. Earlier in the day a fire was also discovered in same building. Amongst the property burned in Kennedy Macdonald's were a vast quantity of plans, of Wellington and .. nearly every town in the colony, besides a large collection of manuscript, bearing oh the history of the place, which Mr Macdouald has been assiduously collecting for sixteen years. These were not insured, as no insurance oould be obtained on them, and : they cannot be. replaced. Mr Maginnity had just taken -in a quantity of champagne and other goods,' ' instead ; of bonding them. A small quantity 4 * of salvage is being recovered from his store, the ruins of which- are still smouldering vigorously, and the hose has been kept' almost incessantly playing on them. ■• .

Thumsou and Shannon's exact insurance was £ 32j 750 on the stock, and £6100 on the buil ing. Taking this into account, Mr Shannon estimates that the loss will not be very considerable. A portion of the insurance is in English offices, and will swell the the total amount already recorded to ' probably £70,000. The following insurances are to be added to the list already sent — Norwich Union £2000, Royal £2500, In the list already sent reduce therein Phoeaix to £33,000, and the Sun to £1900, the total will then be" £62,850. > it is now considered that; the .looses may be put down at £50,000 beyond the insurances. ■ • . ' . . J : ; This'Day. The loss in the buildings alone, by the fire, is £21,000.