Disastrous Fire at Hawera.

Feilding Star, Volume XVII, Issue 53, 30 August 1895, Page 2

Disastrous Fire at Hawera.

MESSRS CAVERHILL and TURNER BURNT TO DEATH. L..RGE NUMBER OF BUILDINGS BURNT. STAR OFFICE, POST OFFICE AND COURT HOUSE DESTROYED. TWO HOTELS ALSO BURNT. DAMAGE ESTIMATED AT £40,000. (Per Press Association.) Haweua, This Day, A terrible fire broke out last evening In C. Smith's drapery shop and spread to the Egmont Hotel so rapidly that all the boarders had not time to escape.^ Mr Caverhill, Secretary of the Waitara Freezing Works, aud Mr Turner, au architect a_d carpenter, being burnt to death. The fire spread to Mnnro's, seedsman ; Scott's, stationer: Kemp, Cohen and Cumming, drapers ; Lowin, hairdresser, and Caplon's solicitor, in Princess street, where it was stopped by a concrete wall. In the other direction it spread to the Commercial Hotel ; Wilson, Commission agent ; Newsham's billiard room ; Purcer, hairdresser ; Parringtou, wive aud spirit merchant ; the new post office and court house ; Laber's stables ; and Hawera Star office, all of which were totally destroyed. There was a north-west gale blowing at the time. The centre of the town is cleared out. Later. A further telegram from Hawera states both sides of Princess street and half of High street" were destroyed, including Egmont and Commercial Hotels, Loan and Mercantile office, aud eleven other premises, including the new post office, Court house, and buildings adjoin _g the the Bank of New Zealand. The damage is estimated at £40,000. The postmaster saved a part of the telegraph instruments, but about five chains of poles and wires were destroyed, and will take two days to repair._ _ Wellington, This Day. Messages received by the Secretary of the post office report an alarming fire at 1 a.m. The postmaster there telegraphed tbat the Egmont Hotel, Commercial Hotel, and several other places are on fire at Hawera. At 934 the postmaster at Wanganui -wired that the postmaster at Hawera reports the vow Post Office, Court House aud 14 other buildings were buruel down. [Mr W. Caverhill, who was burned to death iv the Hawera fire, leaves behind him a wife and two young children. He was a cousin to Mr Templer, of Cheltenham .J