WELLINGTON SPECIAL.

Gisborne Times, Volume VI, Issue 272, 26 November 1901, Page 3

WELLINGTON SPECIAL.

•'Special to Times,

Wellington, last night. This morning s disastrous fire has raised an outcry against imperfect means of escape from hotels and accommodation houses in cases of urgency. Everybody now professes to have known all a.long that the Oriental Hotel, in which to-day s fire started, was little better than a deathtrap, but knowledge after the event is, unfortunately. of no value. Looking on ruins now standing, it seems little short oi a miracle that any of the occupants of the second and third floors of the hotel escaped. There were only two means oi exit —into the street in front, and into the backyard, and that only four accidents occurred among the unfortunate people tvho were compelled to fly for their live* hy toe primitive means provided will remain a wonder for .all time. The Post to-night, in a trenchant article, blames the police and the licensing committee for allowing such a scaur a»ou> state of things to exist. It contends tnat the law should be amended so as to compel the owner of old wooden buildings such as this to pull them down and rebuild in brick. As to fire escapes, if an owner or a licensee cannot afford to put up steel ladders, or some such efficient form of escape as is to be seen at large hotels in Wellington, he should be refused a license, and the house should be closed until someone with the necessary capital can be found to carry it on in a safe and satisfactory manner. In addition to these escapes it would not be too much to insist that in every hotel there should be employed a nightwatchnrm, whose duty it would be at regular intervals through the night to make a tour of the building, and see that all was safe. “Tell-tale clocks should be placed at various parts of the hotel, and on these the nightwatehman would record the fact of his having made his round, and tho time at which he made it.