A SERIOUS LOSS.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXIII, Issue 1914, 25 October 1906, Page 3

A SERIOUS LOSS.

OVER £SOOO DAMAGE THROUGH CARELESSNESS.

PRESS ASSOCIATION "Wellington, la-t night. The sequel to the turning on and off of the water service during the fires of the past day or so has had a disastrous effect for Messrs Hannah and Company, large boot manufacturers, of Wellington. It appears that some time yesterday an employee on the top flat of the factory in Lambton Quay endeavoured to get water from a tap, but found the supply cut off. Apparently he did not shut off the tap again, with the result that when the water supply was turned on last night tho whole of the four storey’s of tho premises were flooded An immense amount of damage was done both to imported and locally manufactured stock, as well as to unmanufactured material and machinery, il Hannah and Co. hold stock valued at amount of damage is fixed at £SOOO, and the head of the firm believes it will be neater £7OOO. HLater. — The flood which occurred at j annah’s boot factory last evening did amage to the stock and materials to the extent of between £SOOO and £6OOO Yesterday the water supply of the city was turned off, owing to the break in the water mains, and an employee of Hannah’s left turned on a tap in the top story of a five-story building. After the factory hands left the water supply was turned on in the mains, and the tap, an inch in diameter, had a free and uninterrupted flow of about 12 hours. The result was that the build ng was deluged from the top to the ground floor, and a large portion of the stock completely soaked. There was £55,000 worth of stock in the building, besides machinery. The insurance risk does not cover the damage, and the firm has to bear the whole of the loss. The premises of the Economic drapery establishment (Messrs George and Kersley) were also flooded in the same way as Hannah’s. The damage is about £SOO.