CONFLAGRATION AT WELLINGTON.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXVI, Issue 2154, 1 April 1908, Page 1

CONFLAGRATION AT WELLINGTON.

SEVEN PREMISES DESTROYED.

DAMAGE EQUALS £5,000.

(Per Press Association.) WELLINGTON, March 31. A tiro broke out last evening in the Puketapu Sawmill Company’s promises, situated between Victoria street and iCourtonay .Place. A stiflish north-easterly wind .was blowing at the time, which quickly fanned the flames, and caused the fire to spread diagonally across towards the front street of Courtney Place, and the inllanunable material in the timber yard was quickly consumed. Thun the lire swept into Courtney Place, and guttered a two-storey brick l raiding owned by T. Young, containing on the ground lloor three shops. U.io oi these was occupied by Kirkuatriclc, grocer, one by Tester, hair.lrasscr and tobacconist, the other being empty. An empty wooden shop adjoining, also owned by T. Young, was destroyed,' as also were premises occupied by .Mrs Levy, a sccond-h-ma goods dealer, and Kane, confectioner. The .top. floor of Young's building was occupied by Nicholl, Stringer and'Co.'i painters. No estimato of the damage can be made, at .present, but it must piovo to bo considerable, perhaps about £SOOO. Young’s brick budding was insured-for £280(1 in the. Plioen.x office. A risk of £2so"'waTT'hcld the Puketapu sawmill building, half being re-insured. The Phoenix -had also a policy of £25 upon tools in toe mill. The main insurance of tho contents was with the Royal Exchange Co.,which had a policy of £ISOO on tho contents of the mill, and £SOO upon the timber. Tester was insured for £2OO. Ho estimates his loss at £l5O more. Nicholl, Stringer and Co.’s stock of paints was insured for £6OO in the New Zealand Company s office. Later. —The insurance on the ' ikotapu Timber Co.’s mill was £SOO n> the Phoenixj on the plant anil fittings £750 in the-Royal, and £llsO in the Atlas. The building was occupied by Kane, confectioner, and Levy, se-cond-hand dealer, and was owned by Richards and AVilson, being insured for £250 in tho Sun office. Nicliol, Stringer and Roberts, decorators, who had vacated, but had left a portion of their stock in the building, were covered by a policy of £I4OO in the iSonth British. Tester, tobacconist, was insured -for £3OO in -tie Royal, and Young’s, brick building for £2BOO in the Phoenix office.