DISASTROUS FIRE IN CASHEL STREET.

Globe, Volume IX, Issue 1270, 13 April 1878, Page 3

DISASTROUS FIRE IN CASHEL STREET.

Shortly before midnight last evening what .proved to be a most destructive fire broke out m Cashel street. The attention of some of the staff of the P*ESS was attracted by a glare ■across the street, and on proceeding to the spot it was found that a stable loft at the .rear of Mr GK McClatchie’s furniture warehouse was on fire. This stable Joft was semi-detached, _ forming part of a line of buildings extending from the back of and communicating with the furniture ■warehouse. The loft itself joined on to an open lean-to which was again connected with the main building. At one corner was the jstable, and in this was .ft horse belonging to Mr McClatchie. It will at once be seen that ■the material on fire was of the slightest possible ijnd, and, therefore, the flames unread with great rapidity. Sergeant Wilson wac one of ,the first on the spot, and .aided by several of those present, succeeded fp getting out the horse, though this was a talk of considerable difficulty. How close a Abirg it was may be imagined from the fact p&at at the time of this being done the stable was a mass of flames. The bells gave the slam <3ome five or six minutes after thp fire had beep first discovered, and the brigade mustered rapidly. Two Hues of hose were laid out to tfiw river, where the two steam fire engines were stationed. Of course, the dislaaae that had to be .fjjrayersed consumed a Ireat deal of time. In the meanwhile, the Ire rapidly esteaded ioto the fuwtuve ware. I ** * ■ %> " •

character, and filled with inflammable material went rapidly. The fire made its entry at the southern end towards Lichfield strict, nnd as it did so communicated with the small office occupied by Mr John Anderson, and used as the outer counting room of the Canterbury Foundry. Sunning from this in a southerly direction was another wooden building used as Mr Anderson’s private office. The fire, lodged as it were in the junction of these two buildings, and rapidly extended backward to Lichfield street and forward to Cashel street. In the meantime, through some stupid red tapeism on the part of somebody the crowd of eager and willing hands had to wait and see the fire making havoc with the furniture in Mr McClatchie’s store without being allowed to save any of it. At last the word was given after the fire had got good hold, however, and the doors being burst in the work of removal commenced, and in a very short time all that could be saved of the stock was got out and placed on the opposite side of the street. Hero it may not be out of place to remark that those engaged in saving property ran considerable risk of personal damage by a number of cabs being driven, without any apparent purpose, up and down the street. Should another fire unfortunately occur, it is to be hoped that the police will put a stop to this highly dangerous practice. In the meanwhile the Brigade, under Mr Superintendent Harris, had not been idle. Steam was soon up, and though it appeared a long while before water was got up, yet the distance to the river, and the time therefore consumed in laying out hose must be considered. The fire in the rear of Mr Anderson’s block gathered strength, and the office caught all along. From this, by some means, the flames communicated with the roof of the brick pattern shop, which was soon in flames. On the other side Mr McClatchie’s shop was soon in ruins, the further progress of the flames westward being arrested by the brick wall of Mr G. Inwood’s new building. Had a wooden building intervened instead of the back wall, nothing could have saved the whole block, comprising Everett and Co.’s, King’s, and Osborne’s furnitur# warehouse from destruction. The fire in the roof of the pattern shop of the Canterbury Foundry still gathered strength, and beyond this again the timber machine shop, in which were the lathes, drills, &c., of the foundry, was the next to succumb. This, being timber, burnt rapidly, and was soon destroyed. The original source of the fire was also soon in ruins, and as no further danger was at all likely to accrue in this direction, thanks to Mr Inwood’s brick wall, Mr Superintendent Harris concentrated all the energies of the Brigade on Mr Anderson’s property. At this time the corner of the small front office, the whole of the one in roar, the pattern shop, and the machine shop were on lire, besides the ruins of Mr McClatchie’s shop. The heat was intense, and the Fire Brigade deserve the utmost credit for the plucky way in which, despite the heat being so great that water had to be poured over the men holding the branch, they stuck to their work at the most critical point of the fire. At this juncture the Pkess office and adjoining block of buildings were in considerable danger, the heat blistering the whole of the fronts of the houses. Wet blankets and a copious supply of water from the fire buckets on the premises, however, averted the danger, and it was soon seen that the body of fire would be confined to the Canterbury Foundry. The roof of the pattern shop was here in one mass of flame, and the fire communicating with the mass of patterns stored in the upper room caused a large body of flame upon which, from the nature of the building, the water could have but little effect. The machinery shop in rear was entirely destroyed at this time, and the large and valuable machinery plant therein, if not irretrievably spoilt, at least seriously damaged. The full amount of damage done here it is of course impossible to ascertain until an opportunity of inspection is afforded. The pattern shop upper floor was soon one body of flame, upon which the water thrown by the engines appeared to have little or no effect. This communicated with the lower floor, in which were the large and valuable lathes and other machinery used in the foundry. The same remark applies here as to the machine shop. As to the patterns, that is an almost irreparable loss. All the patterns made in the establishment for years past were stored here, and their value fras such as no money can replace. The fire, about 1 a.m., was under control, and the damage dona may be shortly described as follows: Mr McClatchie’s furniture store, stable, and outhouses, totally destroyed ; MrAnderson’s office and machine shop do.; pattern shop gutted. At one time it may be said it was feared that the fire would spread to the timber building belonging to the Canterbury foundry to the eastward, adjoining Mr Aikman’s store, now occupied by Messrs G. L. Beath and Co., but one of the engines playing upon it for some 1/ttle time prevented the spread of the flmnes in this direction. Mr McOlatchie was insured on the stock £Buo, on tne builoing £2OO, in the Xondon and Liverpool and Globe, but the stock is valued at £2OOO, and Mr McClatcbie has spent £4OO on the building, so his loss is at least £I4OO. Mr Andermn has an insurance on the pattern shop and contents. All the papers, books, drawings, plans, Ac., from Mr John An Person’s office which were Ipose, were removed, but the safes, &c., were npt able to be got out, and had to bo left, as the fire came through these timber buildings rapidly. The Brigade, as we have said, worked well, and the Fire Police, under officers Bishop, Mitchell. &c., and the regular police uadfi? Inspector Hickson, were early on the spot.