HASTINGS—"THE CITY OF BLAZES"

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 94, 7 May 1937, Page 45 (Supplement)

HASTINGS—"THE CITY OF BLAZES"

Big Fires at the Beginning of the Century BUCKET BRIGADE OF NINETIES So many disastrous fires occurred in Hastings in the opening years of this century that the town became known all over New Zealand as the City of Blazes. It was an unenviable reputation, but with the excellent firefighting facilities that exist at present Hastings has. managed to live it down. The past several years have been marked by a complete absence of serious fires. It is interesting to read nowadays thait while one partienlaxly disastrous fire was raging on May 14, 1907, the hose had to be stretched across the railway lines just at a. time when a train was due, and that the railway authorities threatened that if the hose were not removed thc train would run over it and cut it. That seems hardly credible now. The brigade had no option but to * disconnect the hose. By the time the train had passed out of the station — it took about 15 minutes — the fire had gained such a hold that the brigade was faced with an almost hopeless task.

In June 1389 two fires occurred, oue at Mr 11. Neil's house, which was destroyed, and "another at Dr. Faulkner's stables. At the latter outbreak ane well was found to be dry, and there was not sufficient hose to reach the fire from the next well, but it is recorded that the brigade aud the public worked hard with buckets and extinguished the fire before very much damage had been done. In February of 1893 a serious fire occurred in Heretaunga street. Starting in Mr Evan's shops, it involved bpth sides of Heretaunga street from the railway line to Market street. The only appliance the brigade had was the manual engine. The -steam" fire-eugine from Napier was brought out to the fire and was used for a time to assist in quelling it. While the fire was raging the council and citizens held a * meeting and it was decided to purehase a steam engine. The cable was dispatched immediately. The cost of the "steamer" was £1100, and after a short time a Shand-Mason fire-engine Was delivered in Hastings. The steamer during the years that followed did excellent work. The water that was used for fire-fighting was -drawn from the sewer, and sometimes one would hear remarks from the branchmen that were hardly eomplimentary. Yet they kept at their job. The steamer was taken down to the Tomoana freezing-works to a fire which had started in the carpentere ' shop and endangered the whole of the works. The fire was suppressed before it reach•d the main buildiug. The damage Was estimated at about £1000. The next big fifce in Hastings spread quickly. Starting in P. Horne's bootshop, between the railway line and Karamu road, in Heretaunga street. it had soon spread to F. Beshel's saddlery shop, Blythe's, drapers, S. Ridgway, draper, Eccles, chemist, and Lys, tailor. The brigade had a hard fight, for apparently three places were in fiames at the same time. The townspeople were so pleased with the brigade 's performance that a subscription list was opened. Before the firemen had left the fire a sum of £23 6/6 was handed to them for their efficient services. Just at this period fires broke out f requently in Hastings and it was generally known as the City of Blazes. A newspaper of the time described sit as a "flame beridden town." During the latter part 6f 1901 a tire occurred on the s.s. Waimate in the Napier harbour, and the company ask©d for the services of the Hastings fBhand-Mason macjune. The engine was taken by rail to Napier with Superintendent Brausch and a number of Hast- - iigs firemen in charge. After a few hours* pumping the fire was subdued. The brigade was highly eommended for its efforts, and a choque marked the gratitude of the shipping company. The next event af importance was the fire at the Tomoana freezing works. At the time of the outbreak a demon-

stration was being held at Napier, and the members of the Hastings brigade were present there. They hurried back and rendered good service at the scene of the fire. To mark his gratitude Mr W. Nfelson presented the brigade witK a cheque for £50. The letter which accompanied the cheque is still hanging on Ihe wall of the fire station. . One of the most disastrous fires of all occurred in Heretaunga street on May 14, 1907. The blaze started in the premises of Williams and Kettle, Ltd. The jteam engine was soon on the scene, but after 55 minutes' pumping a large iank of water was pumped ;dry and the steamer had to be shifted across the railway line to a manhole in the sewer and worked at that spot for 20 hours. •Just when it was thought the fire was ander control a train was due to depart for the south, and it was thought that the railway offieials would delay its departure until the brigade had such control of the fire that an interruption' of a few minutes would not greatly matter. The railway offieials, however, announced that if the hose which was lying across the track were not removed the train would pass over it. The brigade had no choice but to disqonnect the hose. It took the train of 35 trucks 15 minutes to pass over the crossing, and by that time the fire was as fierce as ever. The Bank of New Zealand was a mass of fiames. Williams and Kettle's store, Maddison's store, the Bank of New Zealand and' Bone's Cafe were demolished. There was a humorous side to the fire, for when it appeared inevitable that the cafe would be involved a number of lookers-on entered the buildiug. -They climbed to the upper storey, carefully gathered the crockery into the tablecloths and dropped it to the footpath below. Some indignant comment was made in the newspapers of the time on the action of the railway offieials but nothing further was done. There was a large crowd of spectators at the fire, and so pleased were they at the manner in which the* brigade had done its work that they again took up a collection at the scene of the fire and handed £120 to the brigade. > A few months later in the same year another serious fire broke out, this time in Queen street, starting in Symond's coach factory. The water had'to be pumped from Heretaunga street. The brigade was working' under such a handicap that several buildings were demolished^ The next big fire was in Phillips and Wright 's sash and door factory. While the fire was in progress the steamer broke down and the manual had to be put into operation. Six months later Garnett's sash and door factory was burned; only the timbers in the yard were saved. On April 3, 1910, a serious fire broke out m Station street, uow known as Russell street, and five shops, the property of Mr D. O 'Reilly, were destroyed.

Oue of the worst fires the brigade had to contend with was that at the cool stores in King street. The stores were packed full of fruit, and the brigade was on duty for over 30 hours. During the fire a serious accident was narrowly averted when oue of the ammonia cylinders burst and smashed through a shed and landed within -a few feet of several firemen. The fire stat%bn was completely wrecked in the earthqualce of 1931, and it was some time before the engines could be removed from the debris. Eventually they were extricated and fires that had started were soon under control. A later shoek tlirew the whole of the water system out of commission. A fire immediately started near where the Grand Hotel once stood, and the brigade was powerless to stop it. The only appliances the men had were firstaid plant, and this was kept working all night to keep the neighbouring buildings cool. In this the brigade was successf ul after a strenuous night 's work. Next day the water supply was restored, and c.n y further outbreaks were quickly subdued. At that time the firemen were on duty for about six days, many of them having little sleep during that period.