THE LATE DISASTROUS FIRE AT LYTTELTON.

Hawke's Bay Times, Volume 16, Issue 857, 3 November 1870, Page 2

THE LATE DISASTROUS FIRE AT LYTTELTON.

[FROM THE SPECIAE REPORTER QF THE CANTERBURY PRESS.] I purpose giving under the above heading a few miscellaneous details whiph-rr-in the necessarily hurried manner in whieh my brief report yesterday morning of this disastrous affair was compiled—may have been omitted. The first in the secjuel which I shall notice i 3 THE ASPECT OF CHEISTOHUECH. from about half-past 10 p.m. on Monday a sort of uneasiness appeared to prevail in the city, mainly aroused by the presence of an ominous looking glare in tl;e direction qf Lyttelfon, which could nqt readily be accounted for, in the offhand manner in which it was endeavoured to \)e explained by the remark, " Oh, it's only a grass fire." At last his Worship the Mayor and several of the City Councillors who shared the general uneasiness in company with the citizens, took the Initiative by rousing the telegraph operator at the Christchurch station, and asking him, to establish, telegraph communication between Christchurch anq 1 Jjyttelton. Unfortunately the latter operate!' jm4 been, caljipg $o {ris confrere

in Christchurch without receiving any answer, and at last when communication was opened, $ few brief sentences confirming the worst fears of those in Christ* church was all that could be received before the advance of the frames destroyed the telegraph posts. Although this was the case, I do not see any reason why the. railway line should not have been Immediately on the receipt of this news, Mr Superintendent IJarris, acting with commendable promptitude, waited on the Mayor, and that gentleman at once acceeded to the request that the steam fire engine and the hook and ladder apparatus, together with the brigade- and fire police, should be at once placed at the disposal of our neighbours, and forwarded by the special train. Alas for the mutability of human affairs, the red tape which it has been affirmed has slaughtered more Englishmen than the swords of the enemy intervened, a delay of some time—a delay when minutes, aye seconds, were precious. The bells of the city toiled out a warning peal, and thick and fast the people poured through the streets, all but a few ignorant of the reason of the disturbance, and looking eagerly into the town for indications of the supposed fire. I, in company with several others who were on the qui vive t made for the railway station, and in a few minutes the destination of the Fire Bri* gade becoming known by means of the engine rattling along, and *in a few moments there was a regular stampede in the direction of the Railway station, until some four or five hundred people had con* gregated. THE BCENE OK THE PLATFOEM Was varied in the extreme. After paying that obedience at the shrine of red tape which is so characteristic of Englishmen, and officials in particular—and which on this occasion consisted of the station master sending off a messenger to know whether he should start a train or ndt —a delay which seemed to me, considering the urgency of the case, unueeded, stean| was got up» and the train ranged up alougi side the platform. In the meantime the steam fire engine, under the foreman, Gourlay, the tjook and Ladder Brigade, under Mr Foreman J. Wood, and a small detachment of Fire police, under the orders of Captain Mitchell, came iip, and the engine was placed upon a truck ready for the journey. A scene then ensued that bafjjes description. Everyone in the crowd seemed to think that it was incumbent upon bim to proceed to Lyttelton with all convenient speed, and therefore, proceeded to fight vigorously for a seat in the train, but the usually courteous station-master was adamant, All sorts of ruses were tried to obtain the coveted passages, and the most amusing reasons given why the applicant should be one of the favored few. Government officials, post-office authorities, bankers, aye, even the potential city councillor pleaded in vain ; the obdurate heart of Mr Jones was not softened one iota. To all the blandishments and threats he simply replied, " I shan't start the train until I get only the fire brigade and police in it." I)ven your humble servant murmured the open sesame of the " Press " in vain, Proteus J had to assume many forms to elude the Argus-eyed officials, but.l at length found an abiding place in a truck with some good fellows of the Fire Brigade, with whom I struck up an alliance, offensive and defensive, on the spot. Several individuals having been ignominiowsly hauled out of the trucks to my secret delight, the train started after a delay of something like three-quarters of an hour of valuable time. We were soon speeding away, and after a somewhat tedious journey, owing to some ob* structions iu the tunnel, we reached our destination. THE PIUST SIGHT OF THE FIKE. On the train running clear of the railway walls, the. terrific scene in all its grandeur burst upon our view. Before us lay a veritable lake of fire, the fiames leaping and hissing as if rejoioing in their deadly work ; the lurid glare lighting up with a Rembrandt-like culor the hills in the background, and the ships in harbor, every yard and rope being perfectly distinct, as in the full light of day. Few» I think, who. saw that scene will forget it, and I trust it will be long ere J may be called upon to witness such a one. Ou the reclaimed land, as the Brigade truudled their horse reel out and got their steamei? into position, might be seen whole families of si* or eight little children, with their nio.fbers, crouching behind <fc

heap of piled up furniture, huddled close together for the sake of protection from ibe keen north-easter, which swept bitterly in from the sea. The poor little fellows raised a cheer as the train ran into the station, and they saw by the light glittering on the helmets of the men that help had at last arrived. The steamer was soon got into position, and in thirteen minutes steam was up to 701bs and two hose laid Brigade having had to erect, a sort of scaffolding on casks with eome timber lying near, over which to conduct their hose. The very highest credit is due to the Fire Brigade for their pluck and endurance on this occasion. They were under orders and hard at work from seven o'clock the preceeding evening until six or seven o'clock last night, and any one who saw the cool calm manner in which Mr Superintendent Harris bandied his men. and the cheerful alacrity which they displayed, will agree with me that a deep debt of gratitude is due to the officers and men of the Fire Brigade for the admirable manner in which they discharged their very arduous duties. Several citizens of Lyttelton too deserve honorable mention. When the fire was at its height the exertions of the Messrs Allwright, La Nauze, Roper, A. Cuff, Packard, Captain Wheeler (s.s. Taranaki), and his officers and men ; and others whose names I was unable to learn, were directed with the hand engine towards saving the premises of Matheson's Agency, the store lately occupied by Mr D. Davis, and the Post and Telegraph offices. The former buildings were saved almost intact, by a continuous stream of water being poured upon them, and the latter, although of course much damaged by the intense heat and water, was, although several times on fire, ultimately saved from total destruction. I may here mention that the absence of a gentleman holding the highest municipal office, on this melancholy occasion was the theme of much unfavorable comment. The people* seemed to be totally paralysed • —the want of organisation being painfully apparent throughout—and I am assured by a competent person, who was present at the very commencement of the fire that half a dozen buckets of water judiciously applied, and the very loosest organisation, would have prevented the niejaneboly events which we have recorded. I have already given an account of the spread of the conflagration, and will now give a short account of the appearance of

THE EUIN.S TSEXV DAY. From an early hour crowds of persons thronged by each train into from Christchurch, and such a inass ot ruins met their view as astonished even those who had come prepared to some extent to see a wide expanse of devastation. Oqe of the most noteworthy relics of the fire was a small house situated in the very midst of the area which had been the centre of the fire, and which, although filled with oils, turps, and other inflammable matter, escaped almost scatheless. train brought its quota of visitors until the streets became densely crowded, and up to a late period of the evening persons remained inspecting the ruins.

THE OKiaiN OF THE FIBE. As far as I can gather it appears that when the first alarm of fire was given, a person who was amongst the first to get into room in which the fire originated found several cases full of straw which were all in flames. Mo water was procurable for some time, and when it was obtained the fire had got such a mastery, that all efforts to stay its progress were in vain. By what means the fire originated in this room is still a mystery, as it appears no one went in there after 4 p.m., and there was no fire or light in the room.

THE APATHY 0? THE LYTTELTON J?EOPI,E. A. number of rumors were afloat respecting the apathy of the Lytteltou public in the matter. lam informed that on the Superintendent of the Fire Biigade asking for help to place the hose of the engine he was asked what he was going to pay them for it. I cannot speak personally of this matter, but this I can say, that I never saw so many able-bodied men looking on with folded aims at the progress of a fire before.

AMOUNT 0E LOSS AND INSURANCE. Total loss, SBO,OOO, to which has to fce added damage by fire, water and removal, making in all close on .£IOO,OOO. jljsoiinj; of insurance, $23,180,

The Ardsley Oaks Colliery, new Barnsl-ay, at which 35.0 men and boys lost their lives in December, 1866, was once more the eoone of a very serious outburst of gas, by which the lives of S4O minora wore placed in jeopardy* About. U o'clock a very heavy and powerful outburst of gas took plac* in a bank at the bottom of the new engine plana. Fortunately for the workmen and proprietor, the colliery was" worked entirely with the safety lamp of best description, or the consequences would have been awful. The gas travelled for a distance of 500 yards, and waß so strong as to extinguish the whole of the lamps in its course. The greatest possible excitement prevailed among the miners, who left their work halfdressed, and rushed to the pit bottom ro be drawn out. The panic in the dark working can be better imagined than described. The miners working in the more remote part of the colliery from where the outburst occurred wore as quiokly as possibly warned of the danger and drawn out. Mr Minto, the underground manager, on ezaming the pit, found that the outburst had occurred in the bank described. The results were similar to those which he described at the inquest, and which occurred in 1858 and 1861. The floor was rent for a distance of thirteen yards, and a hole, into which a man's hand might be inserted, was found. Had not the pit been in good order, and worked entirely with safety lamps, the results would have been as awful as those in 1866.

The North China News tells us of an atrocious affair which recently happened ou the coast near Ningpo. A rather high mandarin started from Taichow on board a war-junk to attack pirates known to be on the coast between that port and Ningpo, Shorly after leaving, his junk overtook a trader, well laden with passengers, going in the same direction. The usual enquiries were interchanged as to destination, and the two sailed ou in each other's vicinity. On the following day two hove in sight —all going on the same course, and all full of passengers. On the third day the three closed in on the war junk, threw combustibles on board, boarded her in the confusion, looted her and drove her cargo overboard. The mandarin's foot was cut off as he disappeared over the side, and he was drowned, together with many of his men. Of course the traders were pirates, who had got wind of the official intention in regard to them, and thus turned the tables. It is said they are all disbanded soldiers from tU9 Taichow mandarin's force who had taken to piracy for wan|; of other employment. Public life doesn't seem to pay in New South Wales; or, probably, the truth is that private life beyond the Murray is too luxurious and extravagant. Ministers there have good salaries, and many of them contrive to keep for a fair term on the Treasury Benches; yet there have been remarkable instances of their coming to grief. It is not altogether beyoud the memory of man that Mr Cowper had to effect an accommodation with bis creditors, Two or three months ago Mr Robertson was obliged to go through the Court. Several years «go, the affairs of Mr Henry Parkes burst up, and that gentleman is again in pecuniary difficulties of a serious character. There is one pleasant quality about the New South Welshmen, at all events; they don't think impecuniosity a disqualification in their politicians. Mr Cowper, his troubles over, is now Premier; Mr Eobertson, holding his certificate, also holds a portfolio as Minister of Lauds ; and when the next crisis occurs, Mr Parkes may be ready to take his place in the new Cabinet. —Melbourne Leader.