LYTTELTON BLAZE

Hokitika Guardian, 16 May 1927, Page 1

LYTTELTON BLAZE

WATERFRONT BLOCK DESTROYED LUV telegraph—feb press association. LYTTELTON, May' 15. The biggest lire which lias yet occurred at Lyttelton since the New Zealand Shipping Company’s wool shed was destroyed If years ago, broke out in the early hours this morning, when a block of boat sheds on the waterfront adjoining the dock and owned by Messrs J. Miller. Ltd., and G. and C. Whit ford, both shipwrights, was completely destroyed ,along with a large boa't slio owned by the Harbour Board. The block was a rambling structure of wooden sheds, all dry as tinder, and with shavings, timber, paint and boats contained .in them, making all tbe requirements for a big fire. The brigade had a hopeless task in front of them on their arrival, the flames leaping 50 feet in the air. and during the fire big pieces of blazing timber floated away on the water, endangering yachts and small craft moored nearby, and handicapped from the start by the low pressure of water, the brigade could do little more than prevent the fire spreading io other buildings and stacks and trucks of timber. While the blaze was at its height the Harbour Board’s tug, Lyttelton ; took

ii]i a position alongside the dock jetty, I and her pumps were connected with the | brigade’s hose, thus augmenting the j water supply. Several boats which I were housed in sheds were destroyed by lire. The Takapuna sailing punts Waiwi and Seaplane, owned by Elliott -Sinclair and Hubert Norris respectively, both of which took part ill the Cornwall Cup contest in February, were lost, together with R. Sinclair’s Linnet 2nd. A number of dinghies on the slip were burned, as well as a large keel yacht of about 21 tons, which Miller and Coy had nearly completed for B. Scowell. A fire broke out in a motor boat, Eunice, but was extinguished by a scratch crew in the Sea Scout boat. A fishing launch, Bessie, which launched herself in the early stages of the fire through its securing ropes burning through, was damaged to the extent of £250. No estimates of the damage are as yet available, but the losses must run into several thousands.