TERRIBLE FIRE.

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume XXXIV, Issue 4579, 27 June 1923, Page 4

TERRIBLE FIRE.

COWS AND HORSES ROASTED. The charred remains of over 50 cows, all huddled in grotesque shapes, and heaps of debris, of what once had been the long milking shed and store of the Derwent. Dairy Company, mark ■ the scene of a terrible fire which oc- , curred not, long before daybreak one , Saturday (states the Sydney Morning , Herald). In addition eight splendid I horses, a motor delivery car, chaffcutter, oil engine, and other machinery wer ( e destroyed. The total loss ■ is in the vicinity of £5OOO. When the outbreak was discovered the building and stables were a nfass of flames. Inside was pandemonium, the shrill cries of terrified horses mingling with frantic bellowing of cows,, all struggling tp free themselves. The cowshed housed 110 animals, all fastened with chains around their r-.ecks. The work of rescue was attended with no small element of danger, for the smoke was suffocating and the heat almost unbearable. Several of the frightened creatures broke their chains,, and between 30 1 and 40 head were liberated and driven out. in all 55 cows were burnt to dekth. It was found necessary to destroy 15 others later. The fire brigade was confronted with considerable difficulty in conveying its apparatus up a steep hill. The nearest fire-plug was. 1400 feet from the fire, and when the water was turned on a mere- trickle resulted. The firemen worked for several, hours and succeeded in preventing the fire spreading to the other buildings. It is believed the the fire was the result of incendiarism. There is no theory to account for the outbreak otherwise.