LATEST FROM DUNEDIN.

Lake Wakatip Mail, Volume II, Issue 81, 6 February 1864, Page 5

LATEST FROM DUNEDIN.

(PER ROWLEY'S EXPRESS.) Great Fire. «#- (From the Otayo Daily Times, Feb. 3.) The fire commenced about a quarter after 7 o'clock last evening, so far as present information tends to show, somewhere in the rear of the premises of Messrs G. and H. Hart, general merchants, near the top of Stafford-street, and on the southern side. The Fire Brigade were on the spot promptly with their engines ; but there was the old and terrible difficulty as to water—the flames spread mercilessly ; and soon they enveloped the building. Adjoining Messrs Hart's premises on the higher side were those of Royse, Mudie & Co., and on the lower side was the shop of Mr Mills, gunmaker—it was blazing very soon after Royse, Mudie & Co.'s premises; almost at the same moment the flames extended downwards to the shop of Mr. G. I. Merrie, tailor, and upwards to three small buildings occupied by Mr W. Lang, Mr Oakenful, and Mr Moran. Already the bonded store belonging to Mr Casper, which fronted Hope street, was burning; the store of Messrs Youngman and Co., opposite Royse, Mudie & Co smoked freely, as its wooden front dried and scorched in the fierce heat, but the jet from one of the engines being turned upon it, danger in that direction was happily averted. The quarter whence the slight wind came gave time—and time only could enable something effectual to be done to check the spreading of the fire. Messrs Mills, Dick and Co's offices, printers of the Daily News, Evening Star, Sec, were pulled down, the debris cleared off, and there was room to hope that Messrs Tickle's place was saved.

But still danger threatened in another direction, i Mr Coleman's store was burning more fiercely than any of those already destroyed, and the flames were hissing and crackling fearfully about J and from Mr Casper's. Two rows of cottages belonging to Mr W. Cooper, and backing close against the side of Casper's store, were in flames, | and a group of low shanties and sheds was in j danger of catching momentarily, and these would ! have carried the flames, on one hand, to some | large stores in Stafford-street, and on the other to the stables of Cole, Hoyt and Co., which stretch I across almost from Stafford to Walker streets, ' and which would have served as a conductor of j the flames to Messrs Cargill's stores, and so into ! the line of Princes-street. Then, scarcely a yard of the entire ground-block within the four street boundaries named, could have been left covered j with other than charred ruins.

But Mr Joseph Mills, collecting at this juncture a few volunteers, in a short time five or six erections were levelled. Then an open space was left, and there was hope the extent of the fire | was defined. About the same time, a small cot- j tage which fronted Hope street was pulled down, and thus a check was put to the likelihood of the flames rounding the corner into Walker street. 2.30 a.m.—The flames are still strong, but three j engines have been connected with the Bay, so. that a good supply of water is being poured on j the burning mass. At the time we went to press the ruins were still burning fiercely.