ANOTHER SERIOUS CONFLAGRATION.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXXIV, Issue 1073, 23 July 1912, Page 3

ANOTHER SERIOUS CONFLAGRATION.

BLOCK OF BUILDINGS TOTALLY DESTROYED. Narrow Escape of Presbyterian Churcb. Estimated Loss £IO,OOO. Insurances £7OOO. Is it the WcriToTan Incendiary ?

Shortly before 12.30 last night the fire bell rung out an alarm and a glare was noticed on the east side of Main Street. The fire, looking from the north end of the town, was reflected from the walls of Whyte’s Hotel. At first the conflagration looked like a bonfire in the space between Mr Hall’s shop and Whyte’s Hotel. It was soon noticed, however, that Mr E. Ball’s tobacconist shop and billiardroom was the scene of the outbreak. This building is the first of a block of one-storey wooden premises on the east side ol Main Street —and on the opposite side to the block recently destroyed—extending to Mr G. H. Stiles’ drapery establishment. The latter place is separated from the Presbyterian Church by a vacant space of about 40ft. At the time of the outbreak, a sou’-westerly breeze was blowing, which, while assisting the flames to spread to the adjoining buildings, removed any risk from the buildings on the opposite side of the road. The fire appears to have started in the billiard-room, and despite a contrary wind, burst through the wall .opposite Whyte’s Hotel. A large crowd of people soon gathered in Main Street, but without any fire lighting appliances were powerless to check the flames. They set to work to salvage the goods, etc., from Mr Ball’s|lshop and the adjoining premises. The flames made rapid headway through the wooden partitions, and smoke poured in through the cracks and ceilings making it very difficult fot the volunteer salvage corps to operate. Streams m 11.-11, carrying goods to place so. sa. . , were soon busy at work.

Some startling rnmours are current in reference to the starting of the conflagration. It is said that a fire was noticed on the outside of Mr Ball’s billiard room about midnight. We might mention, however, that the outside walls of this building were of corrugated iron. We hope that an inquiry will be held into the origin of the fire.

Several women were noticeable among the helpers in salvaging operations.

It was a pitiful sight to witness hundreds of men standing idly looking on, powerless to render assistance to check the flames, for lack of fire fighting appliances. It has been suggested that the Council should procure some ladders and force pumps and piace them in some .convenient locality in order to be ot service in case of another outbreak.

Those people last night who croaked so much about the neglect of the Council in not providing the town with a water scheme, should remember that the Council submitted a scheme —which was within the borough’s means, and which would have coped successfully with these outbreaks—but the people rejected it. It is absurd and unfair to foist the blame on the Council. The ratepayers who ierejecte.l lie Imu, and not the Council, are those who should take the blame.

There are a number of people who refuse to believe that the recent fires in the town originated through accidents. They argue that a tire maniac is on the job. The circumstances surrounding last night’s tire are certainly suspicious. Is it the work of a tire bug ? The Borough Council should appoint a night watchman without delay. This is the irreducible minimum.

The fire soon had a hold of Mr Simmons’ bicycle shop, and spread rapidly Moore’s office, then to Messrs Golder and Son’s watchmaker and jeweller, Mrs Parkes’ stationery and fancy goods, Mr Parkes watchmaker and jeweller, the temporary premises of Mr R. T. Betty boot and shoe maker, Mr J. Walls baker and confectioner, Mrs Nye bookseller and stationer, temporary premises, Miss Wanklyu fruiterer and confectioner, and Mr G. H. Stiles’ large drapery and clothing establishment. All these premises were totally destroyed. The heat trom the burning buildings blistered the paint on Ur. Mandl’s premises and cracked several windows in the block opposite. A band of men set to work tosave the Presbyterian Church, separated from Mr Stiles’ building by a space of about 40ft. It was thought that this building, a wooden structure with sloping shingle roof, would catch and all the furniture and instruments were removed to places of safety. The wooden fence, adjoining Mr Stiles’ shop, was pulled down, and a large pine tree at the rear ot the church, which contained a quantity of dead wood, was felled in order to minimise the danger to adjoining buildings. The outside walls ot Mr Stiles’ shop were ol corrugated iron, and they stood until the centre of the building had fallen in. Plad it not been for this, the church building must have caught. Tue walls facing the fire were kept damp with a plentiful supply ot water and Messrs Ross and Spear were perched on the roof, from which perilous position the bucket brigade handed them water, which was poured on the roof. Showers ot sparks tell on the shingles and the fire fighters put in a most strenuous time. Smoke and sparks enveloped them time and again, but they stuck manfully to their posts. At last the fire got a hold among the shingles and was quickly lanced into a flame. It seemed all up with the building but Mr Hennessy arrived in the nick of time with a chemical fire extinguisher and Mr Moore mounted a ladder and turned the spray on the burning tpof and quickly got it under, amidst cheers trom the onlookers. At this time attention was centred on the church, as it was patent to all that had this caught it would have been impossible to save the police station and courthouse, and the Town Hall would have been in grave danger. Nearly all the furniture and effects were removed from the police station.

The greatest loser at this morning’s fire is Mr G. H. Stiles. At present he does not know what steps he will take in the, matter of rebuilding. From what we can gather, the first to notice the outbreak was Miss Hudson, who was occupying an upstairs room im Mr Perreau’s building. She was awakened by the reflection in the bedroom window which is practically opposite the building in which the outbreak occurred. Mr Perreau was aroused and rang the firebell. At present it is impossible to ascertain the extent of the damage sustained by each one concerned, but in almost every case it will be considerable.

Interviewed by our reporter this morning, Mr Stiles said he would be a very heavy loser indeed, and estimated his loss at anything from ,£1,500 to In addition to the building occupied by him he also owned the premises tenanted by Mr R. Moore and Messrs Golder and Sou. He estimated the value of his stock at about .£4,500.

Mr Bali estimates his loss at from £,150 to ,£2OO above the insurance.

In almost every case a good amount 0! stock was saved. Mr Parkes is at present unable to estimate his loss, but from present appearances it will be considerable.

A large portion of Mr Golder’s stock ot jewellery, etc., was saved but the whole of his tools and plant which were very valuable, were uninsured, and were destroyed. His loss will be upwards of ,£3OO.

The fire started in Mr Ball’s billiard room, but it is impossible to say in exactly vvha: part of it, Hamuera, who was in charge of the room, states that he locked up somewhere about ten o’clock, when everything appeared to be safe. As u-mal a fire had been burning in ne grate during the evening, but nad gone out sometime before the room was closed. Mr Ball had not been enjoying the best ot health of late and had not been able to attend to his duties at the shop for the past three weeks. The oven used by Mr J. Walls will still be fit for use and he hopes to be baking in it again within the next day or so. He is making application at to-night’s Council meeting for permission to erect a temporary shelter in connection with the bakehouse.

it is reported that a good deal of piliering was indulged in at the fire last night.

To be burnt out twice m seven weeks does not often fall to the lot of any person. Yet this is the experience ot Mr Betty and Mrs Nye.

The Presbyterian Church caught a second lime, near the belfry, but the workers succeeded in getting it under. The men engaged in saving this building are to be commended for their gallant efforts. At about 2.30 a.in the fire had run its course after demolishing the whole block.

Detective Quirke is making investigations into the origin of this morning’s conflagration. Foxton is gaining a Dominion notoriety tor hres. This morning’s conflagration will provide the press with opportunities for again reierring to the town as being the uuiy borough in New Zealand without Are fighting appliances. In other towns the fires which here have destroyed two blocks of buildings would have easily been confined to the premises in which the outbreaks occurred.

Considerable damage was done to the goods salvaged, and the occupants of all the buildings will be heavy losers, and their several businesses will be dislocated for weeks, possibly mouths, until'new premises are erected. Most of those burnt out have secured temporary premises. Mr Ball has had a room placed at his disposal in Whye’s Hotel; Mrs Nye has secured the Racing Club Office, Mr Simmons is at the icar of Hennessy’s buildings, Mr Moore has secured the Drainage Board offices in the Council Chambers.

Mr Bedtord, fire adjustor, arrived from Wellington via Palmerston to-day. When Mr Perreau was aroused, the fire was confined corner of the billiard-room and was just breaking through the roof, Tueie

was no one else about at the time but people soon began to congregate after a few peals of the bell had been given.

The damage done by this morning’s fire is considerably more than that done by the fire which destroyed. the buildings on the western side of Main Street some six weeks ago. In connection with the previous conflagration, the total Insurances were about £SOOO, but in the present case the total is upwards of £7OOO. The total damage is estimated at £IO,OOO. The premises occupied by Messrs Stiles, Colder and Moore were the property of Mr G. H. Stiles ; Mrs Thynue owned those tenanted by Messrs Ball, Simmons and Parkes and the block comprising the shops of Messrs Betty and Walls and Mrs Nye and Miss Wanklyn were owned by Miss Austin and Mrs Park, of Auckland.

The insurances are as follows :

G. H. Stiles.—Stock, ,£I,BOO (Loudon, Liverpool and Globe), ,£450 (Alliance); plate glass windows, fittings, etc., ,£225 (London Liverpool and Globe) ; cash register, ,£IOO (Alliance) ; buildings ,£2OO (Victoria), ,£3OO (Alliiuc.), £i o (State) , fixtures, ,£l5O (State). E. Ball. —Stock, £,250 (Queensland), Austin’s Estate. Buildings, ,£SOO, and bakehouse, £so (London, Liverpool and Globe). C. Simmons. Stock, ,£l5O (New Zealand). R. M. Parkes. —Stock, jewellery £225 (Queensland), stationery stock, £IOO (State), J. Walls.' Stock, £250 (Queensland). Mrs Thynue. —Buildings, £3OO (New Zealand), £l4O (South British). Miss Wanklyn. Slock, £65 (Commercial Union). K. Moore. etc., £145 (National). R. T. Betty.—Stock, £3OO (National).