THE FIRE AFTERMATH.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXXIV, Issue 1074, 25 July 1912, Page 2

THE FIRE AFTERMATH.

TEMPORARY premises. At Tuesday night’s Council meeting, applications were r eu from Mr Moore and Miss Waukh ’ asking for permission to erect tern porary premises in which to can on until permanent buildings a erected. Mr and Mrs Parkes a Mr J. Walls, attended with simi requests. All the applicants w? victims of the recent conflagra 1 The Mayor said that F Parkes and Walls had vvai. him during the morning in nection with the matter, a r had advised them to mak plication to the Council. He considered the requests reasonable and should be granted. There shouk be some definite period state however, in which perman • buildings were to be erected, was not the intention of the Cc cil to harass the business peop It was decided on the moti Cr Chrystall, seconded by • Richmond, that permission given to tenants of pret . destroyed in the late fir erect temporary buildings for c businesses, provided pern buildings are erected witbir mouths. Applications to bt in the hands of the Town Ck deal with. Detective Quirke, who had b>. making inquiries into the origin of Tuesday morning’s fire, left for Palmerston to-day. He informed us that, he was satisfied that f origin of the fire was accidental. It would have been almost im possible for the building to hav„ been fired from the outside, as the walls were of corrugated iron, v. -«i the iron along the walls was sunk to nearly a loot below the surface : of the ground. All the doors leading to and rom the billiard room were lockea. The locks are in the possession of the police. The fire started in the billiard room, presumably under the seat, w> was located along the wall 0pp...: i - Whyte’s Hotel, at the rear end

the room. This fact is borne by Messrs Freeman and Perrea” who saw the outbreak in its early stages. Mr Quirke is of opinion that the origin of the fire was a lighted cigarette or cigar butt, which had fallen through the seat or thrown among some paper —a quantity of whicn had accumulated under the seat and rn the corner of the room. Alter smouldering for a time the draught would tan it into a flame. These facts should ease the minds of those who are under the impression that the fire was the work ot an incendiary.

At present a uunfber of men are employed clearing the debris from the scene of the fire, m preparation for the erection of temporary premises. Mr G. H. Stiles has decided to re-build in concrete on the old sit and has instructed an architect to immediately proceed with the preparation of the plans. The build ing will be a single storey one an will be thoroughly up-to-date aabsolutely fire-proof. A number ot business pe have already made arrange, tor the erection ot temporary

mises, and in the course of a we u ,. or so a regular mushroom town ship will have sprung up. Mr R. M. Parkes has purchase a building, 12ft. x 20ft., and is arranging to have it removed today on to the site of the shop destroyed. Mr G. Stiles intends to proceed immediately with the erection of temporary premises on the section where Messrs Moore and Golder’s premises previously stood. This ouildiug will be constructed of corrugated iron, dimensions 40ft. by 30ft., with a plate glass window front. The timber for erecting a shelter .in connection with the bakehouse tor Mr J. Walls, is now on the ground, and he will be in a position to turn out his first batch of bread on Saturday morning. It is probable that Mr R. Moore will erect a temporary office on the vacant section between Messrs Barber and Co.’s and the Foxton Racing Club’s office. It is stated that Mrs Thynne does not intend to re-build, br will endeavour to dispose of fc sections. The total insurances on / Stiles’ buildings , and sto amounted to ,£4525. Mr Parkes’ insurances on 1 stocks of jewellery and stationer were something over Mr Js. Ball has made arrangements to conduct his business from Mr Hamer’s rooms in Clyde St., where he will occupy the tront room. He left this afternoon to purchase the necessary chairs, tools, etc., and will re-open on Saturday.