ANOTHER FIRE.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXXIV, Issue 1000, 24 September 1912, Page 2

ANOTHER FIRE.

TWO SHOPS DESTROYED

ESTIMATED DAMAGE ,£4.000

Of late Foxton has gained a rather unenviable reputation on account of the prevelance of fires, another of which occurred on Sunday morning, when two shops were destroyed. One was owned by Mr M. H. Walker and occupied by Mr Thomas Rimmer, as a general store and the other was owned and occupied by Mr Chung Wah, grocer and fruiterer. The former was a wooden one-storey building and it was totally destroyed, and in the case of Mr Chung Wah’s two-storey building the brick walls and front alone were left standing.

The origin of the fire is a mystery, but those who were first on the spot state that it started at the back of Mr Rimmer’s store. It was first seen by Miss Moore, of Whyte’s Hotel, at 4.40 a.m., when it was confined to the back portion of the building. Mr dchultz, who lives in Harbour Street, noticed the blaze at five o’clock. He went over to the scene and found that the fire had a good hold of the back portion of the shop. He immediately informed the police and rang the firebell.

Those who were on the scene were powerless to any way check the flames, which spread to the wooden back portion ot Chung W ah’s building. Practically nothing was saved.

The insurances are as follows: —Mr Chung Wah building £BSO (Royal Exchange), stock (London, Liverpool and Globe); Mr Rimmer, stock /750 (New Zealand); Mr Walker, building (National). Mr Rimmer’s premises were situate at the corner of Hall and Main Streets, opposite Whyte’s Hotel, and Chung Wah’s fine twostoreyed brick structure —about 30ft to the south of same in Main St. A former outbreak in Main St. destroyed the Bank of N.Z., a few paces further down from the scene of Sunday morning’s outbreak.

A stiff westerly breeze was blowing at the time of the outbreak which carried the flames clear of Whyte’s Hotel, separated by the road. Had it not been for the outhouses and boxes at the rear of Chung Wah’s premises, there is a chance that this fine building would not have been sacrificed. In any case a primitive fire brigade could easily have confined the fire to Mr Rimmer’s shop. It was impossible to attempt to salvage anything from Mr Rimmef’s as when the front doors was opened the interior was filled with dense smoke and flames. The cause of the outbreak is shrowded in mystery. Mr Smith, the manager, said that he left everything safe before locking up on Saturday night. After the gas had been turned off he made a careful inspection of the interior, for like other business men in the town since the late fires, every precaution has been taken against fire. There had been no fire on the premises during the day. Mr Smith scauts the idea of rats being responsible tor the outbreak. He saj s there is an alleyway separating the shop from Mr Perreau’s stables, which is a rendevonz for certain individuals, but whctuer the Lequeuters ol this locality passed the night there on this occasion he cannot say..

Chung Wah's premises were the first to be erected in brick in Foxton and was a somewhat imposing building. At the rear, however, was a wooden structure and it was here that the flames caught from Mr Rimmer’s store. The Chinese occupants were greatly agitated and were only able to save a few packages of rice. A sum of money, totalling over twenty pounds, which had not been transferred from the counter till to the safe, was also destroyed. The loss on these premises is estimated by the owner at upwards of a thousand

pounds. Mr Rimmer estimates his loss at over a thousand pounds, added to which is the dislocation of business.

Mr Walker, who owned Mr Rimmer’s store, assesses his loss on the building at £550 above the insurance. Under the lease he is compelled to re-build, and this will mean a further expenditure of something like ,£I,OOO. Both Messrs Rimmer and Walker will be heavy losers. Police-Inspector Marsack and Detective have visited Foxtou, and together with the local police are making exhaustive enquiries into the cause of the outbreak.

All the business premises along the south side of Main Street have now been destroyed, including the Bank, and that within a few months. Most of the premises, however, are to be re-erected, and some are in course of construction.

Be prepared to cope with an outbreak of fire, by having a MiNIMAX Fire Extinguisher on hand. Thousands of pounds worth of property have been saved by these appliances. They are not expensive, and are very effective, hull particulars can be obtained from Messrs Hopper & McColl, the Foxton agents. —Advt.