The Auckland Fire.

Manawatu Standard, Volume XI, Issue 1710, 17 May 1886, Page 2

The Auckland Fire.

FURTHER PARTICULARS. The building was insured for £2500 m the New Zealand office, and the furniture for £800 m the Hanseatie office. The external walls of the building are of brick. The only brick wall inside is one extending across the building, about the middle. This, however, reaches no higher than the floor/ of the second story. The partitions were of wood, and apparently of flimsy construction. In the front portion of the building there was a good staircase, but it reached /no higher than the second floor. At the rear of the building there was a staircase communicating with all the flat, but it was so narrow that two men could not pass abreast. There were no fire escapes. In 1884, when the building was being altered from a store into a boarding-house, Superintendent Hughes reported to the Municipal authorities that the building was not suitable for the purpose designed, through inadequacy of escapes m cases of fire. No notice was taken of the report. The J building was a perfect trap, and those who were. acquainted with its construction predicted a great loss of lifo m ease of fire breaking out. It is a significant fact m connection with the fire that, familiar as the wife of the proprietor was with the building, and though sleeping on the second story, she was just on the point of jumping out of the window, at the risk of being crippled, when a friendly policeman interposed, and brought a ladder.

A Press reporter visited the Hospital, -and the house surgeon permitted the injured men to be visited. The doctor said that Fresdyke was suffering severely from a shock caused by burns to his legs and abdomen. The patient McLaughlin had injured his spine m jumping from the burning building. Edwin Neill had sustained a compound fracture ' of his leg, and also injuries to the chest. Fresdyke appears to be about fort-five years of age. As he was m intense suffering, no particulars could be obtained from him beyond the statement that he is a single man, and also that the lower part of his body wag completely baked. It is evident that the injuries are of a very serious character. In a very short time he became delirious. Edwin Neill, 30 years of age, has his face sadly burned, bis whiskers and moustache being singed quite short. He also complains of pains m ais chest, resulting from the fall. He appeared very weak and could scarcely speak. Joseph Houghton appears to be suffering mostly from a severe shock caused to his system by the fall. He is a single man of 27 years- of age. He was steward on the Gairloch, and. only left her yesterday. Alfred Finch appears not to have suffered much, there being no _ marks of flames having scorched him. He is a single man, 55 years of age, and em ployed as a cook. Thomas Orr appears to have dislocated his ankle and the - elbow of his left arm. He appears not to be m much pain, and takes matters very good humoredly. The enginedriver, Hugh McLaughlan, states that he is 25 years of age, and is unmarried. He has been knocking about New Zealand for the past two years. He is suffering from dislocation of the lett arm. The man who died has not been idenh tied. Superintendent Thomson has had the remains photographed. He died shortly after reaching the hospital and before-he could tell his name. He was abonti 45 years old, sft sin m height, of slender build, and fair complexion ; his whiskers and moustache were brown turning grey, and three of the upper fron teeth were out. It is stated that John Fresdyke, Edward Neill, and James Hou^hton are m a critical condition.