The Nelson Evening Mail. MONDAY, OCTOBER 5, 1866.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume I, Issue 185, 8 October 1866, Page 2

The Nelson Evening Mail. MONDAY, OCTOBER 5, 1866.

On Saturday evening last, about a qnnrler past 5 o'clock, the inhabitants of Bridgestreet were much alarmed by the cry office. A large quantity of smoke was seen to issue from the shop of Mr. Shone, cabinet maker, which proceeded from a fire that was burning under the floor of the shop. The fire fortunately occurred at a time when a great number of persons were about, and there "was little difficulty in procuring the means of extinguishing it. The most praiseworthy promptitude was shown by the neighbors and persons who witnessed the occurrence. Water was immediately supplied by them in buckets, and in :i few minutes all danger had disappeared. On the floor of the shop, underneath which the fire originated, being broken up, a large mass of ignited shavings was discovered between the joists. The fire must have commnnicatcd to these through an aperture on the eastern side of the building, by means of a lighted match or some other substance carelessly thrown there. The shavings having been set on fire, and the wind blowing from east to west, the side of I the building in the latter direction would i soon have been in flames, but for the timely j interference of those who first saw the smoke. "Who was responsible ior throwing the lighted match, if surh was thrown, there are no i means of showing; but a. more narrow escape from' n serious lire the town could hardly have had. Several members of the Nelson Volunteer j Fire Brigade, were working near the spot, j and fiSrfisic.il to put out the fire. About 40 members of the Brigade, turned out with i great alacrity, rind were present "with both i engines wiibiu ten minute? from the time when the alarm was first given. .In consequence of l.he hose which way wet with Friday night's practice, having been placed on i ihc rack to dry, some li r tie delay was caused, and the arrival of [he engine slightly retarded. The arrival of the brigade, however, so promptly and in such numbers, was tin assuring circumstance, as had the fire been one of serious dimensions, the 900 feet of hose at their disposal, and the unlimited sunolv of water in the culvert at the corner of Trafal-gar-street, would, iii the hands of the active men Captain Knight has now under his command, not have failed to achieve satisfactory results. Fortunately the engine was | ■ not required, but it is a source of satisfaeI tiou to the town to be able to rely on a body of energetic men, and to feel that no efforts • will be spared by them to avert the calamity of fire or mitigate its ravages, should iire on any scale unfortunately occur. Mr. Shone was insured in the office of the New Zealand Insurance Co., of which Messrs. Curtis are the agent?, from whom he promptly received \ this morning the sum of £20 the amount of j damage sustained by him through the fire iv question. The narrow escape the town has had from another destructive fire, should draw public attention to the removal of the causes of fire. All builders ot houses should be careful to remove shavings and other inflammable materials from between the floors of the building, as well as to prevent any apertures i . through which fire can be admitted. The Town Board in defining the duties of the , newly appointed Inspector of Nuisances, j might instruct that officer to be on the watch for circumstances such as those which, led to the fire on Saturday. The practice of leaving combustible materials to accumulate j under buildings, cannot be too strongly cen- j sured, and should be prevented by law, or otherwise. "* Another dangerous practice prevails on a large scale, that of lighting matches and throwing them carelessly away. Several persons have informed us of instances iv which boys have thrown away

lighted matches, in places where the danger of fire was imminent. Only yesterday, a gentleman saw a dozen urchins with matches and pipes, in an old building full of palings, close to the Institute. They were experimenting in the art of smoking tobacco, and had chosen a time and place favorable for the experiment. As the hot season approaches and timber- becomes easily ignited, the necessity becomes greater that sparks of fire should not be thrown away carelessly. The town has escaped a dreadful catastrophe which, had it taken place, might have beeu traced probably to the careless habits of a tobacco smoker, whether young or old it is unnecessary to speculate.