FIRE.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume X, Issue 70, 22 March 1875, Page 2

FIRE.

Since the fire which, just about twelve months ago, destroyed the premises of Messrs Phillips and Wyuiond in Bridge-street, Done has occurred in Nelson so eerious as that which on Saturday night broko oiit in the original drapery establishment of Messrs Everett Brothers. About a quarter past eleven the first note or alnrm was sounded, ami the persistent manner in which thp bells pealed forth their warning tones was sufficient to convince the inhabitants of the town that it was no trifling gorse fire, such as has too frequently created an alarm, that required attending to, although in the absence of any signal pointing out the locality, half of those who hurried out of their beds and houses did not know which direction to take, as a bright moon was shining, .md consequently the glare was not fo perceptible as it would have been had the night been dark aud cloudy. In the course of a few minutes it became known that Bridge-street was the scene of the fire, and thither the crowd pressed from all qmrterß. The first detatchment of the Brigade who reached the spot bore with them the hoße from the pedestal in Trafalgarstreet, and by the time they arrive I a dense smoke was issuing f;om the building, which showed that the fire, which was not yet visib'e, had obtained a firm hod on the interior. The hydrant being fixed, the or.lcr was given to break open the front of tho shopt and in a very few seconds the shutters were smashed, and the phte glass windows dashed to fragments, revealing what was indeed a formidable sight, the interior of the buildinsr, especially (it the back, being like an oven in which a large fire was blazing. The current of air thus created very shortly drove tho flames through the root", find a tremendous glare speech" lyenlighiened those who might have been in doubt as to the precise locality at which the alarm bels were inviting their attendance. By this time the hoses h:ul arrived from the hi ad station, and were speedily placed in position, while the ringing of small bells not far oft 1 speedily proclaimed that the Port Brigade with their hose wee hastening to the rescue. In a very few minutes five branches were at work, two of ihem playing upon the flames, which had obtained too firm a bold to leave any hopes of saving the burning building its. If. one upon Mr Livkk's store to windward, and two ur>on the house and fruiterer's thop of Mrs Midd'emiss to leeward, which busy hui's were very soon engaged in emptying of its contents, a largo number of those who had coll ctcel on the spot being similarly engaged within the building that was on fire, from which a consielerable quantity of goods were taken out, although, in transit and by exposure to water in the s rett in which they were stacked, they sustained much damage. And now the battle between the two opposing e'ements of fire and water became most exciting. Between the building that was ia flatnep, and which cons stcd of simply a ground floor, ar'd Mrs Mliulemiss' store, which was a two-storeye 1 house, and towards which a steady south-west breeze was b'owiug, both bu Idings being of wood, there was a passage aomu three f;et in width, anel the question which required immediate solution was whether it whs better to p ; ur the whole supp'y of water upon the flames, or by a constant stf earn upon the as yet untouched building to endeavor to save it. The latter courae was resolved upon, and, as the event proved, with the most satisfactory results. At the entrance to ihe passage above mentioned a member of the r,rijade was stationed with instructions to keep his branch playing upou the sound building, and steadily and unflinchingly be carried out his orders. Very soon angry looking tongues ef fire leaped out, and appeare i to be, as it were, licking the wooden wall down which the water was ttreatning, preparatory io devouring it, and &t short intervals these were followed by huge masses of flames ■which, backed as they wew by the wiud, dasheJ thtmselvi s wgains-. the house that really seemed to be doomed, curled round the corners, and under tho eaves, and ap-appi-ared to be most determined in their (florts to secure fresh pabulum. But still, hopeless as appeared bis t sir, there stood the fireman bravely defending the wall so furiously attacked. In the meantime, however, ho had received aid from a powerful ally. A ladder had been planted agnoet the threatened house, ar.d up this there climbed a member of the brigade, bearing with him another branch, lie took his ttation at tho corner of the roof, the water was turned on, nnd fiom this commanding position above the flames he directed his stream of water wherever he deemed it to be most required. Now he was showering it upon the shingles he was striving to protect, and agflin, wtien a more tliau ordinarily powerful body of fire charged from the mass of flames below him upon the house he had undertaken to savr, ho varieel the direction of the stream over which he had control, and conveited them from a dangerous blaze into a powerless mass of smoke. In this be was, for several minut s at a time, completely enshrouded, wliili all round him there were burning flakes, and occasionally he would be hidden fiom the sight of the crowd below, who wondered whether he w. s still there, and, if so, how he could keep his post. Then the sin ke would temiorariy vlear awny, ami still there was the stolid, imperturbable figure in ihe dull red coat and flashing helmet to be Feem steadily holding on to his branch, the only visible movement bting that required to effect the deviation of tho stream of water from one point to another that was occasionally rendered necessary. And then from the excited and udmiring crowd below tin re would rise a cry of " Br.ivo, Charley." " Well done, Charley Bird." Ana well indeel did he deserve the mcc.l of praise thus almost involuntarily accorded to him. ior the man who could stand his ground in spite of the imoke that surround eJ, aud the heat that enveloped him, must have been one of more than ordinary pluck and determination. In half an l.ours lime the flames were somewhat subdued, and it was considered safe to take off one of the branches from the front, aud to remove it to the rear, from thence to .attiu k the fire which hid exien.'el t> some outhouses vimhwere there fituated, find at this time burning furiously, »nd likely to prove a source of danger to the back of Mrs ai iddlcmiss' house. That tlvs move was a judicious one was coon rendered apparent, and in a few minutes all

danger of the fire extending was at an end, and all that was required was to pour such a volume of water upon tho embers as should render any fresh outbreak impossible. This was done, and in the course of time every vestige of fire was extinguished. ' Thosa who witnessed the efforts of the men who compose the brigades will not require us to say one word in their praise; to those who were not present it is only necessary to say tha 1 ; the work that had to be done was executed in a manner that was deserving of the highest prais?. The rapidity with which the men turned out, and the steadiness wit!) which each performed his allotted task was a credit to them? elves, and should be a source of pride td th citizens of Ndson, for in few towns in New Z aland is there to he found such an efficient and well disciplined un remunerated body of volunteers. Captain Mill-shall, the commanding officer of the district, and a few of the Artillery Company were also quickly on the spot, and rtndered good service in keping the crowd back from the hoses which interlaced the road from Trafalgar to Collingwood-streets. With regard to the origin ot the fire we can give no information. Mr Everett, senior, left the shop a little after ten, and his sons and one of the men at a quarter to eleven, everything then bting to all appearances safe, the lamps in the public part of the building having been extinguished by the man whose business it was to attend to them. Five miDutes before the fire was discovered a policeman pissed the buildiDg, but noticed no sympton^s of it, and the first to orservo smoke, and to call attection to it was, so far as we ran learn, a man who was leaving the Royal Hotel at a quarter-past eleven. A very Jew minutes alter the alarm was raised Mr Everett, senior, was on' the spot, and with one or two others broke open the door at the back, near the office where the books and safe were kept, which they succeeded in rescuing In doing so they were surrounded by flames, while, in the hurried glance thty were able to cast around, it seemed to them that the ceiling was on fire right away to the front of the shop. The building, which was the property of Mr Batchelor, was insured in the London a?id Liverpool for £600,' and ihe stcck for £1000 each in the Standard, Norwich Union, and Victoria. The total value of the stock is estirmted by the Messrs Everett at £5000. A good denl of it has been saved, but in what condition it is after the rough handling to which it was necessarily exposed, and tlie soaking a large portion of it received* ins not yet been ascertained.