FIRE.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XI, Issue 125, 26 January 1876, Page 2

FIRE.

"When a gorse bush occasionally takes fire; or the flare from the cjbiinney of a,; coke, oven is somewhat brighter than. usual/ithe fire bells; ring long and: i fiercely, but wheu a house is blazing ; a i'ew! taps are considered >qfficreht. : jSudh at ;least was. the •_, case,. thjs : morning,., when about, half past eleven a heavy : cioud/bf 'smoke was seen- rising from: -the! roof of Mr : Fellas lioiisedri the .'hiH 1 near the residence of Mr N; > Edwards. JFrom those parts of the town whence the; hoiisecouldbe seen a : large number of persons, including the members of the Fire Brigade with _their hose reels and j engine, made at once for the spot. Mr Fell's house consisted of two buildings connected with each/ other, the one being the old cottage occupied some years ago by: Captain Rough, the other comparatively new; nob having been erected more than three yeara. In the older.'biiilding which had a thatched roof covered with . iron with a space t intervening between them, was the ; kitchen where jam-making had been .going on during the early part of the morning, after which the fire had been put out. Soine time later Mrs Fell 1 heard a crackling sound in the front part of the' building, and on going ciiit to s|e§ what it. was, found that it was on fire; .The alarm was at once given, and : ther smoke having been noticed from other parts of the town a crowd soon assembled. On fche arrival of the Eire Brigade it was found that no water coujd be brought to bear, the nearest pipes, and those of the smallest calibre, b>ing in Bronte street, afc least 100 yarcls distant and almost as many feet below: the level of the burning building. There^was^a service pipe laid" on to the! house, but the tiny trickle. to' be ; obtained from that, 1 could not possibly be of 7 any use. Seeing that the bouse ;inust go, all efforts were at once turned in the direction of saving the contents, . %nd although each individual' of the "many who '/rendered assistance was wording independently and upon his |ow4 judg^wV* more, pr^erly; method

of proceeding we never witnessed on any occasionn&f a i similar, nature£j Thejr;e, Mas n;s|burry dr csxcitement, fe|l while* &\l worked ihard tlfef did :so calmly and' judiciously,* -and tl|b result, jf|fas that 1 the whole .jpf^ theffurni^urie inpjie new? and larger portion of" th^Btailling was^ "saved with scarcely a breakage of any importance. Even window sashes were removed and doors unscrewed and placed in safetyj and, so far as is known, little more has beenllost Jiban a quantity of table linetf 1 and llotties which were in the old portion of the house. After a, ,ti m ft r .several lengtjhs_of^ hose were joined together and fixed to^a fire plug in Bronte street, and the engine was set to work to pump from this on the,., smouldering^ashes^of , the.,, buildr,. - ing which, by this time, was entirely consumed. Too muchypraise:cannpt be,; awarded to those who' rendered such valuable nssiatance, without which the woujd h^ve.^een'Jfirlm, excels jrf£ ;\that which we ere called upon to record. The house and furniture, waun^eretapd, were insured in the New Zealand office, for ; something over T^his. fire} has proved a striking commentary upon the City JSurv.ey^r's, recent, report ■M'h which it was proposed td extend the main water service along the hill side 'towards the College, and will be found by ! thbie 1 who aiipporled ? thef;Bcfienie F ; to be a powerful ally should the queer, tion again crop up for discuaaion.