FIRE AT SOLOMON'S SHOP.

Oamaru Mail, Volume IV, Issue 850, 6 January 1879, Page 2

FIRE AT SOLOMON'S SHOP.

About midnight on Saturday night the shop of Mr. Solomon, music-seller, Waitaki Buildings, Thames-street, was discovered to be on fire ; but fortunately, owing to timely aid being procured by Mr. B. C. Lindsay, who made the discovery, a serious conflagration was averted. Mr. • Lindsay, who was proceeding home with Mrs. Lindsay from a friend's house, on passing the shop detected the jsmell of : smoke and hearing some articles in the shop, at once came to the conclusion that the place was on fire. He then, with the utmost promptitude, proceeded to obtain assistance, first calling to his aid two men whom he found standing under the verandah of the Swan Hotel, and then gave warning at the Police Station. Within a few minutes Constables Cameron and Donovan were on the spot, and with Mi-. R. Hamilton (in the employ of Mr. Headland) and R. Crouch, besides those already mentioned, took immediate steps to extinguish the fire. Access to the shop was gained by bursting in the side door, and it was then found that, though the place was filled with a dense mass of smoke, the fire had not obtained a firm Hold. The fire had evidently broken out behind the counter, and the- flames were leaping up the shelves, on which were stowed a large quantity of music and fancy goods. A portion of the beams supporting the upper floor were also considerably charred; but the spreading of the flames had evidently been retarded from the want of air and the fact of the building being one of stone. Mr. Hamiltgn having pfoeurecl spine buckets from ]VIr. Headland's'stable. a'supply of water was obtained from the same 'gentleman's tanks and freely applied to the fire. Mr. Headland, who was aroused, came down shortly afterwards, and opening his shop distributed an additional supply of buckets, and so copious a supply of water was then brought to bear upon the building that all fear of the fire spreading was speedily put to an end. The flames in the Ipwer part qf the building having been overcome; bucjjeig fulj p?" water werg carried up-stairs and poured lavishly on the floor so as tp prevent the fire spreading- upwards. While this was

going on Dr. Fleming, with the aid of a powerful syringe, was carefully extinguishing all the remaining traces in the shop. Within a very short time the gentlemen named, with the aid' of a large number of others who arrived during the progress of operations, exinguished every trace of fire. The damage done to the stock, which included several pianos and American organs; was considerable. Many of the valuable instruments, though escaping destruction by fire, were damaged either by water or rough handling in removing them from the shop. A few instruments, however, escaped with very little injury. Mr. Solomon's stock was insured in the South British Office for LIOOO, but we believe he estimates his stock at having been worth L 2300. The building belongs to Messrs. Butfcerworth Brothers, and is insured, but in what office, and to what extent, we have been unable to ascertain. How the fire originated is a mystery, that will not easily be solved. There is no fireplace in the shop, and Mr Solomon states that when he left the shop at 10 o'clock he carefully put out the gas, and did not, as was his usual custom, light his pipe before leaving. It is a very fortunate circumstance that the building is wellconstructed of stone, for had the fire originated in a wooden building, with our very limited supply of water, and in the total absence of any proper means of extinguishing a fire, a serious conflagration would otherwise have occurred.