DISASTROUS FIRE IN DUNEDIN.

Oamaru Mail, Volume IV, Issue 1056, 8 September 1879, Page 2

DISASTROUS FIRE IN DUNEDIN.

GREAT LOSS OF LIFE. (froji to-day's daily times.) One of the largest and most destructive fires which has occurred in Dunedin for the last four years broke out this morning about half-past 2 o'clock. When the alarm-bell tolled out the signal, the lire had a strong hold of the large block of buildings in the Octagon situated next the Athenaeum, and known as Ross' Buildings. The flames were first seen iu that portion of tho buildings adjoining the dyeworks, at the corner of the Octagon and Stuart-street. This was just previous to the arrival of the Brigade. The fire is said to have originated in the Cafe' Chantant. Some considerable time elapsed before the Brigade got a hose to bear on the back part of the premises, owing chiefly to the .difficulty of access, the only way of leading the hose round from the front being down a narrow right-of-way, and here a stiff paling fence blocked the way, until an opening could be made through it. When the hose at last began t > play, the great height of the building—tor the flames were at this time confined to the higher portion—prevented any effective result being attained in that direction. Above the noise, and shouting, and clanging of the bell could be hoard the pitiful and heart-rending shrieks of women and men cut off from the only means of exit—the staircase —-and it was indeed sorrowful to hear these piercing cries of terror, without any efficient means of rendering assistance. The Fire Brigade scarcely turned out »ifch their usual promptness, and through the fire-escape having been lately removed from the Masonic Hall, a large number of the public were debarred from rendering assistance for a time. Several of the people in the building jumped out from the windows, both at the front and back, and one unfortunate woman—a Miss Margaret Macarthy—was told by the people to jump from the third storey. In her terror she obeyed these calls, and as she fell she struck a projection over the main entrance, and was carried away bruised and insensible, but her moaning told that life was not quite extinct. Eventually a long ladder was obtained, and by this means a number of people were taken out from the side of the building next the Athen£eum. A large number of the boarders sleeping on the third floor were wandering about the building for some time utterly bewildered, but they luckily broke into a room used for drying clothes, and making fast the clothes lines to a bedstead, a number of people escaped by this means. Of course their hands and feet are cut considerably, but in view of the frightful deach from which they escaped, they can make light of these. The "block of buildings was almost entirely destroyed, and as wc write there is little left save the bare walls. Fortunately the fire was confined to the one block, this being mainly due to the fact that there was scarcely any wind blowing. A man named David Conway jumped from one of the top storeys of the building, and iu addition to being burnt was severely injured by the fall. He was taken to the City Hotel, and subs jquently removed to the Hospital, evidently suil'ering great pain. Maggie Macarthy jumped from the top storey, and was caught in a sheet. She did not appear to be severely injured. Another young woman, name unknown, jumped from one of the back windows of the building. Mr. J. M'Gill caught her and broke her fall, but she still fell heavily, and was considerably injured, as she struck against a projecting part of the building while falling. She was also taken to the Hospital. Two of Mr. Robert Wilson's children are known to be severely injured. They were badly burnt, and in jumping down sustained further injury. One of them struck the parapet in falling, and then fell on the pavement. The extent of their injuries is unknown, but it is feared that in one case the injury sustained will prove fatal. (from the morning herald.) At about half-past two o'clock this morning one of the most disastrous fires which ever occurred in Dunedin broke out in the building known as Walters' Cafe', situate at the corner of Ross' Buildings, and adjoining the drapery shop of Mrs. Wilson, wife of the editor of the editor of the Otago Witness, who, with her husband and a large family, occupied the upper portion of their premises as a residence. The Caf<s and other parts of the block were also densely peopled—the former alone having some 25 boarders, while the rooms over all the places of business were occupied—the computation being that at least 50 persons were sleeping in the block. Of these some dozen persons are accounted for, and it amounts to almost a certainty that Mr. and Mrs. Wilson with their whole family except twa daughters, one of whom, as we said, is badly injured—are lost. How the fire originated is at present a mystery, and with the intense excitement which at present prevails it is impossible to ascertain anything like reliable information One of

the men who occupied a room on the second floor of the Cafd, and who escaped by lowering himself with a clothes-line from one of the windows, supplies us with the following facts :—He says that the fire broke out in the second story ; that he was awoke by a dense smoke, and endeavored at once to make his way down stairs, but was forced back bi'the smoke and ilames. He then rushed to the front part of the building, but being unable to get on the stairs there, he climbed on to the ispoiiting, r.-.vl crawling along it got to a window, which he opened, and on entering the room found a clothes-line which was attached to pulleys. This he cut, drew the rope through, shouted to the men in the adjoining rooms to follow him, and slid down into the street. He says that while groping along the upstair passages he passed over several bodies lying on the floor, apparently suffocated. Ho got as far forward as Wilson's, and heard the children crying " What shall we do V' but was unable to render them any assistance. About nine other people, lie savs, escaped by the same means that lie did. The scene during the early part of the fire was something terrific. The screams of the women and children, who could be sden through the dense smoke plinging to window sills and parapets, without the possibility of getting near them, was something awful, and appeared to quite

paralyse the crowd, for although ladder could be and were eventually obtained at the new Town Hall buildings, and sonio three persons rescued by their means, no one at first seemed to think of thom. Just as we are obliged to go to press, wo hear that Mr. "Wilson has been seen, l JU t, the report lacks confirmation. We hav<* also heard that only thirteen of d lO persons sleeping in the Cafe are accounted for. (from OCR OWN" ronKKsroxi->KN"r. \ Prsnnis, September 8. Another body lias been recovered, sup. posed to be that of William Martin formerly assistant librarian at th e Athemeum. Jinwiiwn, the colored m.ui is not among the victims. The remains taken for his have since been identified as those of Swan, a bootmaker. One of th« female remains has been identified as those of Anne M'Fadgen, a domestic. The girl Macarthy is still missing. As Mr. Wilson kept no register of those persons who .ged in the rooms of the third storey, it is impossible to say what number of persons are missing Active search is still being made amongst the ruins for bodies. The fire lias ease quite a gloom over the city. The insurances, so far as they aro known, are as follow :—Union, Lllso* Standard, LIOOO ; National, L 1450 ; Nor wicli Union, LI3OO ; Victoria, L2O(/; Hanseatic, L4OO ; New Zealand, L2OO. Later. Another body of a man, name unknown, has been recovered, making the tenth. An inquest will be lieid on Friday.