The Oamaru Mail. WITH WHICH IS INCORPORATED THE NEW ZEALAND AGRICULTURIST. WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 1879.

Oamaru Mail, Volume IV, Issue 1107, 5 November 1879, Page 2

The Oamaru Mail. WITH WHICH IS INCORPORATED THE NEW ZEALAND AGRICULTURIST. WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 1879.

Tbw owsTOtng we were afforded another instance «f the eminently inflammable nattrew of wooden tenements. Th« board and todafinjt establishment of Mr. Kiymn ■ then 44 want by clue board." This ii tin- : second time that that gentleman hxj : suffered the pangs whkh a cunttigratwn .most cause to any secsitive man. a few short months ha has bc«n tewice rendered homeless. Petrftapi it will matter for wonde that »t.tch j CTJuJblrahments do rw>r, ofctwer fnIE victim* trr t!be devouring efeineMt. Th» v y ar«* r a.* » rule, eo ad acted on the- rawest '•! prtneiple*. Lodgew gtr to bed in a statu if Mnttcowwiwfluuiess, and with a candle t.J t»fc»? care of itmlf, and a pipe over which tae? have as Ktile control. and it i» >so fastis of tbics if they fat! to create a stir in the wuriti. Lite cause of this mornfire is so far a mystery. Or c june, St i». Nobody would \t>* tu foolish .as t«> -vestare a candid opinion as to' how i£ •ortjeieaied. He has too touch respect for lUumE The cat ban a gnat deal to ssuwur f<3K« and rise u * srjtneaa satpuast bin should he venture to oYtttae&

told that harried footsteps were heard on the pavement in the vicinity of the consumed building a few minutes before the alarm of fire was given,and of other circumstances that wo are not. at liberty to publish. The darkness precluded the possibility of seeing the canse of these footsteps, but those who heard the | noise solemnly aver that it did not 1 in the slightest degree resemble the pattering df a cat. We were going to: say that Oamaru is to be congratulated on ; having been relieved of wooae:: I building and a " boarding-house. Tiicse places endanger the safety of the more substantial erections in their vicinity. Tlits mornings fire is proof of this. We >{tiestion the wisdom of grantingboardinghouse licenses to such places, fur it is well known now that the " boarding-house trade enhances the dinger of destruction by Ore. There wcre_ surely sufficient "reasons why Mr. Keenan's license should not have been granted, ami the Municipal Council would have acted wisely had they taken advantage of those reasons and withheld it. Vi nilst the cause of the fire is unknown, its source is not disputed by anybody. Had it originated in any other building in the vicinity of Mr. Keenan's " boardinghouse " the Fire Brigade would have had a les3 arduous and difficult duty to perform. 'Such inflammable fuel, the tier}- fragments of which were home by the high wind into dangerous crevice 3 of almost fire-proof buildings, rendered it difficult for the Brigade to confine the limits of the element against the ravages of which they were contending. The water supply was, of course, very limited, and when Messrs. Baillie and Humphrey's tanks had given out their last drop, the [tames were still raging. But the contents of Mcssts. Lintott and Otter3on's well were brought to the rescue, and fortunately proved equal to the occasion, thanks to the judicious expenditure of them by the Brigade. Thus wc havo been afforded another instance of the utility of our newly organised Fire Brigade, and we are pleased to learn that Messrs. Lintott and Otterson intend to recognise their services by presenting them with LlO. There can be no doubt that at least LSOOO worth of property wn3 saved from destruction last night through their instrumentality.