FIRE IN THAMES-STREET.

Oamaru Mail, Volume IV, Issue 1218, 12 March 1880, Page 2

FIRE IN THAMES-STREET.

About twenty minutes past four o'clock this morning the bell of St. Paul's Church gave out the alarm that another fire had broken out in the town. There was no mistaking the locality of the fire, for the flames issuing from the back of one of the buildings at the corner of Thames and Coquet streets known as Sumpter's Buildings, left no room for doubt upon that point. The fire was discovered by Mrs. Peattie, who had just opened the board-ing-house at the corner, and who was sleeping alone on the premises. Hearing an unusual noise about the place, she got out of bed and looked out of tho back window and about her own premises, but failed to discover anything. On againi retiring she became still more convinced that something was wrong about the place,, and made another investigation. Thistime she opened the door for the purpose of making a more complete investigation, and was startled to find—what she had previously failed to discover owing to Jior bedroom window giving a view in a different direction—that the adjoining; premises were on fire. She at once raised an alarm, and her cries. attracted tho notice of the bakers at work at Mr. Davidson's, who caused tho alarm to bo rung, and at once assisted Mrs Peattie in the removal of some of her furniture. That the outbreak of thefire was very sudden, is shown by the fact that when the bakers, passed the building a few minutes previously, on their way to the bakehouse, there was no sign of fire. The fireappears to have originated in tho back, part of the premises occupied by Mr. Fryer, picture frame maker, and so' rapidly did it spread to the front of the* shop, and to the boot shop of Messrs. Roughton and Pocklington adjoining it,, that nothing could be got out. Owing tothe smallness of the number present and. the rapidity with which the flames spread,, too, it was with very great difficulty that anything could be "removed from Mrs.. Peattie's boarding-house at the corner,, but by dint of perseverance a little of the furniture was removed. By the time this had been accomplished, the whole of the wooden pile extending from the corner of the street to the stone building known as Sumpter's old office was aflame, while feare were entertained that the fire might spread to Dr. Fleming's dwellinghouse and stables; but the wind was fortunately blowing from the west, and carried the flames into Thames-street, and avoided the possibility of any connection between the burning mass and Dr. Fleming's premises. Tho friendly stone wall of the old office acted as a barrier to the progress of the flames in a northerly direction, though the roof was burned, and the premises (used in connection with the cottage adjoiningas a boarding-house, by Mr. Garard) were completely gutted. From this building the greater portion of the furniture was removed, as was the whole of that in the cottage. So rapidly did the wooden pile burn that withirn a very short time the boarding-house,. Roughton and Pocklington's premises, and Fryer's shop were reduced to a smouldering mass of ruins, while, as already stated, the stone building was completely gutted. The Fire Brigade was present, but their services, owing to tho dry nature of the timber in the burning buildings, the want of a ready supply of water, and willing hands to work the pumps, were of little avail. How the fire originated is a mystery. Mr. Fryer states that he left his shop about half-past eleven o'clock, and that he had not used any fire during the day. The whole of the buildings destroyed were the property of Mr. George Sumpter, and were insured in the New Zealand Company for LllOO, including the house occupied by Mr. Garard, which was nob destroyed. Of the sum mentioned, there is a re-insurance of L 250 in the North British Company. Messrs. Roughton and Pocklington's stock, which was entirely destroyed, was insured for L4OO in the Liverpool and London and Globe Company and for L2QO in the South' British ; but their insurances do not cover the total amount, of their loss. Mr. Fryer's stock was insured in the New Zealand Company for Ll5O, but he estimates his loss at considerably over that sum. With the exception of a few unopened cases of chairs stored in an outbuilding, none of his stock was saved. Amongst the contents of the shop were a number of pictures belonging to customers left for framing, while Mr. Fryer's bench and alt his tools were burned. Mrs. Peattie is a considerable loser, aa her furniture was not insured, and only a small amount of it was saved. Mr. Garrard's furniture was insured for L2OO in the North British Company, and for LIOO in the New Zealand Company, but, as is already stated, the greater portion of it was saved.