A CHRISTCHURCH SESATICS

Otago Witness, Issue 2811, 29 January 1908, Page 17

A CHRISTCHURCH SESATICS

FIRE AT THE HOSPITAL. MARKS WARD DESTROYED. A VIVID DESCRIPTION, CHRISTCHURCH, January 22. A disastrous fire occurred at the Chris church Hospital this morning, resulting i the almost complete destruction of the rte Marks Ward, which was erected same Jdxt ago, a bequest having been left for th'i purpose by the -late Mr 'Hyman Marks. The fire was first* observed about a. qua ter past SO, when- smoke -was seen issuirj from one> at -the Tentilators in the too An' alarm wa§ 'given at the Lichfield strei and other stations, and the brigade plaßi, eeoortetT by a rushing battalion * cyclists, was despatched post haste. The steamers planted on the Ho pkal bridge, and -connections made wit the river. Several heads of hose wei then hurriedly tafeen round to the MarS Ward (which is at the extreme west < the hospital), and tihe strenuous fight wit the flames began. THE PROGRESS OF THE FIRE. "It- will be right along the roof, just a it -was at the asylum," was the . yerdit Riven by Sttberintendertt Smith after th firs* inspection. No names were visibk but a dense volume of reeking _yelk> 1 smoke was pouring out of the roof nea the north end of the ward. A strong win* ooaripg in from fcbe eaat fanned ,the fir with greater ■ intensity, besides giving it slight inclination towards the •outh. Th prediction of the- superintendeVt w* *«jply 'borirt-^jufc DtiflwedTy fougfifc thbug! they were, ihe flames crept alongr, *n before tfie^nre was checked the whole o the steel-tiled room had been gutted. THE SCENE IN THE WARD. The Marks Ward is a two-storeyed bricl structure, and contains two distinct wards that for women and children being oi the upper door. The men's ward & oi the ground floor. When the fire was fire noticed it was decided to remove the oocu panto of the women's ward at once, Th< ward was invaded by a- band of devote< nurses and willing workers, and th« trembling patients gently bat «wiftly re moved. The scene in the wards was ii some degree affecting. Here, amid th< noisy bustle and ever-thickening smoke were men pulling along the floor beds or which lay women and children, whose suffering*, without being accentuated bj the excitement of the fire, would hay« soused the pity of any person -who owned a spark of humanity. The patient*, tc their credit be it said, bravely concealed the agitation which nrast have taken hole of them. There were tears, but they wer« the tears of physical weakness and ncr voueness, not of unwomanly fear. The uni formed nurses flitted from bedside to bed side cheering their charges and comfort ing them with assurances of a speedy and safe removal from the ward. THE CHILDREN FIRST. "The children first," was the rule worked upon by the band of workers There were nine little ones in the uppei ward, and they were the firef to be re toovd from the burning building. Then beds were wheeled singly into the lift ai the north end of the ward, and lowered tc the ground floor, where they were moved off ho other wards. Tie children, theit eyes sparkling and their bodies quivering with excitement, behaved like little heroes. They made no outcries, and gave not the eligihtest trouble. The. women patients, oj whom there were about 10, were next extended to. Several were lowered to (he ground floor by means of the lift. At last there came a warning shout from a fireman, "Look out!" and a fiery cataract of burning timber descended with a rush end a roar, blocking the staircase and preventing the further use of the lift. There were still several women in the ward, and the smoke was getting more and more pungent. The remaining beds had to be lowered slowly and carefully down an iron staircase into the courtyard of the hospital, and this was done without accident. Thus every patient was taken from the_ women and children's ward wit-houl [Accident. SAVING THE FURNITURE. The voluntary corps of workers havine cleared the ward of patients, then turned attention to the salvaging of the beds and ttirniture. and in a marvellously short space of time the upper ward was bare of everything which could be moved. Beds were carried on to the large concrete balcony, and from there lowered to the ground. Mattresses, blankets, -and pillows were thrown ever the railing with no more warning to people underneath than a sharp Look out! " >The rooms attached to the wards were stripped of furniture, and all the little trivial nicknaoks so dear to the feminine mind in much-admired disorder. These things were hurriedly bundled toAftther. conveyed downstairs, and deposited

s ma safe place. "All clear" was reported, and a glance along the ward showed that it was even so. The room, which but in a few minutes before had been occupied by , the bedridden patients and the ministers to their comfort, was as guiltless of furniture as an empty barn. The fcaak of lowering the heavier articles from the balcony to the ground was' a longer one, but it . was safely accomplished, the workers using • " several stout ropee. So much had the fire. „ . spread that the last men to .leave the' ; : "^_ Daloony; had to slide down a rope, as the . i way to the exit at the south end was con- , I w'd«red dangerous. j ,r-J - A TERRIBLE SPECTACLE. \ ig About 11 o'clock the wirid eeemed to if. J freshen, and the flames burst "out with ! et greater vigour than ' ever. The ornamental , t's • turrets on the west side of the ward toot j wards the northern end were surrounded by j flames and almost obscured by smoke; s- From the inside there oame renewed crash:h rnga of falling timber, and bursts of flames re and sparks followed every fresh collapse. cs It was confidently prredic.ted ' at this time :f , that the ward would be lefi a mere shell, h so great was the fury of the fire on the west side, though on the east the brigade ■ ■ eeemed to have the flames more or less subdued. The northern facade was practi- ,. oally untouched, but on the east side the flatties were bursting through the windows. Every now and again there were falls of "' steel tiles, which slipped off the roof and w jangled on the asphalt court, d i OPERATING UNDER DIFFICULTIES, c j When the alarm was Riven an operation a ' was proceeding in the operating theatre. c The attending nurses, all except one, were is .eent-^WjnK to help m tbe women's ward, h while Dr ,Steven«on finished the operation d with- the aid of the 'one 'nurse. It was >f probably a unique experience for all parties. Outside were the roar of the fire, the shouts of the crowd, and the hiss of the water being thrown on the fire and ■ X other disconcerting noises, but in the '' operating theatre, which is next the Marks i n j Ward, the operation proceeded as though ' ? ' there were nothing unusual to distract attention or disooionpse the general proce- " ' dure. The main corridor between Ward I , No. 6 and the Marks Ward was blocked 3 ; during the fire by an iron door. Though 0 the fire did not come up to the- door the ' heat to which it w«» subiected was intense. 1 The patients in Ward No. 6. though much 9 excited by the proximity of the fire, did '' not have to be moved. Their only regret 1 w«e that they could not get up and give ' assistance in chaoking the fire. The fire * was watched by a crowd of several hundred | persons, nany of whom gave valuable I Assistance in moving rescued furniture to ? places of safety. There was a -strong force j of polioe present, and admirable order was maintained by them. Inspector Gillies had i called out every available man, and under I his direction the services rendered were I invaluable. At no time was the crowd per- ! mitted to too closely approach the buildj in £8, or to hamper the operations of the brigade. AN IMPRESSIVE SIGHT. The noise of the fire was like the inces- * sant cracking of broken glass. It apparently ' rently started in the roof oiev the main f corridor, and from this more or le=e central - point crept north and south. It was f strenuously fought in the corridor by the fc brigade, but in spite of all efforts it still > beat them. Half an hour after the alarm I- j had been given the roof was a fiery in- ' | feTno. The blaring emberß fell into the ? : main corridor and then along the ward i * I proper. Viewed from the west eide the I * sight was an impressive, but saddening, I £ one. Flames were bursting through the < k I san in the roof, and thick yellow smoke J belched forth. [ THE MEN'S WARD. >■ At an earlier stage of the fire a nurse , in the men's ward, where there were some ' [ 21 patients, was asked : " Are you going : ,to act the patients out now? " The answer j i was characteristic of the trained British i < [ man or womar : ""We are waiting for , orders." And eventually the orders oame. ' i j and the patients were all moved from the "accident ward" to others. Out of about '. 21 in the ward only three or four could ! get up out of bed and walk oyt. The j others had to be wheeled out by nurses i and assistants. In a short time the lower | j ward was emptied just as the women's , , | ward had been cleared, the brass steriliser in the centre of the ward standing alone in , oolitarv dignity. , j THE END OF A GREAT STRUGGLE. 1 I An hour after the alarm was given the 1 fire still maintained a tenacious grip, and ' the struggle for mastery went doggedly < on. Every now and again the grimy, i i sweating face of a fireman would appear through a hole in the slate roof in search j of fresh air. At 11.30 the fire was still J advanoing against the wind, the staircase ' and other heavy timber burning fiercely. , « The northern upper balcony remained un- I harmed save, for the roof being burned. ' A quantity of furniture massed in chaotic ' contusion forlornly Teiii'stood a ceaseless 4 '

deluge of water from above, while vases of flowers; (not even these were overlooked rat the process of salving) draw refreshment from the all-pervading dampness. Fire- , men toiled up and down and round about j with swelling- lengths of hose, while members of an excited populace shouted advice ! and incoherent directions. However, the fight was vigorously sustained, and by 12.30 all danger of the conflagration's further spread wag at an. -end. The building wdsj.n<lt, «fuigped with 'fire-extinguish-ing apparatus, ahd* consequently when the brigade arrived it was called upon to cope with a task 1 beset with* peculiar difficulties. 'The Mate- roof *nd the plasteroeilijjg> prouei, sexicmsv ■obstacles iii tfe j way of getting at the.*te&t of the oonAagmI tiori, whicfi 'iweiit' along overhead for" the full --length of , tti6 building', there being bo parting ywh to check its pr«-greas- ' Tile three , chemical engines had done useful service - before . the steamer (stationed a*= ih» , Antigua: street bridge} arrived, and iJie lino Hjas-Valso attached to the Sydennam* high-pressure supply. A CHAT WITH* THE MATRON;Matron Ewart," who directed the delicate operations connected with the removal of the patients with the utmost coolness and skill, in the course of a conversation with< .», i£»prter, -stated that jdmttlj after . Ift o'clock 6moke was noticed by one of the nursing sisters to be issuing from the ventilator in the ceiling' of the second floor, between the jphiidren's <hnd- r *female ' i surgical wards. '■Simultanedesly fisnes' |; were seen bursting from the ventilator from outside, the cause most likely being an accumula^on, of .• sparuowsfci nestsr among, which .#^iark ttdni'.one chimneys may have lodged. One of the men gave "the affcrM, ghd'tße' worfi^ of" removing the patients was immediately proceeded with. " The doctors and the general public heped us greatly," the speaker continued, " and there was little or no confusion. If the fire had occurred at night time there is no saying what might have happened, seeing that little or no outside help would have been at hand. You see, some of the patients had to be brought oat on their beds, but all were got out safely in a little over five minutes. Tilers were 11 children, 18 women, and 24 men under treatment in the ward at the t^me. We have had numerous offers of assistance. Nurse Maude has offered to take some of the children. The Education Board has offered us accommodation at the West Christchurch School, and others have been equally kind. Some of the children are fit to be sent to their homes. Some of those patients who were fairly convalescent will be able to leave, and the chronic cases we .can make provision for elsewhere, so on the whole we should | be able to manage without much difficulty. | Of course, it will be inconvenient for everyone, but we shall have to put up with that." EXTENT OF THE DAMAGE. Most of the roof, with the exception of portions along the western side and , northern end, has been demolished, the beams and ceiling being destroyed. Otherwise the chief damage has been sustained in the vicinity of the staircase and the lift, ' where the fire raged the fiercest. The ground floor, with the exception of the part near the stairway. 'is partially damaged by water. All of the floors are intact. The outer walls enclosing the parts destroyed appear uninjured, but may crack in the process of cooling. Very I little furniture was dest roved. Much of it, of oourse, is damaged, but most of it was removed. The building was insured for £5000 in the Slate office, and it is anticipated, roughly, that the work of restoration will involve an expenditure of between £2000 and £3000. The furnish- I ings and a.ppliances were uninsured, but the loss under that head will not be very great. The fire was completely subdued by 1 o'clock, and nothing remained but to extinguish the smoulderine embers. ' The Lrman Marks ward was opened in 1897. CAUSE OF THE OUTBREAK. OHRISTCHUROH, January 23. Accommodation will be found in the old portion of the building for the patients burnt out of the Hynian Marks Ward, ' £o that marquees in the grounds will not j be necessary. Birds' nests in the roof catching a spark from a chimney is con- i sidered to be the cause of the fire. The ' State Insurance Office will reinstate tKe building. There were 18 women in No. 8 ward, 11 , children in the children's ward, and about 28 men in the accident ward. ■ The difficulty of accommodating all the patients was not insuperable, because some of the convalescents and a few chronic cases that could wait had been j discharged by Dr Fleming to make room. ' T:.e Charitable Aid Board, Nurse Maude, and St. Mary's Home Trustees offered the | use of their institutions, so that there was j sufficient «-oc£unmodation. I

I T&e ordinary work of the hospital went | pn throughout the fire. The wards, ex- ; oept for the disturbance caused by moving . patients, seemed much the same as ever, ; ncnd cases were attended to just as if ■nothing was happening. , A pathetic incident of the routine, in the , shape of a funeral leaving the hospital morgue, marked one stage Tn the progress of the fire.