THE AUCKLAND FIRE.

Otago Witness, Issue 2894, 25 August 1909, Page 63

THE AUCKLAND FIRE.

AUCKLAND, August 17 The fire broke out with renewed vigour j at 11 o'clock last night. A heavy fall I of masonry completely closed the pas- ! sage of the Aixade. A deluge of water £oon left a mass of blackened ruins. This morning nothing but the bare walls remain. The \hi of tenants of the Slrar.d ' Arcade was as follows :—: — First Storey — Strand Cafe (W. and A. Prior, managers), David Palmer (tailor), Strank Book Arcade (bookseller, stationer. leaLher ar.d iancy goods warehouseman). Mips F. Teutenburg (art needle-worker), iliss J. S. Arthur (registry office), P. i\. Dewar (medical specialist), British and Continental Piano Comp?;iy (A. Kegan, manager), JMistes YVaugh and Walker (milliners), George Gregory (photographer), Mrs Bunns (toilet rooms), S.. U. Hume (hairdrebSt-r). E. 0. Yon Simmer (eyesight specialist), L. Kendrickson (watchmaker). Post and Telegraph Office, Lethaby (umbrella importer and lepr.irerj. T. Robinson (tailor), T. lltichdl (lecher agent). S?cond Storey — Campbell and Ehrenfiied Company (Limited) (brewers, wins and spiiit meichints. etc.), Le',mu<l and Hariison (maniUacturcrs' agents, etc.), Piccadilly Tea, Rooms, Mrfc Dai by (ie',"Lst:y office). Third Sto.cy — E. J. Gavey (manufacturers' agent), J. Bunting (indent agent), li. 131akey (iadcut agent), E. Crouch

s (indent agent), T. Mitchell (manufac3 turers' agent). fc Fourth Storey — Sarony Studio, B. C. J Chihvell (architect), and J. Wudham I (caretaker "of the building). J , THREE MEN INJURED. f While a gang of men was at work in 1 the ruins of the Strand Arcade this after1 noon a serious accident happened through . a wall falling. The men were busy r trj'ing to get a safe out from amongst 1 the debris on the ground floor for the British and Continental Piano Company. t They had located the object, and- were i getting ready to remove it when it was t found necessary to play a hosev.on to one of the walls. Without the slightest j warning the wall came down, a perfect I shower ol bricks falling on the men. • Three of them went down as if shot, F and they were carried" stunned and bleedr ing across tho street into a chemist's r shop. They were attended to by a > .medical man, and on his recommendation were sent off to the hospital. The worst injured ,of the- trio was a 3 yourfg man named Neil-Howell, who re- ' sides in Wellington street. (He had a frightful gash on the top of the head and a . bad- concussion, besides internal [ injuries, and his. condition is critical. John Brown (of Albert street) was also much cut about' the head, and was bleedj ing profusely. The third man, Charles [ Lapwood, of Symonds street^was also I much cut about the head, face> and arms. Reports are current that a woman was i seen in one of the windows of the top 5 storey of the Strand Arcade soon after b the outbreak and after retreat had been > cut off by means of the staircase. One r man declares he distinctly saw a woman : dressed in white frantically rushing '' about, making an effort to unfasten the ' window, and crying out for help. If ! that is so she must have perished in the flames. So far, however, no one l is reported missing. ' I THE INSURANCES. j As far as could be ascertained to-day from careful investigation the total amount of damage by last night's tire ' will probably prove to be in the neigh- . I bourhood of £bO.OOO. The chief damage done, of course, was to the Strand Arcade j itself, and this may be put down at about £30,000. The other principal losses were : — British and Continental • Piano Company, £4000 or £5000 ; Thomas 1 Mitchell (agent for Messrs Bowen Bros., ' ! Christchurch), £4500; Leonard and Har- ' rison, £2500; Strand Cafe, £51000; Albert Hotel, £1000; Thistle Hotel, £1500; Mr Crouch, £1000; D. Palmer, £2500. The list of insurances shows that the losses are spread over a large number .of offices, and'fhat no offices aTe heavy lcaers, those that had taken large lines having reinsured down to comparatively small amounts. The New Zealand office, whose total insurances amounted to £7850, had this amount reinsured down to £1500. Of the other New Zealand offices, the National had risks amounting to £600, the South British one policy of £200, and tho Standard one of £100. The total insurances on the building destroyed and the contents is about £30,000. The appended list includes risks on adjoinng buildings (only slightly damaged), and these are not included in the total given above. In addition to the policies in the Royal Exchange, there are some insurances mth the head office of that company in ! Wellington. The list is as follows : — j Arthur M. Myers (owner of the Strand ! Arcade) : On the building — £5000 in the Xew Zealand office, £3500 in the AtJas, £3000 in the Alliance, £1000 in the Guar- , dian £1000 in the Northern, and £500 in the Australian Alliance,— total, £14,000; stored furniture, £2000 in the New Zealand office. Campbell, Ehrenfriend, and Co., £500 in the Royal Exchange on office fittings, €te. British and Continental Piano Company : On. the stock — £1500 in j the United, £1250 in the Sun, and £500 ,in the Victoria, — total, £3250. Piccadilly j Tea Rooms, £500 in the Xew Zealand. I Miss Waugh, milliner, £600 in the Lon- : don and Liverpool and Globe. Skelton, Frostick, and Co., Elliott street (roof slightly damaged), £300 in the Royal. J Albert Brewery, £19,000 on the building and contents (slightly damaged) in the New Zealand (this amount is considerably reinsured), £2500 in tire London and Liverpool and Globe. Strand Book Arcade, £700 in the Ocean. Mrs Burns (ladies' , hairdresser). £150 in the Ocean. H. Prior (Strand Cafe), £350 in the Norwich Union. R. A. B.lakey (indent agent), £250 in the Royal Exchange. T. Mitchell (manufacturers' agent), £50 in the Royal Exchange. D. Padmer (outfitter), £800 in the Northern and £500 in the Commercial Union. Leonard and Harrison (indent agents), £750 in the London and Liverpool axid Globe, and £400 in the North British. J. Lethaby (umbrella manufacturer), £100 in the Standard. G. Robinson (tailor), £150 in the New Zea];u>d. G. Gregory, £200 in the South British. E. Crouch (indent agent), £150 in the Royal. P. B. Hume (hairdresser), £100 in the Royal. LiSdle and Co., £600 in the Pvoya). P. M. Dewar (medical socialist), £400 in the National. H. L. ' Henriek.«on (watchmaker), £1000 in the National. B. C. Chilwell (architect), £100 j in the National. P. Darby, owner of tho Thistle Hotel (partly damaged), £4000 in the Commercial Union. R. Noton, liv-ensee of the Thistle Hotel, £1250. and 1 £500 on the furniture, in the North j British. M. Delany, licen?€e of the Albeit Hold, £1500.0n tha furniture and ' £500 on the stock divided between the j Sun and Alliance. W. Darby and Co., j •warehoufcemfen "(undamaged), £3000 in the Rayah Mowron Bros. (T. Mitchell, J agent), £1687 in the Norwich Union. x j ================ i A resident of Timaru who has just re- ] tui-ned from a trip to the North Island «a\\s that farm lands there hare dropped back a in value about 25 per cent. House rents- in some parts, particularly at Gisborne, he C found to be very high— higher Qven than in * TimarUi - - * 1