TREMENDOUS FIRE AT WELLINGTON.

Patea Mail, Volume V, Issue 436, 18 June 1879, Page 2

TREMENDOUS FIRE AT WELLINGTON.

(Per Press Agency) Wellington, June 16. A very large fire occurred here last night, sweeping- 10 acres of ground, and destroying about 80 buildings. Buildings destroyed:—Opera House; Engleman’s fancy bazaar; Eddie and Jack’s, bottlers; Working Men’s Club ; Stratford’s corn store; Bank of New Zealand ; Warcup, bootmaker; Smart, oyster shop; Hogarth, timber yard ; Grave and Fleming’s, drapers ; Elder’s truit shop; Rickman’s, boot shop; Wesleyan Church and School; Simeon, tailor; Young’s, oyster shop; Brown, cabinet maker ; Nag’s Head Hotel and stables; Emney’s Hotel; Market Hall; Williams; Cameron and Co., saddlers; Ashton, boot shop; and lots of out buildings. A deal of damage was done to Te Aro House. When the Strong room of the Branch Bank of New Zealand was opened this morning, the walls were blackened with smoke, but all the contents were uninjured. Amongst contents were all the papers connected with Rhodes’ estate. Complete and correct list of the insurances;— South British, L 3,400 ; Transatlantic, L 3,000; Standard, L 2500 New Zealand, U2,500 ; Union, 1.2,600 ; Northern, L 1,500 ; National L 1,450 ; Colonial, LI4OO ; Victoria, L 1500; North British L 1,200 ; Hanseatic, LI,100; Royal, L 900; London and Lancashire, L 90 0; Imperial, L 50 0; Madgeburg, LSOO ; Guardian, L3OO ; Sun, L 175; Manchester, L 15 0; Norwich Union, Ll5O. Liverpool, London, and Globe, and United have no sisk. A meeting of Insurance Agents was held this afternoon. It is generally agreed that the fire "originated in the dome, from which the Imperial Opera House was lighted. Several men belonging to the theatre endeavoured, with the hoses on the premises,'? of which there were several, but the force of water was very feeble. Eddie and Jack lost nearly the whole of their stock, but were heavily insured, the building for £1,850, and the stock £9OO. ’ Mrs Elder, ‘ who for the past twelve months has kept a small fruit shop, wasMininsured, and estimates her loss at £200; Scott, ironmonger, estimates his loss of stock at £1,200 ; insured for £BOO. He had 50 busbies and -ar number of guns, which were saved. Cameron saved the whole of his stock, bat it was considerably injured in removal. Rickman’s boot and shoe shop contained a large stock, amounting to about LBOO. • It was partly covered by insurance, and the bulk of it saved. Simeon saved nearly the whole of his stock. He had only been in Manners-street shop a week. The Wesleyan Church was built about six years ago, at a cost of L 4,000. Its present value is estimated at L 6,000; insured for L 2,000. Some of Englemann’s stock was removed into the Rank, but as that building was shortly afterwards in flames, the goods were destroyed. John Hogarth’s timber yard at the back of the Opera House, insured. Estimates his loss at LI,OOO. The Naval Brigade did good service in saving property. Mr Gorman, acting custodian at the Opera House, in his endeavour to save the Theatre company’s property, the piano and wardrobe, neglected his own

f household' goods, and lost them all, as well as L 25 in notes. Mr Joyce, stage manager of Hiscock, Hay man, and Go’s Company, had a narrow escape with his life, haying once been nearly suffocated with smoke. Miss Beatrice lost several pieces of valuable jewellery. In battling, to save Smith’s Te Aro House, every blanket in the shop was used. The goods in the shop were mostly nninjured. The furniture upstairs, however, was utterly ruined. The Imperial Opera House was insured in the New Zealand and South British offices for L 7,000. The building was only opened in May, last year, its total cost, irrespective of land, being L 10,459, made up as follows: —Cost of building, L 7,752; stage fittings, L 753 ; decorations and scenery, L 70 9; gas fittings, &c., L 49 0; stall and house fittings and furniture, L 773. Branch Bank of New .Zealand was uninsured, although 4here was an insuranee formerly upon the building. It is computed that about 12,000 or 13,000 spectators witnessed the fire; many came in from the Huttand Pet one. For a considerable time the surrounding hills were lit up almost as bright as day. There were several narrow escapes from falling chimneys.