Fire in Levuka, Fiji.

Samoa Times and South Sea Advertiser, Volume I, Issue 29, 4 May 1889, Page 2

Fire in Levuka, Fiji.

On Saturday evening, April 6th, between nine and tou o'clock lire was observed to break out from ono of the copra stores belonging to Mr. W. Ilenuings, on thu north side of Now street, to the westward of tho office. lu a very short time thu copra store-, containing 300 or more tons of copra* ware past saving, also Mr. Charles Seunings' wine and sugar store, portion only of its contents being saved. At this tftugo of tho fire had there been iiu organised, disciplined fire brigade, by cutting off small buildings at the rear of Messrs. Otvu and C'o.'s premises, thus confining tho fire to Mr. Ueunings' damage must have boeu materially lessoned. Ono of onr most experienced men, Mr. James Aekerh.y s t<.i d at Cave's, hose it. hand for about i.nlfuu hour, but no water reached thu uozzie, either thu rose had beon left off the pipe, or tho wrong hose placed in tho water. Almost directly thu men began to pump, sand and atones were forced aloug until reaching the nozzle, i*. was completely choked, and the £4OO engine rendered useless until too iuto to lie of much service. About the time the lire had seized upon Cuve's buildings it workei backwards against thu light bre« ze from the south-east, and Mr. W. llcuuuigs' house and office caught, then Mr. Gurrjck's office, 'ho content.* of which were deliberately removed by Mr. J. IJ. lioi sou, with a tnarko.l coolness, after which lit- joined others in doing good service elsewhere. Next to Mr. Garrick's where once stool thu New Zealand Loau ami Mercantile Agency t'ompr.iiy is now a desolate waste, reaching northward t<< the creek; Cave's Morgan's, .Solomon's, thu Mortgage nnd Agency Oo.'s premises, also those of (hu Hank of Now Zealand all gone, little but usltes rciiiuiu. exiopting tho strong rooms of Mr. Cave's unit 'lie Bunk (ilia door of the former having fallen out) which »tand like moanU»eitU wai'.iug for their inscriptions. Tho iu-ntiable element did its bi st to continue its destructive course as far as Hedemaun's, However, at Potter's Butchery, although the flumes ran up : tho verandah posts ignited by tho , great heat caused by the quantity of j wood in the Bunk building, tho l ; ro | had to ri°'d. • Captain W. Wilson ! (Harbor Master), and Captain Douglas | of the schooner Minnie Hare, remained I Jtrm on tho Buteherp balcony hoisting and emptying bucket alter bucket of water from the crock, tido being now at its heighth, until the engine came up to their as.iUtniVee. The foreman who directed tlio nozzle after effectually cooling the butchery, turned rouud and played either from ignornncn or wantonness (lot us hopo tho former) upuu thu Bank's strong room, thereby warping the door until a little uiore sad it would have curled and fell outwards as did thu smaller monument.

The fire made an attempt, by crossing New-street, and attacking the building in the rear of Muuro's Hotel to travel southward, but it only succeeded >u scorching the building. At the south-west corner, although at a distance of 00 feet, Mr. J. Waters had much difficulty iu preserving his Photographic Gallery. So tlio lire raged on from half-post uiite On Saturday evening, till halfpart "no on .Sunday morning, iu spito of a drizzling rain, and of the strenuous exertions of those muscular Christians, the Row 11. Worral and thulluv. Father Hutliu, with their bo\s. tho untiring work of Messrs. J. Taylor .nd R, Kobinsou, the able direction of Mr. If. W. Ileaddey at the engine utter the hose was cleared, of Mr. Thompson, from HavnSavu Bay, and .Mr. 11.1$. .Smith, of Viinua Levu. To these lust two named gentlemen, being outsiders, Levuka owes a special thankful mention, as also to the captain of tbo Norwegian barque in liarbor wiio. with his ollloors and crew, wero indefatigable in their endeavors to cave property, and although 300 or more tons of their expected cargo are utterly destroyed, the stores ot Levuka i still hnvo u sufficiency to load the I vc-hel

Tho tiro was mastered before two o'dock, und all apprehension of its uguiu breaking out vanished, but in that short »j>.ic u of four hours damages wtro effected to the extent of £35,000 t<> IU),(too, about half or more of which will bo covered in tho various insurance offices. Of courso thcro occurred tbe usual a mount of pilforing, axes, buckets, umbrellas, tinned meats, hats, caps, and lamps without number changvd owners. But what can one sergeant of police do against so many ? On

Sunday and yesterday property half destroyed in iU removal either on to the streets of into house* at a distance, bad to be hunted up in all directions. The Bank's strong room door not oueniug with its koy, Messrs T. Patterson and Corley on Monday mormug effected an enttame. Among other senseless acts, the engine was worked on Sunday night, when the wind freshened, not on the debris only, but over the piles of burning copra and heaps of bugs, thus raising a smoke and stench us fuiriy drove the inmates of the Royal Hotel from their beds. It was a grand sight, the flames plainly visible us far us Wakaya ami Mobogui, whilo the bank ffasburuiug; seeu from Kobbie's verandah, iho shower of sparks appeared like a snow storm viewed fauiug u red setting sun. Many pigeons hovered over witueasing the sight; »»n»c suffoo ited. dropped into thu flnmes. A largo turtle tamo up to inspect, but it, «s well M many fish lured by the sight, wore left utidisturboit, the native women being attracted also. That this calamity will prove a heavy one to the various Insurance offices the fallowing list will B jjow :—Hank of New Zealand, total insured, £2600 in the New Zealand office*; Jt'lsoo re-insured'iii the .South British. Mortgage mid Agomy Co., office furniture insuretl in tho New Zealand tor 41x0, loss about £IOO. 1). J. Solomon, in the Transutlantio Co., building for. £2OO, goods £loJ. G. Morgan and Co., insured for£4oJo viz; £'looo in the Haiuhiirg Magdfburg; £IOOO in'the'xmth British ;£250. in the Equitable ; £2400 in the Transatlantic. II C'.ivo and Co., .*'4.'>oo ; £IO.O in the Hamburg Magdeburg; £IOOO in the South British and u like ; sum in the Transatlantic; £7)00 iii tluj ; Imperial, und A"4ot) in the llansontic. I Now Zealand Loan and M. A. Co.. j uninsured; damage trilling. Safe and ; furiiitui" removed. Mr. Oarriek's Librar'v irisnr-d in the New Zealand | for £ ISO. Mr. W. ilonniiigs, £2OO on building and ollio furniture in iho | New Zoidaud. Potter und Monro ; insure I iu the New Zealand, sustained : only partial damage. Amounts insured t>y Messrs. W. anil 0. Headings on their stores and contents we have pot heeu able to ascertain, We understand they were insured, and estimate tiieir losses at 110,1'.. J J <j!t;n?3t(til Uattltt.