SHACK AND MONEY BURNT

Sun (Auckland), Volume IV, Issue 951, 19 April 1930, Page 5

SHACK AND MONEY BURNT

BLAZE AT TAKAPUNA NEARLY £6O IN CASH LOST Only eleven sovereigns out of more than £, 1 0 in notes and coins were recovered when fire destroyed the shack ol' a Chinese market-gardener at Takapuna early yesterday morning. Besides the money, the loss of a horse, a cart and a large stock of vegetables was suffered by the gardener, Shak Noon. As the fire had a strong hold before the alarm was given, and as the nearest water-plug was 3,000 feet away, the Taltapuna Fire Brigade was" faced with a hopeless task. The heat was so intense that a horse In an attached stable could not be released. It was able to break loose, however, but it had received such severe burns about the head that it had to be destroyed. Two kittens which were heard mewing were rescued, the firemen having to crawl under the building to reach them. At the height of the blaze a quantity of crackers, intended for scaring birds from the gardens, exploded. The money, including £ls in silver and a large number of notes, had been beside the owner’s bed and though a tobacco tin containing 11 sovereigns was discovered among the debris, none of the silver or notes was found, nor were any of the shack’s contents saved. The building, which was owned by i'.'i- .1 Un'iV.V,. and situated in Francis street, was covered by the insurance.