GREAT FIRE IN SYDNEY. £60,000 Damages. "Evening News" Office destroyed.

Te Aroha News, Volume VI, Issue 323, 8 December 1888, Page 3

GREAT FIRE IN SYDNEY. £60,000 Damages. "Evening News" Office destroyed.

The oity of Sydney was tlu-own into a state of animation and excitement at 10 o'clock on Saturday night, 24th November, when the alarm of fire rang through the streets, and the glow of the atmosphere betokened some dreadful conflagration fairly in the heart; of the city. Everybody rushed in the direction of the flames', which 'lighted up an immense radius of the sky, and in a*s brief a space as one can jot itTclown thousands of people had collected aiound the scene, which unfortunately for the proprietors and those connected with il, proved to be the premises of the "Evening News" and "Town and Country Journal. The streets were all blocked up in a few minutes with the crowds of people attracted by so grand yet so disastrous a spectacle. There, rihing into the air weie immense showers of sparks, and rolling one above the other were sheets of flame, lighting the atmosphere and driving dense clouds of smoke over the towering buildings on the opposite side of the street, and acros& the city in a north-easterly direction. The excitemenc of the multitude grew with the fiames, which wore now spreading from the rear portion of the edifice to the two upper stories ; thefiremen were setting down to work, and the roadways were net-works of stiffened hose : the engines puffed and snorted at their highest working pressure ; and added to the din and confusion were the s>houts of the police and military, who were demanding the retirement of the fast - encroaching. On and on crept the fuvUJus " element, antl*- dosptttf" the many seams of water now .^hooting across the building in every direction and in the teeth of showers of well-directed hose great tongues of flame leaped through the upper windows, triumphantly scattering tho glass whicli crashed on to the pavement- beneath. There was no hope of- saving a vestige of the' place. The clouds of ashes that were sent up and scattered thickly over Farmer's large premises'and the Crown and Anchor Hotel might-have been admired from a pyrotechnic point of view were it not that grave fears possessed the spectators for the safety of those magnificent structures and the less imposing adjoining premises. The smoke became so stifling at halfpasfc 10 o'clock that those whose duty necessitated their close attendance on the building, had anything but apleasanotime, and besides this objectionable feature there were continual bursts of hose that saturated all in their vicinity. The first brigades were 1 being supplemented every fi\ e minutes by the arrival of suburban contingents, who, with their engines and apparatus, had the greatest possible difficulty to efteet an en trance through the living barriers and when, inside the open space, thoie was barely room to move a vehicle. The police lent all their'strength to remove the crowd congregated in front of Farmer's, but it was a futile 'attempt, 1 and an inch moire room' could be secured. Nothing but the full force of the horse could make an impression on the crowd in Pitt-street, 1 and every now and then' the tiremeD, either wilfully or unconsciously, doused the mob, which meant that those in the- front ranks were hopeless sufferers, while the culprits at the back still pressed forward amidst yells and laughter. At this stage it was observed that the flame? had reached across to the premises of Wright, Heaton, and' Co., and bursting through the windows stavted some cases of drapery. Mr Heaton and plenfcy of willing hands were on the 1 spot, and a copious supply of water by* the aid of buckets kept the five'- at - bay. Now the crv was raised that- the falling ashes had fired the rear portion' of Messrs Hodsworfch and (Join I party's^ extensive warehouse, and for a! moment; the attontion of the public { and a posse of police and firemen j were -directed thither. A hose was tern- ; porarily drawn off the front wall of the j " News"" 3 building and senb in' amongst the | cases that had taken lire in Holdsworth's | yard, and a few momenta served to blacken ■ the >K inflammable material in question, j The 10 , main fire still raged fiercely, and ! tb6 'developments were painfully extensive. In'fell' the roof with a crash and a bang, and" up «hot the' flames, as if refreshed by ! new- food ; • more tierce than c»er. Tho cross beams -were rendered visible by the'Temoval of the roof,- and an idea of the destruction already wrought was fairly dieeernible. A few minutes later the flames j partly subsided; and the great columns of | black' smoke than went up bespoke tho j great influence of the extinguishing element. *3oon after there ' was a pecond collapse of roof, and a loud" crackling notee followed by a burst of flame from the rear east ' corner of the main four-storey front. Lord Carringfcon and the Hon. Rupert Carrington made their way throughVne crowd in Pitt-street just as this portion-of the roof cived irii and taking up a prominent portion watched the firemen's operations for some time. By 12 o'clock fche i fire?«was fairly mastered- and additional stteamfe'of -water-were taken through the frontdoor, andthe extension ladder underwent; a removal' to the' western end of the building." From thfa 1 * out-' the' water' fcook 11 possepaion - in the struggle, which hacr J lasted i for over two hours, the 'fire being ; of the very fiercest' and- most deati-ucfpTe "character: The crowds- of people gradually dispersed, and 'tow were iem'*itfin£ an hour latev.' ' A gentleman who wag*an eye'-witiiesVof the' fire from almost its 'inception, "says that the water' supply was undou bted ly inadequ ate,' and i t was some timewafteivthe arrival of the brigades — ueaviy thalf ian hour ---bef ore<any thing slike a full stream -could be obtaiued. In the meantime the crowd of people showed their disapproval, ni: the delay by the brigades., Before^any r ,eHective- streams of water could' be directed On to the building the flames had obtained a very strong hold, sufficient to practically 1 ! , destroy • the whole place. Ha,d,, * there - been an abundant - supply of ',wateiy together ,\vith "efficient ' man" agement by' the', brigades, \ the ' fire' could have been extinguished at a very early stage; for when a good supply of water came, an# the engines, got, to work, really 1 eic'eilerit'stf earns' \rb\'e diretitted'upoW the building^ Another gentleman who had been ' 'viewing thWfir'6'"from the Royal HofceV { in1orifisJ't»s l of piece /of work'wWdhNiS'wot'thy r of mention 1 ?' ' When' the-'roo'ft of "Mr 1 "WayV-buildrog "■'took- -fire, an(MtJs~e'euied Mihafrfno'th'ing^'couJcl'-' bedone^ by'th"e?fireme'nitin iswastoorlatfe, the uight porter^6f-tKe''Royal"HotelJteS0'lutielyt i 'wertt 1 *- ovei'Ctho l "l*oofs» of the-' neighbouring 'h'ouses^ climfcing^and»i; lumping* 7and^< exposing J hini^lfJt^grea,fe!dahger, ; 3/and''alI 1 -^he>w'hile'5 earthing" the' hose' beloiigiflgiJtOvfchef-Roydl' Hotels J Wnen he reached^the'biirnirtgjaoof' he contrived, by stifling it, to subduVit until further "assistance* 'arrived from Pitt-fr-treetfiw :, .t •' * • k ' 'TneJollowingjVolunleei 1 companies were,! engaged. : —- ,Theatre r Epyal r -1,4 . men,-, with ; hose and reel ; South Sydney, 16 j wen, with a reel ; Standard Brewery,

16 men' with a feel; Paddington, 16 men, with 'a reels liedfern, 17 men and a manual engine ; Darlington, 12 men with a reel; Paddington, 12 m en ; Glebe, 8 men ; Waterloo, 8 men; Alexandria, 8 men ; Woollahra, 4 men ; and YVaverley, 6 men. This gives a total of 137 volunteers, which, added to the F.B. men, gave a total of 164, inclusive of the Superintendent and Deputy-Superintendent.