DESTRUCTIVE FIRE AT APIA.

Te Aroha News, Volume VI, Issue 337, 26 January 1889, Page 6

DESTRUCTIVE FIRE AT APIA.

A tire broke oub in the German Consulate on the 9th inst. and spread rapidly, resulting in .the destruction of nine .large houses and fifteen smaller dwel-' lings. *• The houses burned included the residences of Dr. Knappe (German) Consul) Mr (Jhimot *(Vice-Consul), the Hamburg i Hotel, two'houses belonging to Mr Gracemere, * an> English trader, and. also the' > Samoan .Church. .The fire • spiead rapidly i and'-owing to.the^want* of water, little 013 .nothing'.could l, be done to stay the progress of the flaihes,> although sU'enu^ ous exertions We made. Parties were

sent ashore- from H.A^.s. Royalist, U.S.s. $i,ipsic and the three German; waivships — Adler, Eber and Olga. They succeeded in keeping order, bub were unable to stay the progress of the fire until the evening of 10th inst. The fire originated in the kitchen of the Consulate, which was occupied by ;the Consul and Vice - Consul. The living apartments of the. -building were in the upper storey. No one -had been in the kitchen for three hours. There is no clue bo the origin of the fire, but it is believed at the German Vice-Con.su lato Lhut hostile natives had climbed over the back fence and set fire to the premises Some natives have boasted that that was how the fir© was caused, but as the natives are given to boasting, it is possible that the fire »vas purely accidental.