INSURANCE OFFICES SUFFER.

Te Aroha News, Volume VI, Issue 360, 17 April 1889, Page 5

INSURANCE OFFICES SUFFER.

Fili^> of Fiji papers to hand by th Wainui contain particulars of a terrible tire at Levuka, by which property to the value of 040,000 was destroyed. "\Ve take the following from the Polynesia " Gazette,"' of Wednesday, April 10th : — On the evening of the 6th instant, between nine and ten o'clock fire was observed to break out fiotn one ot the copra .stores belonging to Mr William Hennings, on the north .side ot New -street, to the westward ot the office. In a very shoit time the copra stores, containing 300 or more ton.s of copra, were past saving, also Mr Charles Hennings' wine and sugar store, portion only of its contents being saved. At this state of the fire had there been an organised disciplined fire brigade, by cutting oft' small buildings at the rear ot Messrs Cave and Co.'s premises, thiih confining the fire to Mr Hennings', damage must have been materially lessened. One of our most experienced men, Mr James Akerley stood at Cave's, hose in hand for about half an hour, but no water reached the nozzle, either the rose had been left off the pipe, or the wrong hose placed in the water. Almost diiectly the men began to pump, sand and stones were forced along until reaching the nozzle it vva& completely choked, and the £400 engine rendered useless, until too late to be of much service. About the time the hre had seized upon Cave's buildings, it worked backwards against the light breeze from the south-east, and Mr W. Hen nine's house and office ' caught, then Mr Gariick's office, the contents of which were deliberately removed by Mr J. B. Hobson, with a marked coolness, after which he joined others in doing good service el&ewheie. Next to Mr Garrick's where once stood the New Zealand Loan and Met cantile Agency Company is now a desolate waste, reaching northward to the creek, Case's, Morgan's, Solomon's, the Mortgage and Agency Co.'s premises, also those of the Bank of New Zealand all gone, little but a&hes remain, excepting the strong rooms of Mr Cave's and the Bank (the door of the former having fallen out) which stand like monuments waiting for their inscriptions. The insatiable element did its best to continue its de&tructive course as far as Hedemann's. However, at Potter's Butchery, although the flames ran up the veiandah posts, ignited by the great heat caused by the quantity of wood in the Bank building, the hre had to yield. Captain W. Wilson (Harbour Master), and Captain Douglas, of the schooner Minnie Hare, remained firm on the Butchery balcony hoisting and emptying bucket after bucket of water from the creek, tide being now at its height, until the engine came up to their assistance. The foreman who directtd the noozle, after effectually cooling the Butchery, turned round and played either from ignorance or wantonness (let us hope the former) upon the Bank's strong room, thereby warping the door until a little moie and it would have curled and fell outwards as did the smaller monument. Tho liie made an attempt by crossing New-street, and attacking the building in the rear of Munros Hotel to travel southward, but it only succeeded in scorching the building. At the south-west corner, although at a distance of 60 feet, Mr J. Waters had much difficulty to preserve his Photographic Gallery. So the Hre raged on from half-past nine on Saturday evening, till half-past one on Sunday morning, in spite of a drizzling rain. The fire was mastered before two o'clock, and all apprehension of its again breaking out vanished, but in that short space of four hours, damages were effected to the extent of £35,000 to £40,000, about half or more of which will be covered in the various insurance offices. On Sunday and Monday property half destroyed in its removal either on to the streets or into houses at a distance, had to be hunted up in ail directions. The Bank's strong room door not opening wfth itd key, Messrs T. Patterson and Corley on Monday morning effected an entrance. It was a grand sight, the flames plainly visible as far as Wakaya and Mokogai, while the Bank was burning ; seen from Robbie's verandah, the shower of sparks appeared like a snow storm viewed facing a red setting sun. That this calamity will prove a heavy one to the various Insuranceoffices, the following list will show : — Bank ot New Zealand, total insured, £2500 in the New Zealand office ; £1500 re-insured in the South British. Mortgage and Agency Co., office furniture insured in the New Zealand for £180, loss about £100. D. J. Solomon, in the Transatlantic Co., building for £200, goods, £150. G. Morgan and Co., insured for £4,650, viz. , £1,000 in the South British i £750 in the Equitable ; £1000 in the Hamburg Madsburg ; £2,100 in the Transatlantic. H. Cave and Co., £4500; £1600 in the Hamburg Magdeburg ; £1000 on stock, £600 on buildings; £1000 in the So-ith British and a like sum in the Transatlantic ; £500 in the Imperial, and £400 the Hanseatic. New Zealand Loau and M. A. Co. , uninsured ; damage trifling Safe and turnituie removed. Mr Garrick's library insured in the New Zealand for £150. Mr W. Hennings, £200 on building, and £50 on office furniture in the New Zealand. Potter and Munro insured in the New Zealand, sustained enly partial damage. Amounts insured by Messrs W. and C. Hennings on their stores and contents, w have been unable to ascertain. We undei*staid they were insured, and estimate the loss at about £1,000. The Magisterial inquiry as to the ori £ Jot the fire w Stake place on Fiiclay nex