FIRE IN DUNEDIN.

Te Aroha News, Volume VII, Issue 472, 17 May 1890, Page 5

FIRE IN DUNEDIN.

WOODWARE FACTORY' BURNT. LOSS BETWEEN £15,000 AND £20,000. , INSURANCES £5,000. EIGHTY MEN OUT OF WORK. Dunedin, Ma 14. Finlay’s woodware factory, which over 8 half an acre, was last evening completely destroyed by fire, with the exception of a small portion recently erected. The estimated value of the stock and machinery ia £25,000. The insurances amounb only to £5,000, and the loss must be between £15,000 and £20,000. , , - The fire was discovered about ten o clock by which time the flames had a good hold of the place. For nearly an hour the fire blazed furiously, illuminating brilliantly the railway station, shipping, and buildings in the vicinity, but it was then got under. The gaol, which is situated exactly opposite the scene of the fire, escaped, and per* - feet order was preserved among the prison* ers. When the Brigade and Salvage Corps arrived on the scene, the fire had got a firm hold of all the portions of the buildings fronting Stuart-street, and had made its way through the roof with great rapidity. Jt spread until the entire extent of the woodware factory was in flames. In about 20 minutes from the alarm being given the firemen efiected an entrance by means of the roof into the upper i : portion of the hardware premises. The Brigade got one hose to play on the Stuartstreet portion, and then a second one, and then the water main in Cumberlandstreeb was tapped, till eventually eight branches were directed on the building. After half -an - hour’s hard work the fire decreased in Several jets were directed to the vicinity of the office, and by this means the books were saved, and the safe kept from injury, and fragments of the office furniture were rescued. Well-directed efforts in Stuart-street saved the new tub factory in the top storey of the hardware premises, which were of brick. These were, however, gutted, and the stock in the lower storey considerably damaged by water. The only man on the premises at the time of the fire was Joshua Moss, watchman. He commenced his duties at 5 o’clock, just as the mill closed, and found everything right. He visited the engine-room and saw all safe there. The boiler fire was banked up for the night and the furnace door closed, and he saw nothing in the room which would , catch fire. After this he did nob visit the engineroom again, as he rarely goes there. At about 9 o’clock he was working in the yard, and when going into the building at_ a qnarter to ten he saw a light in the engine room and discovered the flooring over the boiler on fire. He gave the alarm and went to the hose. Two or three men came to his assistance and he got the water on, but the fire spread with such rapidity that he could do nothing. The boiler was bricked over on top, and ' everything seemed as safe as it could possibly be. The origin of the fire is to him a mystery, bub it is supposed that some timber work in the vicinity of the boiler became heated and had taken fire. ■ Nearly 80 men will be thrown out of employment. The manager, Mr Gardiner, is of opinion that the premises, including the mill, wood-yard, factory, and ironmongery warehouse, could not be estimated as worth less than £25,000. Of this, not more than £5,000 is covered by insurance. The mill machinery was entirely destroyed, and the hardware department gutted. Very little stock is uninjured, so that the loss will probably be between £15,000 and £20,000.