The Daily News. TUESDAY, OCTOBER 23. THE WELLINGTON BLAZE.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XLVII, Issue 81872, 23 October 1906, Page 2

The Daily News. TUESDAY, OCTOBER 23. THE WELLINGTON BLAZE.

JHI.M fire has exacted heavy toll in Vcllington, properly to the value o! iioo 000 having- been destroyed in he early hours oi yesterday moinng. Wellington has had no big" onliagrattons in the past, due prolably to it- splendid pressure of ,ater and its txecliem fire brigade, luplain Hugo, tin superintendent ot lie brigade, and his well-trained taff, however, were seemingly powriess on this 'ccasion, that great adunct, the high-pressure water being navailable because of a breakage in he mains four miles from the city, t seems singular that this breakage hould have occurred but a few rinutes before the outbreak of fire. lad flicre been no burst at the lime, is safe to say that the firc's-prugioss ould have been arrested in its inipicnt stage. The Karon auxiliary uservnir was quite unable to s U ppic le pressure to successfully- cope ith such an emergency, and"Before le steam engines were got in readies* and the sea water drawn upon le fire seems to have got too firm a old for the brigade. It is at tlw itl'y stage of a fire where a brigade Xires, and it is not surprising ti :arn that the brigade's efforts were uile unavailing. The insurances 'tailing ,'JSo,ooo. seem to be wcl istributed among the insuranci impanies—a fortunate circumstance u! it is a noteworthy fact that th> .ate Department seems to have es iped without the loss of a penny ne ;esson taught by the fire is tha very community should'see that it: ire prevention appliances are kept it proper working order, and pay spe ial attention- to the water supply he hieliici-ncy of which might eausi nimeiise loss, as is the case in thi ulliiigtoii instance, though such ; onungeney as a breakage in tin lain iisi-lf is almost impossible t< uard against.