DISASTEROUS FIRE IN WELLINGTON.

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

DISASTEROUS FIRE IN WELLINGTON.

PART OF LAMBTON QUAY ' DEMOLISHED. e 1 TWO BANKS DESTROYED. FAILURE OF THE WATER J SUPPLY. , £IOO,OOO DAMAGE. Per Press Association. Wellington, October 2;. A disastrous fire was discovered in •he Wellington Auctioneering Company's ofliee at 3.30 this morning. It originated in an old dilapidated Mic-storcy wooden building directly , jpposite Grey street. The structure 1 fed the flames like tinder., but as the, walls of the Trocadcro private hotel ' rose sheer against it four storeys high, and Batkin's tobacconist shop made a similirari'y high wall on 'he other side, tho odds wore that the brigade would have a comparatively easy task. 'Phi' water was turned on to three leads of hose, and by the time the firemen commenced to play them on the building the flames were hissing and roaring in a fresh nor'-wester. THE WATER KAILS. Unfortunately at this critical juncture it was found that tho mains from the Wainui-o-mata reservoir had burst ; ,t Ngahauranga, live miles from tho city, ten minutes before the fire was reported. The brigade was forced to fall back on the Karori supply, which is only an auxiliary to the principal source of supply at Wainui. The brigade, however, worked valiantfy against what were almost insurmountable difficulties. ' SPREAD OF THE FLAMES. The windows in the top storey of the Trocadcro Hotel had tumbled, and the flames, rushing up from below, crawled up to the roof along the eaves and thence to the rear of tiie Commercial Hotel adjoining. A large number ot boarders from the Trocadero and Commcicial Hotel rushed into the street with whatever goods they could lay their hands i'ii. In less than half an hour the small wooden building in which the tire started, the Trocadero and the Commercial Flotel were being rapidly destroyed. It was pitiable to see the brigadesmen struggling with a lew leads of water. LARGE MASSES OF CINDERS were Healing everywhere, and the New Zealand Insurance Company's one-storey wooden building across the street-forming the corner of Grey sireet, and Lambtun Ouay, received Hie full force of the deluge. FlOlll hero the fire spread to the restaurant adjoining, and to the Union Bank. 'The brigade directed nearly all its energy to the structures on the other side of Lambton Quay. Py 5-30 the buildings between Batkins tobacconist shop and the splendid Bank of New South Wales ( a tluee-storey structure only in occupation about-nine months 'and erected lasi year at a cost of £50,000) were a TRK.UENiJOCS .MASS OF FLAMES. Another fine building destroyed was that occupied by Wniicombe and Tombs. It was a magnificent but soirowful spectacle to see the devastating effccis ~f the flames. At six o'clock it was clear that the WHOLE TRIANGULAR UI.OCK, with the single exception of Young and Tripe's four-storey brick building, which occupied the corner o| Gf'ty and Feaiherston streets, wen doomed. The Alliance Insurance Company' 1 building adjoining the New Zcalanc - insurance Company, in Grey street . withstood the fire for a couple u: i hours, and then gave up resistance Like the others, it was attacked 01 . the roof, and - burnt downward. . tl'.iough its two storeys. IRRESISTHiLE MARCH OF FLAMES. The march of the flames was irre sistible. After eating up the build , m.us fronting the eastern side of th< t quay, they crept round to the rca and made an onslaught on fasten ' dyke and Focces' three-storey woodet > building, facing Fcathersum street All this time the oilicers of tho (Jnior Hank of Australia were hastily trans : ternng the bank's, portable p'ropyrti ' and records not stored in the sironj 1 strong room to a place of safely; tin • building quickly succumbing tu .hi • llamcs. Both Whilcombc and Tombs l premises and the Bank of New Boutl 1 Wales wete destroyed with slarllii'n ■ rapidity. It was little short of ; miracle that the adjoining woodet building, known as the Exchange, ii which there are a dozen or fifteen ten ' ants, and the Post Office Saving' 1 Bank, and the New York Life A-sur ance Company, and the South Brit ish insurance Conipanly, were saved ■ Several times these buildings lightcc up on tht. ,-oofs, but willing hands with buckets kept the flames under Several houses on the Wellingtoi terrace, jusi at the back of the scent ot the outbreak, also had a narrov escape, and it was only owing to thi exertions of the residents that the fin was prevented from extending its on ' ei aliens. 1 At 8.30 o'clock the firo had rut • its course, and was under control. " Roughly fifteen business premise: were destroyed and probably ovei one hundred different firms and com panics occupying the ollices in ,jj; vaiious buildings destroyed are loser; ■ by the conflagration. '' ; It is impossible' to estimate accur 1 a.dy the total damage and loss o, property, but roughly lt may be pu ; down a: £IOO,OOO. 1 'The fire was apparently smcukl ering some time before it was discov " <rcd. A st,-o„g northerly wind fan - cad the flames, and when Hie watei tfave out if appeared as if the res„f would be even more disastrous \\ w 1 it was. ,; ' Eventually on, steam fire engine: S"<. 10 work and threw a large vol- ; ume of sea water into ,i ll: | ninlinii bm.dings, b ul fur a ,i nu , m . u|u ~l tl"- " unprevsion. ; In addition to U lace s a |re«dv tele- ' tV'aphed, the premises of p. t cv i, op . ; lician. were desu'o'ved. 'ln: occupants „f t i, o t ""'I tho Commercial ■ •, .f ' X f cv ' 1 I'''""-' liuniedly, ~„,, :'" lul lu,d ~ " ■ tunate eno.-:, ,' ,ncl ii,,mc W,, ' L ' <" r • effed- " y ' K ' l " s ; lv « »"»st Of theii . ' NO ACCHMNTS. 1 "f serious moment, though mam . narrow escapes. Hie fire i s one of the largest tint has eve,- visiied Wellington, ' and thl ■ .'"'" rcach ;l considerable amount, ; lho fire was prevented froir , spreading by the brick premises ui liatkin, tobacconist on the north side, THE DESTROYED BUILDINGS. | The following is a full list of toe destroyed premises; _ Hallensteii;':auction mart, Miss Roach's inn, SJI; P' Pinuoek'.- Trocadero (private ho.t-1), O'Dwyer's Commtnerciai liol'-l. Cohan's fancy goods bazaar, Levis optician establishment, .Shields' tailoring simp, Whiteoniiv and Tombs' printing establishment. Bank of New South Wales, Union Bank of Australia. Ca-tem' T kc and Fool-res' warchnu-'c. Worger's Strand Ccl'e, the Alliance Insurance p, u ;v|. ie.'ts, 1 he Wei|ing'..m Trust and Loan buildings, the New Zealand In-.m-ance buidlings, A. T. Bates' prcmiT.IIE TENANTS The tenant, of the biiildiu-'s v.'iv as Mlimst-Nnv Zetland Insurance t"mpany-Plentv and Blake l-,,-c!,i-----l!'<i:'>' Fceers (cenmission agenl); Alitiince Instiranee Companv— 11. B. Wilson (shatcbiekcr), |. ' Owes (l-uildntg societies' secrelarv). Wolfe (umii!iis-i.. h agent), C. M. Banks (a,"."ccy office); Ln'io,, ]; an l c ~x i, ,n . e-ion—S'.raru! Cafe. A. T. Biles, M. I Browne (Wellington Trust and I-';- 1 C mpanv). Wellington Trust :'H T.oat, Company. Henry Kimber ■""'■ Simi (:-,- i ; .)v.. , s. O'i'hartl Hand agent ; R-„-,!; of New Smi'h Wales-Ci-icliton and McKay (arehi--o'cts|. Wrlli-,;.,;,:., I lepiisif, i!,-!,,,;, ard Biiildiirr Ass-oath n. rioted Fin- In-airan.-e Company, Cfoee, Morns an'' Company (aocoo'.-.'i -1. James W. lack (indent ng-nl). Wellington Bttildi-o- Society W"lii'i.i-on Opera. House Company.'\V. Met.can, Empire Loan ami Disc mil C mp:mv. 1!.,-„,.-.,-, o n. Andrew an-1 \V"bh iso|,,o',, ,). Wc'lnr:;t-;n Rne.y iV.t. n - A \ v (se.relai'v and ajrcnfh'A. J. M.Tay-'- a-t C •- (la-! aad ,-■- tate Xgettls), the Viavi Co,, the

Miramar Tramway Junction Land Co.. tin' Pukctapu Sawmilling Cu. BUSINESS RESUMED. The Union Bank of Australia and tile Bank of New Soulll Wak's secured temporary premises to-day, and resumed business. Experts who have made as thorough an inspection of the walls of ihe building' of 'he Bank of New South Wales as possible in the circumstances, state that the structure has stood its terrible roasting- well. There is one large crack in front, caused by expansion, which can bo attended to. without serious trouble and the other buidling of the Bank of New South walls show no signs of very severe damage. So far as can be seen, none of the walls will require to be entire.')' demolished, though some rebuilding will be necessary where the (heat of the fire has buckled and bent The conciite body of the ' stairs is apparently sound, and so, too, are the vaults, where, however there was at the time of inspection some 6 or 8 inches of water on the floor. The lift and fittings have quite gone in some places. Bricks are partly burned right away., so the heat must have been tremendous.. it is stated that the beginning' of the fire in the New Zealand Insurance Company's buidling was due to a spark igniting a bird's nest in the carved work at the top of one of the pillars. The company has lost all its local records owing to the roof of the strong room collapsing. The strong rooms of both banks withstood the attacks of the flames. Tho Alliance Assurance Company saved nearly all its books and papers. : Whitcombe and Tombs carried a ; stock valued at £35,000, and not a ' scrap was saved. Several tenants of the Bank of New South Wales' Chambers lose little, except Mr Chase Morris, who E luid stored in his office a valuable ■ private collection of sixty oil paint- - ings, for which he states he would not 3 have taken .£2OOO. Seven were quite J destroyed, and this morning the balance in crates and eases was got out. 1 Of those saved a number were ruin- - ed. The pictures were insured for - £SOO in the Commercial Insurance s Company. b THE DAMAGE. :■ Insurance men who should be in t a position to judge, estimate the value of the buildings and property dee slroyed at £IOO,OOO, and tne_ gross a amount of insutances is from £75,000 10 £BO,OOO. Some of the buildings destroyed c were old wooden structures, and had more than served their usefulness. s The Bank of New South Wales, v Whitcombe and Tomb ■ building, and j the Trocadcro piivate hotel were all line brick buildings, wiue.i were oru naments to the city. So far nothing is knoivn as to the .. origin. n THE INSURANCES. -As far as can be ascertained, tile t- appioxitruuu net losses sustained by 1- the various companies are:—Allia ance, £5000; Atlas, A 1700; AusiralL- ian Alliance, £4000; Commercial d Union, £7000; Guardian, £2800; a Liverpool, London and Globe., National, £1500; New Zealand, d £-1500; North Brtiish and Mercand tile, £4500; North - Queensland, it £2000; Northern, £3000; Norwich Union, £2300; Phoenix, £5250; Royal, £3200; Royal Exenange, £700; ,c South British, £j/oo; Standard, £3000; United, £2800; Victoria, £2600; Yorkshire, £000; Sun, £4700: X total, £68,250 ~ In the case of the Union Bank building, it is thought that the prere mises! arc covered to the extent of about £4OOO. The Royal Office had 1 a line of £650 on the fixtures, which were totally destroyed, and the Liv- *!. erpool, London and Globe had a risk (iii the building. The bank's busi- "■ ness is being conducted on the prc>n miscs of the Citizens' Life Office in Lainbion Quay. It is a remarkable thing in connection with the fire that the State Fire c- Department had nothing at stake, d- though holding risks in the immedilie ate vicinity.