AN ALARMING BLAZE.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LII, Issue 52, 26 March 1909, Page 3

AN ALARMING BLAZE.

JUBILEE HOARDING-HOUSE GUTTED OCCUPANTS SAVED IX THE NICK OK TIME. SMAIiT WOKK liV THE EIRE iiIiIGADE. Jim before 12.150 lliis morning tin ■'l'"-'" »f liiv was given I,v the ■.•liuh.twalciiinan mill others, and it was almost immediately located at the Jubilee boarding-house, an establishment of considerable dimensions iicxt to liurgess, I'laser mill L'o.'s warehouse in Currii' Street. Amount the first to arrive on the scene were members of o m - night stall' uml the policeman on duly. It was then found that the lire had already obtained a fierce hold of the stall' and thv [mliccnnim on. duty. STARTLED BOARDERS

were scrainbling througli windows and down the lire escapes. The ladies resident in the building, most of whom were sleeping downstairs, made their way to safety by the rear exits. When the lire-bell rang the llames were bursting through practically all the upstairs windows, and leaping high into the ai'' througli the roof. Manv of the occupants, partially suffocated by smoke, were none too soon ill milking' their appearance on the balcony on the front of the house, the llames breaking through the bedrooms in that part of the house a moment after the last man had descended to the ground. To those in the front of the house it was not known how the "Amen had fared, no one having seen them, and

SOME ALARM was felt for their safety. Constable Klunagan, smashing in a side door, and followed by other willing workers, endeavored to mount the staircase iii older to ascertain whether anvonc remained in the building, but ' blinding smoke and furiou.s flames proved an, effective bar to progress, and the attempt was frustrated.

With the arrival of the fire brigade the apparently hopeless task of overcoming the march of the devouring fire was commenced with energy and method. •

A SPLENDID PRESSURE was available, and directed, at first, from two leads, had an *imost immediate -effect on the progress of the* flames. Unfortunately, a mishap to a hydrant, which Wke completely in two, "caused a short delay, but no 'time was lost in replacing the damaged one. The fire was attacked from every point of vantage, and the firemen were soon enabled to get a footing on the balcony, and at the windows from ladders. For a time there was but little appreciable diminution in the volume of flame, but the IMMENSE TORRENTS OF WATER poured into the seething interior gained the mastery, and, slowly at first, but surely, the intensity of the flames was checked. Once mastered, it was soon apparent that the brigade must win, and within half an hour of the time the first lead was run the danger of further loss was over. AFTER THE FIRE. As soon as it was practicable, Captain Bellringer and a number of searchers made a hurried but thorough search of the iifterio.r. and the anxiously waiting crowd was relieved to learn that mi fatality had to be recorded. COMPLETELY (JUTTED. The upper lloor of the building was found to be completely gutted, the Haiites having swept through the building from end to end. The interiors of the rooms and the halls were a mass of ruins and debris, the ashes arid cinders from beds and bedding, furniture, etc., covering the floors to a depth of several inches. Singularly enough, in some of the rooms which otherwise had been gutted, some of the boarders' ell'ecls were recovered practically undamaged, and amongst other recoveries lnaitv after the lire were several watches, still going, miscellaneous collections of boots and hats, and in one case a considerable wad of notes from under a charred pillow.

THE CAUSE OF THE OUTBREAK, can only be hazarded. The landlady, Mrs. Foley, retired shortly before midnight, when everything was intact. When the given by an occupant, the house was fast filling with smoke. With all possible speed the occupants, numbering about 20, were aroused, and in but few cases was a second warning required. One or two heavy sleepers, partly overcome liv smoke perhaps, had, however, to be forcibly dragged from their beds. In one instance a lady in the house pulled a sleeper into the passage, where she had to leave him, but satisfied that others could not get out without falling over him and seeing him to safety.

So far as could lie ascertained, tin. 1 lire probably originated in one of the bedrooms in the vicinity of the bathroom, number 10. As stated, it had a strung hold when first detected. Tlicre were IS boarders upstairs, and on the ground flour an old man, who was accommodated on a couch, and live people belonging to the house, namelv, .Mrs. Foley, Hiss Brady ills. Clark (daughter of Mrs. Foley), 'and a little girl, dean llyndmaji. Practically NOTHING WAS SAVED, and a number only escaped in their night-clothes and with odd articles of apparel. In one or two cases, however, the occupants in the part of the house furthest away from the seat of the lire secured practically all their belongings. One man, clad in boots, underpants and a vest, was scc;i. to dash twice into his room, emerging with a trunk and portmanteau. Despite the exhortations of those on the street, and the dense smoke in his room, he again returned, reappearing triumphantly in a few morn,.its with his sti-.-.v hat. Quite satinlied now. he grasped the rope and lowered himself to the street, where lie was the envy or many uf the less fortunate groped around in varying degrees of deshabille.

A pathetically humorous sight was that of a Chinaman, clad only in one sock and a shirt, wlho wandered round in a dazed sort of way, until taken charge of by a friendly brother Celestial. Fortunately there 'was not a breath of wind, or it would have been almost impossible to save the old wooden buildings adjoining on the Devon street side, and Cock and Co.'s and Archibald Clarke's warehouses opposite. The effectivenes of brick walls as a lire resister was well shown, Messrs Burgess. Frnscr's brick warehouse abutting on the burnhiig building being quite Lindane aged, Too much credit i-uiiiimL be given the fire brigade, wlro mustered in full force ill a very short space of time, anil worked with such splendidly creditable results,

THE INSURANCES. The building, which was ow-.ied by Messrs Rurgo-s, Eraser and Co.. is understood to be insured in tin- North (Queensland, being re-insured in other olUk-i-s. We were unable to ascertain from Mis. Foley, who wa- practically prostrated with -hock, whether there was anv insurance on her furniture and •Ifeets.' Although file duinime bv fire downstair.- was. coii-idcriiig the great 'hold if had upstairs', comparatively slight, everything was damaged l,y wa-f-i'und in most case- irretrievably rum-

Accommodation wa.- found wr the hnmelc-.s. several of whom were visitors attending the races. I u the neighboring hotels anil hoarding house*.