DESTRUCTIVE FIRE.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIII, Issue 38, 25 May 1910, Page 5

DESTRUCTIVE FIRE.

•NAITER FOUNDRY BADLY DAMAGED. HEAVY LOSSES. i TWO FIREMEN HURT. ' 1 By Telegraph—Press Association. Napier, May it. j A lire broke out in the cngineroom oi. the foundry of Jas, J. .\iven and C 0.,! Ltd., Port Ahuriri, shortly after 11 Ults' forenoon, and before the li.iines hail been completely subjugated, nearly two hours afterwards, very considerable damage 1 had been done. The buildings destroyed j were the engine house and a new cool I store, a portion of the old cool store being but slightly, if at all, affected. On these three buildings there was an insurance of £2800,--but of that sum £BOO was on the old cool store, so that the actual insurance on the two build-! ings was £2OOO. In the engine room and new cool store; there was some costly plant, on which' there was no insurance, the company taking the ris'k themselves. This consisted of a 200 horse power engine, tw,o gas engines, two suction gas producers, an 18ton freezer, a large electric dynamo, | a quantity of electric coil, and manyi tools and appliances. All these were rendered practically useless, so that the firm under their own insurance risk are! heavy losers, probably to ihe extent of about £SOOO, as estimated to-night by Mr. Geo. Nelson, managing director. The whole of the buildings were insured for £4395, and the stock of machinery, etc., for £12,705, making a total of £1'7,000, the risk being divided among the following eleven offices:—Atew Zealand, South British, National, Liverpool and London and Globe, London and Lancashire, Queensland Alliance, Sun, Victoria, Atlas and Commercial. These offices are only affected, however, to the extent of the £2OOO on the two buildings destroyed, the others having escaped damage, and the whole of the valuable stock toeing unharmed. The refrigerating chamber was not materially damaged, and its contents, in the shape of butter, fish, etc., were promptly removed. So far the caus'e of the outbreak is not definitely known. j During the progress of the fire several accidents occurred. The fall of one of the walls of the engine room brought with it a platform, from which a fireman named F. Smith and a molder named W. Napier were descending. Napier was) hurled against a door, and narrowly escaped being pinned against its frame by the falling mass. He sustained some flesh wounds and bruises. .Smith was pinned for a time by a falling beam, and had some difficulty in getting clear, but he also escaped with a few bruises'. Arrangements have been made by the firm to continue their work in all its branches to-morrow morning.