THE IRONSAND WORKS

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIV, Issue 259, 2 May 1912, Page 8

THE IRONSAND WORKS

BUILDING BURNT TO THE GROUND. Between three and four o'clock yesterday morning a fire at Moturoa completely destroyed the building which houses the bulk of the Parapara Ironsand Co.'s plant and machinery. The drying-shed and the combined office and laboratory, which were detached from the main building, escaped unscathed. Owing to the building being practically all of galvanised iron, with no wood in its structure except a light frame-work, the heat generated by the fire was not sufficent to destroy much of the machinery The smelter was preserved intact, while the gas-producer plant and other machinery is by no means beyond repair. The Roots- blower, however, was rendered useless. The insurances are not ascertainable locally, but it is thought that ■ the Parapara Co. was covered to the extent of £2OOO. The origin of the fire is I unknown. The caretaker (Mr. Otto Huse) states that when he left the build- | ing at 5.30 p.m. on Tuesday everything • was safe. A small fire was left in the f furnace, which, however, was secured by a heavy s t ec l door. The fire in the cas- . producer had been banked down for the .night before he left, and the fire, which, according to an eye-witness, appeared | to have originated at the other end of the buildmg, could not have started there. The first person to notice Ihe outbreak was Mr. Bailey, night watchman :at No. 2 bore on the Petroleum Co.fe I works About ten minutes past two he I noticed smoke and steam issuing from j the ironsand works, but presumed it was ; caused by prepartion for smelting operations. At <a quarter past two, however. • attention was directed to flames | about the. roof of the building. The fire I appeared to be burning against the wind. s He then saw that the police were notified | oi the occurrence.

I The fire comes at a particularly unfortunate juncture, for the local syndicate was ready to commence smelting at the beginning of next week. It had not however, formally taken over the works from the Parapara Co.,.but the lease would have been signed in a day or so. lhe syndicate is now awaiting "instructions from Chmtehurch. Once the authority is given, about three weeks will see, w our representative was informed, the building re-erected and the works in running order again.