BIG FIRE IN AUCKLAND.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LV, Issue 215, 1 April 1913, Page 8

BIG FIRE IN AUCKLAND.

ESTIMATED DAMAGE: £45,000. ~. , Auckland Monday. A live about o'clock yesterday morning gutted, a largo four-storied block of brick buildings known as Kndean's, in bower Queen .street, overlooking the harinity of the grill-room of the Harbor View Restaurant, on the second floor. h _ llie flames spread with amazing rapidity, and when the brigade arrived, two minutes after the alarm; every floor was ablaze. :e The whole of the structure was rutted by lire, with 'the exception of the ground floor, where the damage is considerable owing to the deluge of water and debris from the upper floors. The building was occupied by about twentyfive tenants, the principal .being- the Pacific Club. The caretaker and firemen had rouo-h ire work, and several sustained injuries, mostly of a minor character, except Fireman Briston, who was rather badly U- hurt by the fall of the lift. ORTCJTX A MYSTERY. The cause of the outbreak is a mystery. A constable saw smoke pouring from the windows at the back of the 1 block on the town side. A closer inspection revealed that the flames had a good hold on the first floor. Almost , simultaneously the caretaker was awakened by the crackling, and gave the alarm. In llii- brief interval the dames, by 1 "' way of the lift well, raged through the r_ whole building to the roof, through r J which they burst, illuminating the eounn" try for miles. ' e Mr. Simpson, steward of the Pacific a- Club, who sleeps on the top flat, had it. some luck in getting out bv the fire es- ?■ cape. When the 'brigade' arrived thci y, building was blazing from end to end. They got to work with the Dennis pump, J which threw 75.000 gallons of salt water from the sea front to the top storey, but the only hope was to prevent the fire from spreading. At the end of an hour and a half the brigade had the fire under control. The walls stood well, but. they will have to be pulled down and rebuilt, A stairway fell while Deputy Wilson and Firemen Scott, Briscoe, and Elmsley were operating over the banister on the "* first floor, and let them all through on to the landing below. No one was scrB irmslv hurt. _THE AFFECTED. ' The damage done is estimated at about £4.").000. the total insurances being somewhere in the vieinitv of £30,000. .In Eudean's buildings there were many tenants. The ground floor was taken up by shops as follow: Fronting Queen street: llcllabv and Co. (retail branch butcher's shop): Oceanic, Fish Company's shop; Stone and Co. (bookshop); C. Wilson (fruiterer and confectioner); corner shop, the Clobbery (clothing store); W. S. M'ehlnim (tailor): McNamara (hairdresser ami tobacconist). The first floor where the caretaker's t|H«rlcrs were also situated, was occupied by (hi! surgeries of the London Denial Company and by Fountain's luncheon rooms and restaurant. The second and third floors were divided up into oil'iecs. (hose, on the former being: occupied by Mr. Lockie. the Cannon Ford Shipping Company, Mr .E. Ford, A. O. Clark, Ltd.. .Mr. 11. Clark, the Power Boat Association, and the Christian Science Association, and the bitter by Messrs. Coldsborough and McConnell, Ceorge Eraser and Son. Mr. Fisher, Mr. W. .1. Bclling- , ham (music teacher), the Coastal Masters' Association. Messrs. NntcliilV and Moiiuce. National Dairy Association, Mr. Harry Com-v. Mr. .!. E. Pipe, and Hie Cinnniiinitv Distributing Company. The top Hour Wii.- i evotcd wholly to'the reipiiivijii'uls of t lie Pacific (.'lub. THE INSURANCES. ' The insurances are divided as follow: —Alliance oll'ice. £0000; National. £21)1)0: ' Phoenix. £1700: Standard, £2000; Royal. £-2:!00: l.ivcri 1. Loudon, and Oiobc. £:IOOO. The tenants and their insurances are: " Ibdlaby and Co.. butchers. Norwich of- ( fice.. £.'1011: Stone and Co.. shoe store. ( Standard. £7.">o. South British, £2000; i MeXaniara. tobacconist. Phoenix. £'2oo; j fountain, restaurant. Phoenix. £2OO, 1 London Denial Co., Phoenix. £S0O: R. O. Clark, agent. United. £200: Paeifiic 1 Club. North British £BOO. State office fISO. [For some reason, this telegram, s"nt out to other newspapers on Saturday did not reach the News. The foregoing report is copied from the Dominion of ycsterday.l. The Secretary of the Post Office at Wellington has received a telegram from Auckland giving some details of the. (ire which occurred in a building adjoining the new Post Office in Queen street, 'then- were a number of windows facing the burning building broken at the Post Oll'ice. and cinders plentifully besprinkled the roof, but no other damage was done to the office itself.